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Parking brake issue with 88 Rover

1431 Views 3 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  El Cheapie, 
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I recently bought an 88 Range Rover from a friend. She is far from perfect, but runs well and I got an exceptional deal on her. The previous owner told me about this parking brake problem:
He let someone test drive it and they jerked up on the brake exceptionally hard. So now the brake lever will not go all the way down. I haven't driven it much (for fear of messing it up), but when I do I notice that it will not idle forward. I figured that the brake must still be slightly engaged because there isn't any resistance when I was driving at a faster speed. So for now, I'd just like to know how to disable the brake, then I can drive it into town to get registered without worrying about causing any engine problems.
Any help/insight would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks!
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So I did some tinkering and I think I've narrowed down where the problem lies. I took some of the console off and saw that the wire attached to the break lever had a pinch in it that was preventing it from going into the hole. Instead it was bending, which is why the lever would not stay secure in the off position. I can't seem to be able to force it in there, so at this point I wonder if there is another way to disengage it. Here are a couple pics that might be able to help.

E-brake in the "off" position.


Wire that is bending, preventing the brake to disengage. I am holding it from where it secures to the lever.
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RRToadHall
If I were in your shoes I would just replace the cable. It'll take as much work to pull the parking brake drum apart to release the bind as it will to fix it properly.
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E
Had a similar problem in my 1990. PO's son had yanked the ebrake quite hard and it wouldn't budge. The cylinder in my brake drum that pushes the shoes in and out was half way seized up an only took movement in one direction, which was engaging the brake. What you need to do is crawl under the truck and take a pry bar to push backward on the mechanical arm that activates the park brake, which is what your cable is hooked to. This will fully release it and should bring your handle back down. Probably wouldn't hurt to remove the drum and lubricate/clean everything, just make sure you mark the driveshaft and drum location and put it back in the same place. Replacing the cable wouldn't be a bad idea either, although it looks to be a slight pain in the ass. Hope that helps. Good luck!
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