Parking brake

V-Eight · #1 (**permalink**) 07-07-09, 10:17 PM

I used the parking brake for the first time in a long time a few days ago, and it didn't turn off when I shifted into gear. I checked the manual to find the release and it said that if something like this occured, there is a problem with the brake, any idea how to fix this?

ral1960 · #2 (**permalink**) 07-07-09, 11:23 PM

My 74 had that problem. There was a small lever at the top of the pedal stalk that I could kick to release the brake.
My 04 doesn't have the automatic release, but the car would drive sluggishly the first mile when it was below freezing. Turned out the parking brake wasn't releasing all the way due to corrosion in the cable. The guy who replaced the ruined brake pads shoved some lube up the cable because I'm too cheap to replace the cable. I no longer use the brake in winter, so I don't know if that helped.

**Ranger** · #3 (**permalink**) 07-08-09, 12:25 AM

Get under the dash and look up at the parking brake mechanism. You'll see a vacuum diaphragm. Pull the hose and have an assistant put the car in gear while holding the brake. Do you have vaccum to hte line you just pulled? If so, the diaphragm is bad. If not, trace it backwards and find the leak.