EricTF28

My driveway has a slight incline to it, enough to require the parking brake to keep the car stationary even in gear, but it's not exactly a cliffside. I've been parking in the driveway with the parking brake engaged for over 3 years without any problems. Until this.

Two days ago, I parked my car as usual and set the parking brake, but when I pulled the lever, it tightened the brake and then POP. Then the level cranked the rest of the way, right to the max. The car still held in gear until the next morning, and driving the next day was no problem. But the brake doesn't hold anymore, which leads me to believe the cable snapped altogether.

I pulled the lever boot off and tightened the tensioner all the way down, and it still didn't hold. Am I completely screwed, or is there something else I can do to fix this before I walk into a dealership expecting the worst news at the worst price?

383_Stroker

iTrader: (3)

Pop the rear cupholders off and see if the cables are still clipped into the metal bracket coming from the lever... I wish i had a pict but just pop the cup holders off and you'll see what i'm talking about.

06CobaltSS635SC

This is what he means




Its a horrible design. You are probably having the same problem i had with the drivers side will drag so when you release the parking brake handle there will still be slack on the left brake line ( drivers side ) which will cause it to slip out of the bracket. I solved this by just putting a zip tie around the line and bracket so it doesnt slip out. Still havent figured out how to fix the drag tho. Seems alot of people are having the drivers side drag issue.

EricTF28

That's a hell of a picture... is that console a pain in the ***** to take off? It looks like there's just a couple clips that snap into place there, but I've yet to try this.

Awesome advice, and I'll definitely have to look at this. I'll let you know if this was the case or not. Thanks guys.

Wow... so yeah. You guys nailed it on the head. I pulled the cup holders off and, just as you suspected, the right cable was ripped right out of that POS bracket. I think I might go with the zip tie solution as well. Looks like I should have my parking brake back, though.

383_Stroker

iTrader: (3)

I took come channel-locks and bent the bracket tighter around the cables and fixed it.. for now

EricTF28

Yeah, that wouldn't have been a bad idea. Instead, I took two 8" zip ties and wrapped one around the front of the bracket, back around to the back on the inside side of the rear brake cable, and crammed those MFers down so the zip tie block was stopped right in the bracket's openings. Doesn't look like something that the cables can slip out of unless I try to get like 40 clicks on the lever.

Thank you guys for helping me figure that out. I almost went to the damn dealership to get it fixed, which I'd rather avoid at just about any cost, lol.

justmetk11

06cobalt i was going to post up the same picture, i was looking for one last night to show a buddy and came up with the same picture. im having the same problem right now, mine have slipped out 4 or 5 times now. im thinking of seeing if i can get them back in the clam, tighten it down, and tac a metal bar across the top. im no expert but it has got to be better than taking apart my car to fix the clamp every month.