Howdy do
The topic says it all, my parking brake won't stay "latched" down. It just pops back up. I can either figure it out or ask here, and since it's snowing and freezing rain out like a mofo I thought this would be easier.
Anyone know a fix for this, or can I remove the parking brake mechanism out of a donor I have access to? I can't seem to figure out how :(
Looks like two nuts, accessible from the wheel well, and a bolt up into the dash holding it on.
http://amceaglesden.com/guide/index.php?title=Section_38%2C_Parking_Brake%2C_Manuual_and_Auto_Shifters%3B_Transfer_Case_Lines_and_Hoses_%28both_types_of_select_shift%29
Trying to find something that shows how to disassemble it so I can fix whatever is wrong rather than having to remove wheel wells and fenders.
The TSM shows only replacement. You're on your own unless you have an MR manual at hand.
I may be picking one up this week. If I do, I'll let you know what it says.
BTW... you don't have to remove the fender.
I wonder if the spring behind the release handle is broken? Does the pedal stay down if you hold the handle in?
(Looks like the handle may screw off.)
There's a better pic on page 2G-13 of the TSM.
I'm at a point I can remove my spare if you need 1.
Does it sound like it ratchets when you press the pedal down?
No ratchet sound at all. Sounds worn out.
I take it that I have to remove the fender or the wheel well cover to access those nuts. Am I correct or can I get at them from underneath with ease?
Quote from: Mernsy on April 01, 2014, 02:32:51 PM
The TSM shows only replacement. You're on your own unless you have an MR manual at hand.
I may be picking one up this week. If I do, I'll let you know what it says.
BTW... you don't have to remove the fender.
I got the manual today. It doesn't go into the mechanism. If it isn't a broken spring you're probably better off replacing the whole thing.
(You need to remove only the splash guard in the wheel well, not the fender.)
Mine had the same problem when I bought it a few years ago. I really learned to hate that 'ratcheting-bang' sound it would make as it popped back up... sometimes after I had walked away from the car a few steps.
I had to fix the brake immediately, because Texas wouldn't let me license the car until it passed a safety inspection (because I had imported it from Idaho).
It's been a while, and I don't have any pictures, but here's a few things I remember from the repair process:
- I was able to fix mine without ever disconnecting the cable to the rear brakes.
- I did, however, have to detach the assembly and drop it down into the footwell so I could get at the ratcheting mechanism.
- There are only two bolts you have to remove to do this; one is right above the release handle. The other one, at the front of the assembly, cannot be removed from inside the car.
- To get the front bolt out, turn the steering wheel all the way to the left (to make room), then remove enough of the left-front fender liner fasteners so that you can peel the liner back and get to the nut securing the assembly.
- Once I had mine where I could work on it, I saw that the ratchet mechanism had a small coil spring that pushed a pawl down onto the ratchet notches. The weird thing was, I couldn't see how the top of the spring was anchored to the frame. It was just floating around in the general area of the top of the frame, but wasn't 'pushing' against anything. There was, however, a small hole drilled in the frame, whee I would expect to see a protrusion to hold the top of the spring. So I suspect that there was originally something that fitted into that hole and secured the top of the spring. Who knows what had happened to it on my car.
- I fabricated my own by re-tapping the hole to fit a small hex-head bolt (I think it was 1/8 inch diameter?). I selected a bolt about one and a half inches long, and filed a smooth shoulder on the end that would fit about a quarter-inch inside the spring, allowing the spring to turn freely on the shoulder. I threaded the modified bolt in, stuck the spring on the end, and turned the hex bolt in and out until I got the right pressure on the ratchet pawl to make the brake work properly.
This probably sounds overly complicated, but it's pretty straightforward if you have the brake assembly in your hands. Of course, yours might be broken in a completely different way than mine... but the symptoms seem identical.
To this day I don't know what the original part would have looked like.
I hope at least parts of this help you out... good luck with your repair.
JohnBendik
Excellent write-up.
May just help more than one person.