HFELIU

I was reinstalling the Center console after having it redone with carbon fiber and noticed the red "brake" problem light come on and display that the car must be turned on to rest the brakes, I reached over to pull the Emergency brake release handle and noticed no resistance, the handle moved with ease, I then applied the Emergency brake and felt no resistance there either (as if a cable has been detached). Has anyone had any issues with the Emergency brake pedal or handle before? Does anyone know how I can get to the cables and see if they might broken at some point or detached? Or better yet a diagram on the E-brake setup so I can trouble shoot the problem? Thanks for your time guys.

HFELIU

Quick Update, i removed the plastic panel under the steering wheel and examined the E-brake release lever and noticed that the cable that runs from the handle to the E-brake pedal for some reason has slack. When I press on the pedal I hear a clicking sound, but it doesn't engage the brake system, it just slowly moves back to it's original position. Not sure if a piece is broken where the E-brake pedal system is, or how to remove the system completely, any input would be greatly appreciated.

HFELIU

Any help out there?

RAWAMG

PM sent

B-tsai

Hey guys.. what was the solution for this?
Tonight.. I noticed my ebrake wasn't engaging when stepping on the pedal..

and when i pulled the release handle.. it came off the cable and pulled right off... joy.

HFELIU

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's a difficult job to tackle. A buddy of mine sent me the info from the dealership service manual pertaining to adjusting the emergency brake cable, and all i can say is it might be something you might want to take to the dealer or indy service. The adjustment device is located directly under the vehicle, and here's the tricky part (rather the hard part), it's covered by the drive train and the exhaust system. so from what i've gathered both need to be removed in order to fix the slack of the system. Since the E-brake is one of the least used items on the car, and seeing as how I'm in New Jersey and have very little use for it (flat terrain), I decided to not bother with getting it fixed. If you manage to get a quote for the repair feel free to share the price, if it's reasonable then I'll opt to get it done.

B-tsai

Sounds about right.. my car is at the dealership now.
They said the slack in the cable isn't fixable from the cabin of the car.
Apparently they're taking apart my trunk panels to access it.
Not sure on the quote yet.
Crossing my fingers that my extended warranty covers it.
I'll post up the cost details as soon as I know.

HFELIU

Going thru the trunk won't fix it. Only way will be from underneath. Good luck, my fingers are crossed for you too.

B-tsai

Warranty doesn't cover it.. not sure why.. I'll work with them later on that.
So far, the labour is about 5 hours, $700.. I don't think its done yet.
You're right.. they had to drop a lot of areas to reach it.

Love/hate this car.

HFELIU

Ouch, sorry to hear. I figured it would be a ridiculous amount for something that should be so simple, which is why I never bothered to get it looked at or fixed. But when I get the chance next year and have the time to drop the exhaust, and drive train I'll make sure to get it done. And I'm almost certain the reason the slack even took place is because I allowed both batteries to drain completely.

City Rat

Ok call me a noob but I'm not following how allowing both batteries to drain would permit slack to occur in the E brake cable. I had assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that the presence of the cable meant that this was a truly mechanical system v. Electrical computer actuated system. An explanation would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

B-tsai

I think maybe mine went slack from somebody driving my car with the brake left on a bit.. but who knows.

This seems like a rare malfunction.. so maybe its just an early model parts item that's just starting to rear its ugly head. Mine was one of the first produced in 2002 (model year 03).

cal1

i'm guessing the warranty considers it a "normal wear" item much like pads and rotors even if it is not. I have said it a million times, but these f-ing cars, are a complete dream when running well and a nightmare when they aren't.

My wife takes great pleasure in asking me "so, do you love the SL today or is it a POS!"

HFELIU

Sorry, I meant to reply to this but it completely slipped my mind. The SL is an amazing vehicle, but to much of it is controlled by a computer. My vehicle was parked at the time and left for weeks without starting or moving it, I was working on upgrading the interior to carbon fiber so I had removed the interior panels and left the car for about 3 wks while the work was being done. When everything was installed and ready to start the vehicle did a Poltergeist on me, the display unit turned red when I inserted the key and multiple malfunctions came on including "brake systems offline, must restart to resume pressure", among other messages. Needless to say the car didn't start and I had to charge my battery. Next day car started and I did a manual systems check before driving (pressed the brakes to ensure pressure, stepped on the E-brake, but it wouldn't engage), even pulled the release handle and it completely came off, took the foot panel off and noticed slack on the cable but couldn't tighten it. Since then every now and again I get a "Brakes offline" message when my battery runs low or dies (due to neglect ). Again, just my assumption about the low or dead battery issue, but I've posted this issue about the E-brake in the beginning of the year and since then, no one has replied, so I'd love to hear of any other SL owners with the same issues, or any kind of feed back as to what caused this.

HFELIU

Now City Rat has me curious, if it's doubtful that a dead battery could've caused it then what? What can you say B-tsai, can you shed some light on the issue? What did the dealer tell you, is this a common issue, whhat could've caused it? If possible can you get in contact with the Serviceman that performed the repair and ask please.

B-tsai

I couldn't get much talk out of the service advisor..
So no info on cause nor frequency.

But here's what they ended up billing me, verbatim with their service codes I think:

420640 Traction and Brake systems check (after quick test) $42
401590 Road Wheels (2) remove/install $56
421300 Parking Brake Adjust $140
425952 Rear cables (both) for parking brake replace (with brake shoes removed) $84
425857 Parking brake pedal with mount remove/install $252

Total is $574 + taxes and shop fees.

So.. maybe fix it next time they're working on your car anyways.. and save some of those charges... I imagine an indy could do it for $300. Purely labor, no parts.

HFELIU

Holy crap!
Thanks.