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Repair parking brake lever?
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Dr OnHolliday
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:16 pm    Post subject: Repair parking brake lever? Reply with quote

Redoing my brakes and notice that my parking brake lever doesn't rachet or hold on the teeth - no button! (not sure what other parts may be missing) Haven't ever driven this car so I'm (perhaps) not as clueless as this post sounds...

Didn't find a thread here about repairing the lever and its mechanisms (maybe I missed it).

Is there a blow-up schematic available, and are small repair parts sold?

Thanx
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panicman
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 12:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think you'll be best off going to a used vw parts shop or perhaps a junk yard (although finding vws there now is rare). Wolfsburg West has all of the pieces if you need to order.

Here is a diagram:

http://www.cjvws.com/hosted/ebrake.jpg
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keithnorm
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 2:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There is a chance that all the parts are there, but if someone pulled the e-brake up too high before it can flip the ratchet plate outside of the gear on the handle and you have to take it apart to fix it. I had to do this at a campground while on a road trip. Not too hard it took about 20 minutes. I may be missing a few steps, but you basically disconnect the 2 cables, drive out the pin on the handle (I just used a screwdriver to do that and it came out pretty easy), then pull the handle out. Put the gear back in the right way and put the thing back together. Good luck!
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drscope
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 8:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are going to need a new button and the rod it is attached to.

Then follow these guide lines I put together for someone else.


The parking brake handle has just been pulled up too far. This is a common problem when things get out of adjustment.

Here's what you need to do...

Remove one of the front seats. (You can do this without taking them out, but it's easier the first time if you can get in there and see what you are doing. After you do this once, you won't have to take the seat out to do it again)

Remove the boot over the parking brake handle. You will see the two brake cables and two nuts on each cable. Get 2 wrenches that fit the nuts and unlock them from each other. Then loosen both nuts on both cables about 1/2 inch. Don't let the cable spin. If it wants to spin, hold it with a screw driver in the neatly supplied slot in the end of the cable.

When you have the nuts loose, pull the button and rod out of the handle. If you look at the rod, it has a hook on the end.

Now pull the handle up and look under the handle just in front of the gear looking thing that's attached to the tunnel under the handle. You will see the bear paw. It can spin in the handle.

What happens is the hook in the handle is installed with the open side of the hook down. In other words, when you stick it in, you want the hump of the hook to be up and the open side of the hook down. The bear paw has a sort of round end that goes forward and up into that hook on the rod. When you push the button, it moves the rod back and pushes the bear paw up which releases the teeth on the other end of the paw from the big gear looking thing on the tunnel.

When the cables are loose and you pull the handle up too far, the teeth on the paw go up and off the top of the gear thing. Then the paw flips over and the rod pops out and the ratchet doesn't work anymore.

You need to pull up on the handle, insert the rod into the handle with the hump in the rod up, then flip the paw over until the round end goes up into the hook on the rod, and get the teeth on the paw back onto the gear looking thing.

Now when you let go, it will ratchet again. But before you go pulling it up, you need to readjust the brake cables that you loosened up, or else it will pop out again the first time you put on the parking brake.

Tighten up the nuts until you get about 4 clicks when you pull up on the handle. Don't forget to lock the 2 nuts on each brake cable together when you are done.
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Eric&Barb
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 10:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great info above, BUT First before adjusting parking brake cables adjust the brake shoe adjusting stars. Then adjust the parking brake cables to just barely five clicks. When you notice you are pulling up six or just barely seven clicks you need to readjust the brake stars again and/or replace shoes. If you keep brakes shoes adjusted properly you will have much stronger/better brakes and the shoes will last longer.
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Dr OnHolliday
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 11:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the great responses!

Turns out Empi sells a repair kit with the button/spring/rod and all the pins, new pawl (and maybe other small parts - I haven't opened the package)...bought it at VW Paradise this morning. Empi also sells a complete new chrome hand brake lever, but it was twice as much $...

BTW has anyone used spray-can grease to grease the cables in-place? I'm thinking about something like the motorcycle chain grease in an aerosol can - sprays out as "oil" (liquid) but quickly gels into grease...
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Last edited by Dr OnHolliday on Fri Sep 21, 2012 11:21 am; edited 1 time in total
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Michael Fischer
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 11:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I thought it was an emergency brake?

I wouldn't trust Empi in an emergency. Wink
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drscope
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 4:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Normally there is no need to grease them with something like that. The early cars had grease fittings on the conduit back near the rear axle.

There is usually plenty of grease to go around in there and make a big mess when you take things apart.

Just 1 note of caution on your empi kit (other then it being empi) there are different lengths on the brake handle. So you have to have the correct length rod for your handle.
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Dr OnHolliday
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 4:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

drscope wrote:
Normally there is no need to grease them with something like that. The early cars had grease fittings on the conduit back near the rear axle.

There is usually plenty of grease to go around in there and make a big mess when you take things apart.

Just 1 note of caution on your empi kit (other then it being empi) there are different lengths on the brake handle. So you have to have the correct length rod for your handle.


Thanks for the insights.
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flyboat
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You don't have to disassemble to repair. Just raise the parking brake lever up as high as you can, flip the small cam over 180 degrees, and slowly insert a new button to slide over the top of the radiused part of the cam. Release slowly. Check that it grabs teeth by liftign a small amount. then adjust the brakes and cables so you can't lift the lever so high as to disengage teh teeth and the cam/paw.
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