1991 Crown Vic parking brake

I can't find anything like you show in your picture, Kevin. Here's a couple of shots I just too. The green tape is covering the courtesy light but everything else if factory. There is a black plastic panel that covers up the underside of the dash in this area that may hide the actuator but I haven't figured how to remove that panel yet. I did have the kick panel off last night and could not see the actuator there.

I checked the Marti Report that I got with the car and it was built on June 22, 1990...very early build date for a 91. Only the 31,417 car built at that plant that model year.

 

Maybe your release is different. Mine was a police car so it doesn't have all of those black trim panels covering the wiring and end of the steering column.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-1979-1...060939&hash=item5453a7c925:g:1LwAAOSwh1haKfjM

 

Thanks for the picture...If I get ambitious, I'll pull the kick panel and look one more time. As of now, the brake is working fine.

 

Hahahahaha, that's great! When I was in college, I had a job at the submarine base in Western Washington, on a grounds maintenance crew. One of our Navy work pickups was an old POS Dodge, which my lead, 'Bear,' called 'The Number of the Beast--009."

 

Finally got the shop manual. 2 weeks from CA to VA. Media mail might be cheap but it is slower than the pony express.

The shop manual for the 91 is very different than the one for my 65 Falcon. The 91 has a lot more pictures and many fuel words.

While I was waiting for the manual to arrive, I got involved in a home maintenance project...need a couple more days to finish that then back to the Crown Vic. I think I'll start on the parking brake first...if I can figure out how to get the plastic panels under the dash off for that, it may help me get to the airbag module. I'll let you know how it goes and may ask a few more questions.

 

They're held in place by those 'Christmas Tree' buttons. A door panel tool, or a pair of long needle-nose pliers, should be able to pull them out.

 

Thanks...that is what I thought. I think I even have a few of those fasteners if needed. It'll probably be Monday before I get to that. Almost got the home maintenance project done today...just need to do some priming and painting.

 

You might want to do some more research on the airbag module location. I seem to recall references to it being mounted on the passenger side somewhere.

 

I'm thinking it is under the center section of the dash. I saw a diagram showing the backup power supply is on the passenger side...maybe behind the kick panel. I'll find out when I get back on the airbag.

 

Okay...got all the plastic cladding off under the DS of the dash and can now clearly see the parking brake assembly. The vacuum hose was attached the brake was engaging every time...probably 15 times in a row. The first photo shows the situation at that point.

I had Karen start to car and put it in drive while I watched the mechanism. The piston (?) slid into the canister and the brake released. The second photo shows the way the canister looked at that point.

The piston did not return to the home position. That would not let the pawl contact the ratchet mechanism and the parking brake will not engage now. I'm going to read the shop manual to see if it discusses this issue. Any suggestions here?

 

Remove the vacuum line from the vacuum motor to see if it then returns. If so, then your problem is elsewhere as something is keeping vacuum applied to the motor. If it doesn't return, then most likely the motor is sticking.

 

I checked the car a few minutes ago and the piston had released and the brake engaged correctly until I started it and shifted into drive. The piston was again being held by vacuum. When I removed the vacuum line, the piston released.

What is supposed to release the vacuum on the parking brake system?

 

Shifting out of Park into any gear is supposed to release the parking brake. This system goes bad on many cars of this era because the rubber hoses and diaphragms go bad.

 

The owners manual says the auto release only works when you shift into a forward gear. You have to release it manually when you shift into reverse.

I just looked at the car (about 4 hours after the piston would return to the normal position) and it has released. If I can't figure out the correct fix, I may just remove the vacuum line and do away with the automatic release.