Parking brake - pedal

[xplodezeus]

My parking break pedal does is not working correctly. I press the pedal, it gains resistance, then loses it and goes to the floor.

The cables are all new. I changed them out and it was working good. But I suspect the pedal lever itself might be the problem? Is there a way to trouble shoot the peddle lever? How likely is it that the pedal has failed and is broken?

I tried adjusting the drums, pumping the break pedal.

 

[superj]

i wonder if one of hte cable got misrouted a little and when you press the pedal, it tightens and then slips loose causing the drop?

if it was the pedal or pawl mechanism, you would be able to check it easily by getting down there with a flashlight and watching it while pressing it by hand. maybe even without the flashlight if its not dark

 

[RobbieD]

My 1994 Exploder had the same problem.

I looked into it and found out that there's actually a technical safety bulletin (TSB) on this issue (perhaps try "TSB 94S91-S3"???).
"Safety Defect
During rapid pedal application of the parking brake, the pedal may go to the floor with little or no effort."
Ford had a service part to correct it, which was a small plastic wedge inserted into the pedal mechanism. I found the part on eBay:

Long story short, I bought and tried this wedge, but it only "kind of half-assed worked". I kept messing with my pedal assembly and found another hole on the mechanism which let me move the pawl spring for more tension, and that's what actually fixed mine.

See if you can open the attached PDF; it explains the problem, which sounds like what you're having, and Ford's fix for it.

It's possible that yours may have had something break on its own, or it might be related to this old original defect. At least it's something to be aware of as you troubleshoot it.

 

[xplodezeus]

Thank you guys … I will look into this:

1983 Ford Bronco FSA 94S91 E-Brake Wedge pictures, videos, and sounds | SuperMotors.net

10 pics, videos, and sounds

www.supermotors.net

 

[SenorNoob]

If you end up replacing it, look for one from an automatic truck. They're rarely used.

 

[xplodezeus]

Ok guys when I got home I read through this factory recall. Then played with the pedal to see if I could see anything. This is what I found.

PAWL
The pawl looks like the tooth is worn down when comparing it to the drawings I see online. I’m able to make the E break pedal work by pulling to the passenger side and pressing down. But if I push down on the E break pedal towards the driver side it free falls.

Is the “Pawl” a replacement part? Or should I just start looking at salvage yards for the part?

 

[RobbieD]

I'm trying to recall the details from when I fixed mine, but it's difficult to do much with the parking brake pedal assembly when it's mounted in the truck. It's kind of a booger getting it out; 3 (or 4) 10mm bolts, I think, will drop it down and then you disconnect the cable to get it completely out. Seems that one of the bolts was really a pain to get to.

It sounds like yours has worn or broken parts, but you'll most likely have to get it down, so that you can see what's going on and if the problem is fixable. Looking at mine when I did it, the assembly did not look like it would be easy to take apart, much less getting it all back together.

I don't think I've ever seen individual replacement parts for the P brake assembly, such as in the pawl itself.

That being said, it may be good idea to go ahead and see if you can find a properly working replacement assembly.

I hope that you're able to get it squared away without too much hassle. Hit me up if you need the shop manual pages for it. Good luck!