Parking brake pedal not staying engaged

[Warren99]

For a while my parking brake wouldn't catch on the ratchet, and therefore just didn't work. I've been tearing my interior apart recently and noticed suddenly its working again. Could the hood latch or kicker panel have possibly been pushing on something which was releasing the teeth? 

[jpnjake]

Not too sure what could cause it in your case, but if it happens again it could be something like this. 

[Warren99]

Thank you

[ghetdjc320]

If you have a hydraulic press or even a good air hammer, you can tighten down the main pin for the pedal until you get almost zero play (make sure it still move smoothly though). You can also tighten the pin for the catch lever/cam. A slightly tighter lever spring and you should be good to go. 

[NickyV]

I think I have read just about every thread on here about the parking brake and fixes.

 

The DIY E-Brake Fix, Parking Brake Pedal Refurb, and New Parking Brake Fix are all great. I want to start with the low hanging fruit and I've got a couple questions:

 

1. Is the fix described in this thread (tightening down the main pin, the catch lever pin, and putting in a new spring) generally accepted as the first thing to try?
2. Can I tighten the pin without removing the entire assembly? 
3. How do you tighten the pin? Do you apply a bunch of pressure to either end of the pin? I'm having trouble understanding how this works. Does the pin get compressed?

 

Here are the symptoms on my e-brake. Keep in mind that I have not removed it to get a good look.

 

1. Lateral movement of the e-brake pedal
2. Some teeth seem to catch better than others (maybe some are rounded or broken?)
3. Not sure if this is a "symptom" but the e-brake doesn't hold all that well unless I get it to catch with the pedal almost all the way against the floorboard. Should it be holding firm without pressing it all the way down, and if so, does this mean I need to shorten the cable a little bit?

 

I am planning to just try to get a new spring on there first to see if that helps. I really like the idea of doing a complete refurb, but I don't have all the tools outlined in the two main threads easily available. I would eventually like to have a drill press and some kind of welding torch, but not sure I'm ready to buy those things for just one project.

[ghetdjc320]

3 hours ago, NickyV said:

I think I have read just about every thread on here about the parking brake and fixes.

 

The DIY E-Brake Fix, Parking Brake Pedal Refurb, and New Parking Brake Fix are all great. I want to start with the low hanging fruit and I've got a couple questions:

 

1. Is the fix described in this thread (tightening down the main pin, the catch lever pin, and putting in a new spring) generally accepted as the first thing to try?
2. Can I tighten the pin without removing the entire assembly? 
3. How do you tighten the pin? Do you apply a bunch of pressure to either end of the pin? I'm having trouble understanding how this works. Does the pin get compressed?

 

Here are the symptoms on my e-brake. Keep in mind that I have not removed it to get a good look.

 

1. Lateral movement of the e-brake pedal
2. Some teeth seem to catch better than others (maybe some are rounded or broken?)
3. Not sure if this is a "symptom" but the e-brake doesn't hold all that well unless I get it to catch with the pedal almost all the way against the floorboard. Should it be holding firm without pressing it all the way down, and if so, does this mean I need to shorten the cable a little bit?

 

I am planning to just try to get a new spring on there first to see if that helps. I really like the idea of doing a complete refurb, but I don't have all the tools outlined in the two main threads easily available. I would eventually like to have a drill press and some kind of welding torch, but not sure I'm ready to buy those things for just one project.

Yes to questions 1-3. You can use a hydraulic press or even an air hammer. The pin is already a pressed in piece. You're just pressing it in a bit further to take up any slack. Get your e brake assembly out and you should be able to identify what yours is going to need. 

[Eagle_SX4]

6 hours ago, NickyV said:

• Lateral movement of the e-brake pedal
• Some teeth seem to catch better than others (maybe some are rounded or broken?)

You don't need any special tools to tighten the pins/rivets just a center punch and a hammer.

 

If the teeth are worn out the only way I can see of fixing them is to weld over them and hand file new teeth. That would require full dissembly of the mechanism as described in 

6 hours ago, NickyV said:

Parking Brake Pedal Refurb

 

[NickyV]

Thanks @Eagle_SX4

 

Interesting update. Last night I was fiddling with my brake a bunch. Just trying to get a better understanding of all the parts. It started locking a lot more consistently. I realized that for the past several years, the footwell kickpanel has been missing, which would have allowed for additional lateral movement. Right now, if I'm deliberate about it, I can get the parking brake to engage. Haven't tried it on a steep hill yet...

 

I still think that I need to do some kind of fix, but I'm happy about this development for the short term.