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Will a totally different e-brake lever work?

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Old Mar 4, 2020 | 03:42 AM
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Default Will a totally different e-brake lever work?

My ebrake is the only thing in my interior that rattles and buzzes but it does it all the dang time. I've already removed it a few times and used various forms of foam material packed in between the metal bits here and there to try and silence it but the noises keep coming back.

I was wondering if it's possible to use an ebrake lever from a totally different car or some other solution that will bring silence to my interior once again.
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Old Mar 5, 2020 | 06:16 AM
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My lever doesn't rattle. Why not try a salvage one from another car?
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Old Mar 5, 2020 | 02:13 PM
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I was thinking that if mine started to rattle and I replaced it with the same thing, it too will eventually start to make noise.
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Old Mar 6, 2020 | 06:43 AM
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I don't think so. If it were common, it would be a "thing" and we'd have posts all over the place on this site by now! (We'd also likely have a mod to fix it.)

There are a lot of riveted components, some holding multiple parts, on the emergency brake assembly. I imagine if one of those rivets comes loose, then it's pretty much "game over" for the entire assembly.


Likewise, I would also expect that if you took the assembly off, you should be able to wiggle the loose parts by hand. Is that the case? I assume that when you had the assembly off the car before, the rattling stopped?
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Old Mar 6, 2020 | 03:13 PM
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Well the noise seems to be coming from the button itself and the lower spring, so two separate noises. A few years ago I found a service bulletin detailing the steps needed to fix the button rattle and posted a write up on this site. Looks like the fix was temporary. I'm wondering if both springs have gotten loose over the years and should both be replaced...
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Old Mar 8, 2020 | 08:32 PM
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I would be surprised if the springs have anything to do with a serious rattle. The rivets are plentiful and if one comes loose, it would be like a set of symbols playing. With the assembly off the car and the springs loose, it should be easy to see/feel what is loose.

Do you have good tension in the cable that connects between the handle and the actual brakes when the handle is down? If not, that could be a problem, also.
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Old Mar 9, 2020 | 06:59 PM
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I don't know what the tension on the cable is like. These are good ideas, I'll check the rivets and cable when I dive in.
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Old May 11, 2020 | 10:45 PM
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So I spent a lot of time recently trying to figure this out. Tension on the cable was fine, it was nice and tight. The rivets looked fine too. I was able to use one of those handheld back massagers to vibrate the assembly and I think the main offender is the see-saw lever that the button presses against to release the e-brake. Unfortunately after hammering and cutting and drilling to try and tighten up the hook on the back end of the button, I essentially destroyed the assembly haha. I ordered a new (used) one from Hawks Motorsports. I installed that one and it is totally silent. I'm very discouraged that I wasn't able to solve my noise issue but at least things are quiet again for now.

Another thing that maybe someone can shed some light on. I have no idea what year vehicle the new assembly came out of but the spring is significantly shorter. Mine is an early '94. Does anyone know when they started using these shorter springs? And why?



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