6605stang

My emergency brake handle mechanism no longer "ratchets"... and doesn't even remotely stay engaged... I can't get a good look at it without taking the entire console out but it almost feels like the "tooth" that clicks as you engage it is gone... it's just smooth now and doesn't hold at ALL. Does anyone know what I'm talking about and how I might be looking at to fix it?

PS - 1988 ASC McLaren Mustang #1287

88 orangepeel notch

My ratchet mechanism was all gummed up with old grease, grime, and gunk when I last took it apart. You'll have to remove the center console of course but it really isn't that hard. Just be alittle careful as the plastic does become brittle with age.

Give her a good cleaning and you should be good to go.

Good luck

6605stang

Thanks for the response. I can actually get pretty good access to it from the center console (after I removed the console bucket). It's an 88 McLaren so I think the console is slightly different. I don't know about it being "gummed up"... it seems very "smooth", all most like the ratcheting piece is clean broken off... plus the button it permanently recessed... no spring in it. Wonder on that note, if some kind of spring or handle mechanism is broken because it's acting like you have the button pressed all the way down all the time, you so the ratcheting part never engages? Makes me wonder how if the problem is on that side.

On that note... do you have any visual tutorials on how to disengage the cable? Kind of gunshy about taking this out and having a tense cable under pressure, snapping off somewhere and never getting it connected again!!

88 orangepeel notch

Sorry, no I don't. It was pretty straight forward to clean though from what I remember. If yours looks clean now, then maybe there is a broken spring or return mechanism that needs attention. There shouldn't be any real pressure on anything in there if your parking brakes aren't engaged.

6605stang

No worries. Yes, it seems to be something more mechanical than maintenance. As far as removing it, from past e-brake work (on S197 cars), there is usually a little stop at the end of the cable that you can grab and lift out of the track to disconnect the cable from the reel. Does that sound about the same on these? Hard to see from the angle I'm looking at it. Bummer is that it sounds like there aren't much for e-brake part such much as replacing the whole unit if there is in fact something broken in the handle.

Thanks again