My 97' Jag xk8 parking brake will not relase. If you pull the hand brake up it falls back to the ground, and on the insturment cluster shows that the brake is on. Is there any way to relase this manually.
I worked in a Jag shop back in the '70's in Los Angeles, but I'm from New England, where this is a BIG problem, unless you use the parking brake ALL the time. Actually this is true for all vehicles!
If the case is that you don't usually use the parking brake, and then you go to use it, it will sometimes lock on due to rust, corrosion and dirt in the cable.
SOMETIMES, if you are very lucky, you can drown the cable in WD-40, soaking it several times a day, from inside the car, and under the car as well, if you can get to it.
Each time you do this, hold the release button and work the lever over and over so that maybe it will release.
If this doesn't work, then you have to replace the cable.
Sorry that it's not an easy fix. Ultimately you might have to have it towed to a dealer or shop to replace the cable.
Final thought... sometimes the problem is with the levers on the brake assemblies, that can stick. If you can get to them, give them a slight 'tap' with a hammer to see if they will suddenly snap open. Make sure the brake lever is down and the button is held in by a helper.
If this is the case, a VERY light squirt of lube at the pivot points might keep it from sticking again, but be sure to use the parking brake often.
If the car is an automatic, the device that 'locks' the transmission when it's in 'Park' is called a parking pawl. It is a small steel pin about 1/8" to 3/16" that gets shoved into a parking gear slot. This is what keeps the car from rolling, so it's VERY important to use the parking brake to assist this, especially when someone bumps the car a little when they are parking their car! Oh, and the parking pawl is most times the first thing into the tranny when assembling it, so it'a lot of work to replace one.
Good Luck.
The parking brake on my 2003 XKR wouldn't disengage all the way. I called the Jag dealer who said I needed a special tool to deal with the issue on top of the differential but I was going to have to have it towed to dealer (23 miles away). I pulled both tires off the rear to see if I could figure out if the cables connected to the calipers and could be freed - no such luck. Then I talked to my local mechanic who works on my Explorer. He said no special tool needed just bring it down. I procrastinated on that, wondering if I would hurt the car, even though it wasn't stuck anywhere close to all the way. He reminds me of the guy driving the truck out in the countryside that Chevy Chase tangles with in Christmas Vacation so I was a bit skeptical. Then I finally decided I would bring it to him but got a local paper alert that he had just been arrested for killing someone. So, the car sits in my garage for another month. I screw up my courage to see if there is anyone replacing the mechanic that I might trust. A replacement guy that looks like the truck driver's partner in Christmas Vacation says "Bring it down. We'll take a look at it." Not a lot of comfort there. So, I go online again and see if there are any forums that will give me a hint. Something about a brake motor, cable replacements, etc. So, I go down to the car and stare at it for awhile. I decide to look in the mechanism that the brake lever operates with a flashlight. I see a u-shaped aluminum looking thing that moves forward when I pull the brake up all the way but doesn't move all the way back when I disengage. I get a long-handled screw driver and push it back but the light still stays on. Rats! Then I see the edge of a coin back there. I poke it out, let the brake down all the way, and off goes the light. I'm in hog heaven. Put the top down, take the dog out for a spin and think about the lost summer that just went by. Moral of the story, always keep your change under control. A coin had previously dropped into the cigarette lighter hole and shorted out that charger connector as well. Second, always get to your mechanic right away. You never know what he might do while you dither.
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