E-brake stopped ratcheting

[foreman1063]

Got done with the fuse panel swap, disk brake swap and a host of other projects and the last thing to do was to get the e-brake working so I could get an inspection. The pedal had worked in the past but the drum brakes were missing some parts so E-brake no workie. Now, The disk are all set up and working but the pedal doesn't ratchet or hold. I did some searching and everything I read said the teeth typically wear of the pedal assembly rendering it useless.

 

I have a couple of donor trucks so my plan was to swap the pedal assembly out with one from the other truck. Finally got the bad pedal pulled out and discovered that the spring that holds the paw against the toothy thing was unhooked. I hooked it up, put it all back together and every thing works great.

 

So the point of this long story is, don't assume your pedal assembly is worn out if it stops ratcheting, at least check out the spring before you go to the trouble of pulling it. :thumbsup:

[Pete M]

I love easy fixes :D can you copy/paste this into the "most important tip" thread?

[jeepcoma]

When mine went, you could hear the ratcheting working, it just wouldn't hold. I got a replacement so I could just do a swap and pass inspection, but when I took it out and examined it I figured it could be repaired with a file to make the edges of the teeth sharp again. Might work for a while, I never did try it out. I'm always cautious now to put pressure on the pedal prior to releasing so it doesn't spring back and scrape the teeth.