Parking Brake Thumb button - difficult to push in
03-11-2005, 04:26 AM
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Parking Brake Thumb button - difficult to push in
I'm still fighting with my hand brake thumb button on my 86 944 NA. I need the strength of 6 thumbs to push in hard enough to release the hand brake (yes, I am lifting while pushing). I thought my problem was that the brake needed adjusting since it required 6 clicks to hold it on a hill. So I took it to the shop and now it holds tight with 3 clicks. But that adjustment did not help with the thumb release problem. I get in the situation where I'm pulling up and trying to get that darn button pushed, that it goes to the 4th or 5th click and then I'm really stuck - can't pull up and can't release. I put some lithium grease on the ratchet mechanism but no effect. Help. SDGuy
03-13-2005, 07:59 PM
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Here is how I solved the above on my 86 944. I put down the brake so it had no tension. Then I removed the thumb button by simply unscrewing it CCW looking head on. There is a rubber washer and spring that will either come out on their own or you can help them by putting your index finger in the hole and pushing on the connecting rod. I was concerned I would "lose" the connecting rod in the handle, but you can actually push the rod back through the handle by flipping the small single-toothed ratchet at the base (lift up the carpet and try this as you will need to do this to re-screw the **** on later). I sprayed some WD-40 in the tube of the handle using one of those red extensions. I then reinserted the spring after cleaning it. I used a tiny dab of silicone sealant on the end of the **** and "glued" the rubber washer to it, being careful not to get any silicone in the threads. I let it set a few hours. Some people had reported that they left out the rubber washer because it was so hard to deal with. By having it attached to the ****, it worked out great. Now just screw the **** on to the connecting rod with your left hand while pushing forward on the single tooth ratchet with your right. This will give you plenty of thread available to get the **** to start threading on its own. At least it did for me.
My thumb button now works great again.... SDGuy
My thumb button now works great again.... SDGuy
