97+ Cherokee (XJ) Parking Brake question/problem (Help!)

Was wondering if anyone out there could help me with a problem I'm having with the parking brake lever on my 97 XJ? In short, the button popped off a number of years ago. Annoying, but the brake itself worked (just needed two hands).

All was well until I had the local dealer do the airbag control module relocation last week. (This was a recall item to relocate the module from underneath the driver's seat to inside the center console.) In the process they somehow 'unhooked' the end of the operating rod that travels down though the handle and into the ratchect mechanism of the brake assembly. Now they can't seem to figure out how to 'rehook' it (and are, of course, telling me I need to drop the $80 to buy a whole new parking brake assembly.)

It's been many moons since I drew ascii art, but I've tried to draw the whole thing below (using fixed font, of course.) The bottom line is normally, the rod is spring loaded at the button end (pushing out), and something then would be 'holding' on to the other end down in the ratchet/console. The ratchet end is no longer attached. Does anyone have any idea how to get this thing attached again?

Thanks in advance, Jeff Sents

sents (at) mindspring (dot) com

Side view of parking brake handle (from drivers seat)

----------------------------------------------------- |----| | _______ | / | | (What's back here?) | ===////////===============================| |-| | \ | | | |----| | ( + ) ------------------------------------------ | | < \\ < button spring rod < < ratchet & gears

The rod itself is pretty simple and looks like:

________ | ==========================================|

???? The botton & spring So something on this end are must be 'holding' pushing the rod onto this end of to the left rod

Reply to
Jeff Sents
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Jeff, I can't believe you're letting the dealer get away with this. Tell them THEY need to restore it so it works as well as when you drove it in. In fact, I can't believe the dealer is asking you to pay them to fix what they screwed up.

Jerry

Reply to
Jerry Bransford

Oh I have no intention of letting them get away with it. It's still there. One way or another they're gonna either fix it, or pay for someone else to.

But, my main concern (to be honest) is to simply get it working again.... I need my Jeep!

Reply to
Jeff Sents

Approximately 9/10/03 18:07, Jeff Sents uttered for posterity:

There was a safety recall on some of the ZJ's for the parking brake button popping off and the parking brake more or less going kaput. You might want to see if NHTSA has a similar one for the XJ...

Or just tell the service manager you plan to follow him around and park your XJ uphill from whatever he drives until he fixes what his mechanic screwed up.

Reply to
Lon Stowell

Mine did that a few years ago, 98XJ bought new in dec of 97. I had the whole thing replaced, cost was ~$80 and I kept the old one as I still had the button. First I tried epoxying it in, not strong enough. Finally took some aluminum stock, filed it to shape, dipped it in some blackener that I use for marking special reloaded ammo and expoxied THAT in with JB weld. It is not going anywhere and if the replacement ever breaks I have a spare.

Take note, that threaded rod is not threaded, they are concentric rings around it, not threads... Lon Stowell wrote in news:7vR7b.215562$ snipped-for-privacy@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net:

Reply to
Rich Pierson

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