Are you supposed to use the parking brake

I use it every time with an M/T. My brother had a 90’s Nissan pickup turn someone’s living room into a garage because he neglected to do so.

 

It helps maintain the rear shoes adjustment, also stops things from sticking.

Use it everyonce in a while, its a lot easier than the previous tacoma parking brakes.

 

Well, I will do this every time I park now. The fact that the truck only moved a fraction of an inch when put into park and it doesn't slam into reverse or drive when starting back up is reason enough for this to be a habit, regardless of rear shoe adjustment. Thanks, TW!

 

I always use mine, mostly from habit from driving a stick. Even on an auto I use it to help keep pressure off the transmission pawl. I stop, shift into N, engage parking brake, then shift into P. Never had any issues, even in winter.

 

Not to divert, but if on a slope with an auto transmission and you don’t use it, does it put stress on the gearbox? Is this just good practice for saftey on a slope if it comes out of gear?

For example, you know when you park an auto on a slope, turn the car off, but not engage the e brake then when you let go of the brake pedal the vehicle rocks a little, is that bad or stress for the transmission?

 

Only on inclines on my automatic

 

Srsly?

 

I say use it. It keeps moving parts from getting seized up and takes presure off the “park pawl” inside the transmission. That way when you really need it one day it should work.

 

Only on hills

 

After driving around today to church and a few errands, I realize that this is the method I've been using without really thinking about it.

 

Like anything else it becomes a habit. It's a good one to have if you travel to a place with hills or rent a car there.

 

Pretty much what it says to do in the owner's manual.

 

Question, now that I've been using it frequently. How many clicks should you hear when pulling up? Sometimes I hear none, one, or three. And the lever stays engaged every time.

 

Isn't it best to stop the vehicle, keep foot on brake, apply parking brake, release brake pedal so weight shifts onto parking brake THEN shift into park? Otherwise it defeats the purpose unless the pawl breaks? Didn't see anyone else mention releasing break pedal before shifting into P.

 

Did anyone answer this yet? Yea it's not great on the transmission because the entire weight of the vehicle is being supported by the transmission. Basically especially on a hill you dont want to do this.

 

All the time.

 

No one has but I appreciate it! I had a manual back in the day so there was no question about it. Unlike an auto, I did not leave my car in gear when parked because of it were to be bumped or pushed, that would also not be good for the transmission, but in retrospect, I think I should have because the e brake could fail a whole lot easier than a transmission in gear on a slope...

 

It does not put any load on the 'gears' themselves, no. It puts a load on the parking pawl. If the pawl fails, there will be no other gear in the way to stop the car from moving and it will roll if not level.

Ask an MT guy if they park their car in gear, essentially for the same reason. I park my S2000 in gear if I am on a steep hill in addition to using the parking brake just in case it decides to fail. I do not park it in gear on level ground, however, only because I have no clutch interlock engaged on the car and don't want it to drive itself into something in case I'm not paying attention.

The pawl itself is only there to hold the car, so while it can theoretically handle the abuse without affecting the performance of your transmission, I believe it is those hard shifts out of park and into gear that can potentially cause problems in the future. You are rubbing metal on metal, and therefore wearing a bit of away each time you have those hard shifts. If you happen to wear a particular tooth too far down over time, and then potentially use that tooth while parking after it is too far gone....

I am absolutely not a transmission expert, but based on pictures of parking pawls, how they operate, and my years of fairly moderate mechanical knowledge and experience, use your freaking parking brake!

 

Use it all the time on flat and hills...it’s a habit at this point.

 

I use it everytime, on my auto.