Why would the emergency brake not work on a '91 Mercury Topaz and how would you go about fixing it?

Answer 1

well if it is a used vehicle the last person that had it may have used tghem to death. i will tell u now that replacing them is going to be a pain. i would take it to your machanic.

AnswerI've had that same problem with my Topaz. I had the break replaced and the problem came back after 3 months. I'm not carelessly driving with the E-break on or anything of the sort. I have a 5 speed and usually just leave it in gear when i park. Although, the E-break is nice to have when you want to idle the car for a quick second, a luxury I've only had for 3 months until it became problematic again. I wonder if anybody else has experienced this problem. I think it has something to do with the wiring.

First of all, check the 3 cables. If the first one, is not jammed, then you will have to replace the other 2 that go to the wheels. That's providing that the e-brake levers inside the drums are not rusted. When the car is on jacks, remove the main 1st cable, and with the drums off try and pull on the left right and left cables. This will tell you if they need to be replace. Not that expensive, and keep using the e-brake to keep them working.