The button poped out with the spring and the little rod are sticking about 2" out of the end of the ebrake. It still works but it will not click and catch. I thing the spring came loose somehow. How the hell do you get the plastic piece off to fix this thing? Little crap like this is what pisses me off.

 

The button is press-fit over a set of knurls on the end of the rod, you're not going to get it off easily without damaging it. DO NOT TRY TO REMOVE IT.

I need to understand exactly what is going on with the mechanism (I was the designer/engineer for it about 8 years ago), so I am going to ask you some questions. Please answer them as completely as you can:

1) You stated the parking brake works, does that mean that you are feeling the cables tension as you apply it and it is holding the vehicle on a hill as long as you are holding tension on the mechanism yourself?

2) You don't hear clicking when you apply it, right?

If the answer to the above two questions is "yes", then the pawl end of the release rod (that's the end buried in the mechanism) has worked it's way off of the pawl.

DO NOT attempt to remove the button from the rod. It won't help.

If you're a lucky man, and have lead a clean life, you can try to pop the rod back over the pawl by applying the brake and holding the pawl in place with a screwdriver while it is in the "up" position and then carefully pushing on the release rod button to get the pawl end of the rod back over the pawl.

If you're not lucky, this is what you need to do:

1) Drill out the rivet that holds the grip on the apply lever. Early cars had a roll pin. If it isn't roll pin or a rivet, somebody has already removed it and probably replaced it with a screw - you'll need to find a suitable fastener to replace the rivet/roll pin after you remove it.

2) Remove the release rod assembly and grip.

3) Check the pawl end of the release rod for breakage or bending. It should look like a half-loop. If it is broken or bent, you'll have to replace the mechanism entirely unless you've got some welding/bending skills.

4) If the loop end is intact, push the pawl into the sector with a screwdriver, loop the end of the release rod over the big end of the pawl from underneath and rotate the release rod back into its normal position.

5) Push the grip back on and secure it with a screw or rivet or roll pin.

Please reply with the information requested and I'll help you any way I can.

 

Yes it will hold my car if i hold the brake.

I do not hear any clicking.

 

The release rod is off of the pawl.

Try the two solutions listed above and let me know how it works out.

Has the grip ever been removed previously?

Is the rivet/roll pin that holds the grip on intact?

 

The rivit/roll pin is still intact.