Well I started off trying to clean/lube the parking brake switch which was described in Krank's thread. Well my son was helping me and he accidently knocked one of my sockets into that hole. I tried everything possible to get it out without removing the brake handle, but alas nothing worked. I should have read up on the manual before unbolting it from the floor, but hey, who reads manuals?

So I unbolt the e-brake, get my socket, remove and clean the e-brake switch (which takes a 5.5mm or 7/32 socket, which I had to hunt everwhere for ) re-install it, and get ready to re-bolt the e-brake back into it's position. Now here is where it goes from a 1/2 hour project to an 8-hour (and counting ) I go and try to pull it back up to put the bolts back in and I can't get enough slack? I pry the sucker, yell at it, cuss at it, fight with it some more, and I can't get the thing to budge.

Finnally I crawled underneath and unhooked the rear cables at the equalizer bar. That gave me enough slack to bolt the sucker back down.

Now I am at the point where I can't re-connect the rear cables to the bar. I read through the manual and it talked about the lock-out pin hole which I put a screw in trying to release the mechanism. Well it did not release, no matter how many times I tried.

I did a search here and came up with some good answers in different threads, but the links in them are so old that they are broken.

Copper talked about adding springs underneath to help with the adjustment (with pics that still work. ) that I might do in the near future sense my main spring is getting awefully rusty.

99f350sd mentioned using a flat head screw driver and pushing the wheel with that to release some tension. I plan on trying this tomorrow, but with how tight it is, I don't know if I can do it without braking the self adjuster spring.

Then AeroPA talks about the same thing with the screwdriver and disconecting the "clock-spring."

I guess I would like a better answer than just breaking the self adjuster to get the extra 2-3" so I can re-connect the rear e-brake cables.

Let the begin.

 

Is the e-brake lever fully released ? check that the cable has not looped around something from underneath.

 

Another method which can be used on Aerostar vehicles is to remove the bolts attaching the control to the floor pan, and pull the control upward and forward to rotate the spring loaded ratchet wheel as far as possible.

 

I spent an hour or so today trying to get the dang thing to release per the ford manual directions,


(pic courtesy of 96_4wdr)

and still a no-go. It is in the fully released position and that spring has the tensioner tightened almost all the way that it can tension. (I will get a pic tomorrow of it.)

Tomorow night I will remove it from the floor and see if I can pull it back to the correct position and get it to lock via the pin hole. But I am not sure if that would be possible if I can't get the spring to release (I will double check that the cable is not bound up on something.) It sure has a ton of ft-lbs to it.

If that is not possible, how do you "break" it so the sping no longer puts tension on the wheel?

Right now I am to the point if I fubar it, I don't care, I can pick up another one at the junkyard for cheap. So keep all the suggestions and pics comming!

 

need a giant sledgehammer as a persuader?






my old girl always gives in when i threaten her with the bone crusher.

 

Well trying the sledge hammer and pic did not work 96. Nor did yanking on the sucker. It is jammed in its current position which I assume is past the max tension point.

I pried the spring off hoping that it would release the tension on the wheel, well that did not work. I still can't get that half wheel to move.

Here are some pics of its current position.









Now if you look real closely into the whole there is some sort of metal piece (welded?) to the upper sprocket in this pic. Is that piece locking the assembly in place?






So does anyone know how to get this to release? I feel like I am on the verge of getting this working again, so any and all help would be greatly appreciated?

 

looks like the release dog in pic#4 is beyond hope, corroded and bit the dust. there is stuff growing down there that has not been identified by science yet.

must have failed the Pepsi/Coke Challenge.

had a girlfriend in college that spilled so much Coke in my new Cyclone NW passenger and driver front seats that it gummed up and ate out the seat frame back hinges.
got rid of her and kept the car. it went faster and rode better than she did anyway

might try soaking overnight in PB Blaster or it's time for the junke yard dog replacement repair with a case of LaBatts

 

Call me...........................

 

Yea stuff does tend to leak down there.

96_4wdr, I am not sure what the release dog is. Could you please give me a clue to which part it is?



or am I looking in the wrong area?

Thanks for your help guys.

PM sent 99f350.

 

Got to be a ratchet pawl connected to a rod from the button on the handle somewhere. This needs to be pried up away from the teeth of the ratchet sprocket . Those teeth are usually slanted to lock the pawl in place, so some slack needs to be found to allow the pawl to disengage. Usually this is obtained while pulling up slightly on the handle before pressing the release button!
That L shaped bracket looks like a stop bracket.
Can you obtain some slack by loosening the self adjusters in the rear brakes?

 

the release dog is part of the unknown substance at #1 and slightly to the right.

push the E brake release button and the dog plus it's release arm should move.

also the tension spring is unwound. it's catch ear in sticking up in pict. #3&4 is retained under tension by the right angle steel tab sticking out and up in pic#1,2&4. never retensioned one. detailed explanation covered in service cd. involves removing all of the handle mechanism, a section of spare cable on the drum to supply tension to the spring, placing one foot on the cable end and pulling up by hand until spring is tensioned. then putting in the lock pin.

haven't worked on one in 10 years. mine became gummed up from grand kids eating, drinking and spilling their corn syrup garbage into the P brake along with beach sand and who knows what else. had to remove the seat to have room to unbolt from the floor and work on it.


if you can get it completely out, try soaking just the steel mech. in a bucket of kerosene to get the crud and rust out. i spent hours flushing and cleaning mine. made a mess of the carpet.

eating muzzles on the grandkids helped me.

 

Number 2 thats what I push with a long screwdriver.. You may have to hit it with a punch sharply as your lever is taken out....


Dick

 

I fooled around with #2 for a while today and the sucker released.

It is put all back together and working great again (including turning on the brake light on the dash!)

Thanks for your help guys in guiding me!

 

Way to go....