Parking Brake Failure

[abscate]

You have to adjust at the brake shoes first , then at the handle. The handle only needs adjustment when the cables are replaced , generally

[FireFox31]

I would not be surprised if that's what happened. You can see what was left when I opened up the console.

Ouch! The black plastic parking brake cover part appears to be no longer available. Part 9165772, number 17 on this center console diagram. Should be available at a junkyard, but first a good one must be found. The shop is on the hook for that. Did they also tear the parking brake cloth guard in the process? Good luck.

[99TurboBrick]

I adjusted both wheels using the adjusting screws. No problems there. No damage to any springs etc. Shoes held the wheels fine when the screws were adjusted tight. Then I backed off 2 clicks and left just a slight drag as it should be.

Then I moved on to adjusting the screw under the console. The screw was really loose, and I could tighten the first several turns with just my fingers. I tightened it up nicely with the T50. The hand brake was snug at about 4 clicks. Nice. At the time, I had the left wheel off, so I tried to turn the wheel. Didn't budge with the hand brake set. Nice.

Now the trick is, the "equalizer" bar thing is crooked. Not nice. So I gotta figure out why that is.

Borrowing an image from another post. The equalizer is tilted like that upper red line. Yikes. So now I'm confused. Is the right cable broken? Perhaps. The lever end cam of the right cable is just flopping around there. Not good.

Maybe I need to take of the console and have a better look at what's going on. More fun on the way.

[scot850]

Your balancer bar can be positioned differently. It is there to take up tolerances in manufactures length of the cabled and stretch that will occur. Maybe one has been replaced at a different time and so has stretched less?

Jack the car up on each side and pull on the handbrake lever and check it locks at the 4-5 clicks range and try to rotate each wheel in turn. If both are locking up then it is good to go. Do check that on releasing the parking brake, both wheels release immediately and rotate freely.

It may be that the guy wrenched on the lever and one side was stuck and in pulling so hard he released a stuck cable. That would give the issue you had. If this was the case and you have adjusted correctly like you have both sides should release immediately. If one does not or is slow to release then the cable is bad on that side.

Neil.

[99TurboBrick]

I would not be surprised if that's what happened. You can see what was left when I opened up the console.

Ouch! The black plastic parking brake cover part appears to be no longer available. Part 9165772, number 17 on this center console diagram. Should be available at a junkyard, but first a good one must be found. The shop is on the hook for that. Did they also tear the parking brake cloth guard in the process? Good luck.

Thanks FireFox. Actually mine is 9158189. I just found a decent one on ebay with the boot also. $66 though. :\ The boot may have already been torn not sure, but I don't recall the leather boot being separated from the trim piece. It wouldn't surprise me, as they really reefed on the thing apparently.

[99TurboBrick]

Mystery solved. Thanks to everyone that responded, I appreciate it!

The right cable is broken at the parking brake lever. Anyone happen to know if this is a common failure point? From all of my reading, it seems that these usually break somewhere under the car, after the sheathing splits, and dirt and moisture invade thus rusting the cable.

If I had started at the console this would have gone a lot faster.

For 19 years I've been pulling on this handle with no problem, but I hand it over to someone and this is what happens.

[99TurboBrick]

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Some people just yank the handle for all it's worth hard and fast so anything could have happened. Need to remove the cover and check the cable at the handle then work your way back.

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"Need to remove the cover and check the cable at the handle then work your way back."

Dude, why didn't I listen to you and start there?

[MoVolvos]

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Some people just yank the handle for all it's worth hard and fast so anything could have happened. Need to remove the cover and check the cable at the handle then work your way back.

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"Need to remove the cover and check the cable at the handle then work your way back."

Dude, why didn't I listen to you and start there?

"Need to remove the cover and check the cable at the handle then work your way back. Some people just yank the handle for all it's worth hard and fast so anything could have happened."


My fault for... .


BTW: You can probably get that malleable piece of crimp end piece at the hardware store. If you can find the old piece, reattached, crimp and some JB Weld or other if needed. Saves from having to feed the entire cable. Use to buy the cables and attached them across the shelves of the convenience store for earthquakes and sloppy stocking of bottles. One end of the cable was crimped while the other end had a tensioner.

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[MoVolvos]

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Some people just yank the handle for all it's worth hard and fast so anything could have happened. Need to remove the cover and check the cable at the handle then work your way back.

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I would not be surprised if that's what happened. You can see what was left when I opened up the console.

I wonder if in his rush and overaggressive pull, he just stretched them out a bit. Cables are still attached at the handle, and at least I hear cable movement when I pull the handle. Going to attempt an adjustment today.


IMG_2006 - broken by caleb at rimguard, parking brake handle housing.JPG

No need to replace that part!

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[abscate]

You can get swages at a marine store , too,like West Marine.

That cable didn’t break from one pull. The last strand snapped when they pulled on it. You can’t break a cable like that in tension with hand forces even with the leverage of the hand brake lever.

I would karmically buy the part and ask them to cover the labor but give them the brake rework job.

No judgement but to give you and idea of how e handle problems like this. We pick it up and then never work on that customer car again