Handbrake release/ratchet issues

[putt1ck]

Pull off normally, all is fine. A few hundred yards on, pull up, apply parking brake. No ratchet noise, parking brake not applied, assume have missed parking brake and depressed clutch. Carefully reset foot and try again with same result.

Some fiddling around later notice the release is moving freely i.e. with no resistance, whether or not my foot is applying pressure on the brake at the time. The brake itself appears to be still working, just not locking on.

At the end of the next journey, I forget it's not working, apply it and it works... A couple of journeys later, issue returns and has come and gone ever since.

Of course it's not that there's an enormous difference between the parking brake being applied and it not being, but the ratchet noise is very therapeutic

I'm guessing the ratchet release mechanism is sticking somewhere, but is that likely to be at the ratchet or at the release handle? Doesn't feel tight when it is working, which makes me think the cable's probably ok. Suggestions for where to look very welcome

[Clan]

pull the carpet back from around the parking brake and you will probably find the mechanism rusted up due to a water leak , you have a sun roof ? It sounds as if the locking pawl is sticking off . Maybe a squirt of releasing oil will do the trick if no rust .

[putt1ck]

That seemed to do it, thanks for the tip.