Emergency Brake Not Engaging :/

[DJ Bran Boogy]

I failed my NYS inspection because my emergency brake wasnt holding. i never use so i had no idea. I took off the rear rotors and the right shoe had no pad on them. i changed the back shoes even though the left side looks new. now testing i learned why it looked new. when i step on the brake the cable on pull back the left lever. any ideas?

 

[koda2000]

as you live in the rust belt and never use your parking brake, the parts that move to press the brake shoes out against the rotor/drum are no doubt rusted solid. probably best/easiest to replace all these pieces. they're inexpensive enough, though a pita to have to change. did your replacement shoes come with new adjuster parts? they should have. in the future, get in the habit of regularly using your parking brake and you can avoid this problem going forward.

 

[DJ Bran Boogy]

as you live in the rust belt and never use your parking brake, the parts that move to press the brake shoes out against the rotor/drum are no doubt rusted solid. probably best/easiest to replace all these pieces. they're inexpensive enough, though a pita to have to change. did your replacement shoes come with new adjuster parts? they should have. in the future, get in the habit of regularly using your parking brake and you can avoid this problem going forward.

i went in and cleaned the parts. the adjuster is fine. i put a bit wd 40 and star wheel spins freely without stopping. but what can cause the cable to pull only side?

 

[deweyville65]

Check the actuating lever at the top of the backing plate, where the cable attaches. When I bought mine, both sides were frozen. Took a big hammer and some cussing, but got them freed up. BUT, I don't know about anyone else, but I find the parking brake is VERY lacking in holding power. Also, you will want to spray some lube in the brake pedal mechanism under the dash. Mine is still a bit stubborn, even after 2 1/2 years of regular use.

 

[koda2000]

a frozen cable on one side? the short one on the driver's side is prone to breaking.

 

[DJ Bran Boogy]

a frozen cable on one side? the short one on the driver's side is prone to breaking.

EXACTLY. it broke and i replaced it. still doesnt pull.

 

[koda2000]

i know this will seem like a dumb question, but are the shoes adjusted to make contact? they should make light contact on the rotor drums. other than that i'm out of ideas.

 

[DJ Bran Boogy]

i know this will seem like a dumb question, but are the shoes adjusted to make contact? they should make light contact on the rotor drums. other than that i'm out of ideas.

it does but ill try again

 

[koda2000]

it does but ill try again

to make sure both shoes are touching, i usually adjust them quite tight and then back them off (lift the little adjuster wheel lock with one screw driver so you can easily rotate the adjuster wheel to loosen with another) to achieve the right amount of drag. i should have asked, but how easily and how far does the pedal go down? there's some number of clicks (don't recall how many, maybe 4?) that should be heard before the pedal gets hard to push.

 

[DJ Bran Boogy]

to make sure both shoes are touching, i usually adjust them quite tight and then back them off (lift the little adjuster wheel lock with one screw driver so you can easily rotate the adjuster wheel to loosen with another) to achieve the right amount of drag. i should have asked, but how easily and how far does the pedal go down? there's some number of clicks (don't recall how many, maybe 4?) that should be heard before the pedal gets hard to push.

it goes all the way to the floor. and the brake light in the cluster never comes on

 

[skpyle]

Hello DJ Bran Boogy,

I am in the same boat with my 1999 Limited. Driver's side cable broken, no friction material left on shoes, light didn't come on.

I have a box of parts waiting to go on.

However, I fixed the light. There is a plunger type micro switch on the inboard side of the parking brake pedal assembly. It has one wire. When you push down the pedal, the plunger is released, and grounds the wire, completing the circuit for the light.

Through misuse, this switch builds up a light film of oxidation on the contacts.
I disconnected the wire and removed the switch. It took a 7/32" nut driver. I found that odd, since everything else is metric. Anyway, I hosed down the plunger and contact with contact cleaner. Then, I twisted the plunger while holding it against the contact. This serves to scrape the plunger against the contact, hopefully removing enough oxidation to pass current.

If you look at the serrations on the underside of the plunger, I believe this is to make the contacts self cleaning. Every time you use the parking brake, the serrations scrape against the contact, removing oxidation.

Reintalling the switch and reconnecting the wire was a PITA, due to the large wiring harness plug in the way. But, I got it, and now the light works.

Good Luck!

Seth K. Pyle

 

[koda2000]

it goes all the way to the floor. and the brake light in the cluster never comes on

the brake light on the cluster is a different matter, there's just a little ground wire switch as part of the pedal mechanism. it's common for the switch to get dirty and not make a good connection or not move. you can usually clean them up and lube them, but a new one is pretty cheap too. the light should come on as soon as the pedal moves.

if the pedal goes to the floor, the shoes must be way out of adjustment. when they're a few thousandths away from the drum they don't have to move very far and the pedal will only move about 1/2 way down. tighten them down.

 

[drdoom]

As stated above, the actuator arms may be frozen. 1Aauto has a good video on youtube that details the procedure for freeing up frozen e brakes on an Explorer. The arms on my truck were so rusty I took them out while doing bearings-seals-oil-e brake service, and the part that is shaped like an "x", well I then realized that's actually two pieces, and need to move freely. So I pulled them apart and sanded, brushed, etc.

 

[ambrosiaB]

does anyone know where i can find a diagram/ pictures of someone replacing the cables? my driverside cable has broken off. pedal goes to the floor

 

[bobflood]

does anyone know where i can find a diagram/ pictures of someone replacing the cables? my driverside cable has broken off. pedal goes to the floor

Look under Rick's "How To" in the sticky section - he has a lot of things there. Then try a few searches. Good luck.