e brake problem

ive got a 1985 Jeep Cherokee 4.0. My ebrake doesnt work. i pull the handle up and it goes up maybe a inch. it feels like something is pulling the handle down. it wont engauge. i took both drums off and nothin looks odd.

J.

I think you're going to have to get underneath and see if there is something damaged, bent or rusted in the linkage or the cables. The handle pulls on a short link that ends with a threaded rod for adjusting the cable tension. The two cables attach to an equalizer bar at the end of that. Put it in park or in gear, and leave the brake off, then get underneath and yank down on that rod. If you see or feel the cables moving (look where they enter the sheath), then your problem is at the handle end. If you can't get any movement in either of the cables by pulling there, then your cables are rusted. It's pretty unusual for both cables to rust solid at once if you regularly use the hand brake, but if it's an automatic and you're in the habit of using the transmission alone, it's pretty common.

Ordinarily I might recommend just pulling up on the brake as hard as you can, in hope of freeing it up. But on pre-97 XJ's, the forward anchor points for the cable sheaths are spot welded to the floor pan in a very weak way, and if the cables rusted into the sheaths, you run a risk of pulling the anchor brackets right off, or at least of causing them to flex and crack the pan, if it isn't cracked already. Even when the cables are good, the anchors flex and begin to crack, and cause poor brake holding. On my 95 I had to reinforce and bolt them to make it even passable.

mine is a manual. where the ebrake rod goes from 1 to 2 cabels. at the end of the rod the nut is welded on. looks like it broke and got rewelded on. i may ask for a buddy to help. im not crawling under my rig and pullin on the cables. ive got to use it for my deliver veichal for a few days. my DD is in the shop. a ebrake comes in handy. i dont like shutting my car off to run a pizza to a door step.

J.

o yes, something else. the passenger side drum was a PITA to get off. i had to tap all the way wround to get it off and on. which tells me the passenger side is the one hanging up on me. It drives fine though.

J.

If your adjuster is working and you didn't back it off first, or just if you have a rust ridge on the edge of the drum, it will be hard to get off even if the brakes are OK. But I think you need to get down there and look at things systematically. At this stage, there's no point speculating until you can figure out what is and is not moving.

well i took the handle deal out and im gona replace my whole handle. the button on the handle doesnt work at all, so when u pull up on the handle the teeth on the ebrake assy doesnt catch. there is NO button at all, just a rod stickin out.
J.

Do you have a center console? If you do, or have wanted one, now might be the perfect time to consider upgrading to a 97+ with cup holders. You could source the console and off-set style parking brake assembly at a salvage yard.

Im job less right now. :dunno:

J.

00DCJeep said:

Im job less right now. :dunno:

J.

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Ok, hope you find something soon.

Good luck.

No i dont have a center consol. Ive built my own cup holders. im headed out this weekend for our annual park clean up. We do it 1 to 2 times a year. BLM has almost shut the park down due to other ppl not pickin up there trash. So we ( has a group) have clean the park up for the last 5 years to keep out OHV park open.

J.

00DCJeep said:

No i dont have a center consol. Ive built my own cup holders. im headed out this weekend for our annual park clean up. We do it 1 to 2 times a year. BLM has almost shut the park down due to other ppl not pickin up there trash. So we ( has a group) have clean the park up for the last 5 years to keep out OHV park open.

J.

Click to expand...

So typical. Glad you and your friends have stepped up to keep things going.

What ever happened to "Pack it in, Pack it out"?

Im gona see if i can get a sign made that says that

"Pack it in Pack it out"