Rather Urgent Headlight & Brake Problem

[sirox]

Ok, I've had a hell of a shitty weekend, first my dad's brake lines rusted through while _I_ was driving it, and now, I am driving my van, and I realised my headlamps aren't on. Well, I know they worked for a fact the day before, if not an hour before, and I was at a loss on how they turned off. I checked the fuses, none tripped, I checked the bulbs they work. The highbeams work just fine, but the lowbeams do not (daytime or night). Any help here would be GREATLY appreciated, I really need to get back to university and I have no way to get there without the van.

The other thing is more annoying than the first, because of how it happened. While checking the fuse box I was on the ground in the front row, and as I was getting out I leaned on the parking brake pedal. Well, I never use the parking brake, and it engaged just a tiny bit. I pull the release lever... annnnnd... nothing. It's still engaged. Its not down all the way, but I have to find a way to release the rear brakes on my own without a lift/jack. Help here would be awesome...

Worst part: My dad is away on vacation and he would know what to do, but I really do not want to call him and ruin his vacation (he's been kinda stressed lately). Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[LMP]

OK first the brake pedal: if it went down just a bit, the brakes are probably not applied at all, ....especially if you never use them...
If the car moves freely , there is no problem. Pull the brake release handle with one hand and at same time pull the brake pedal up. This will remove any force on the brake cable and it might also return to fully released position by itself with time. Your return to university by day will now be possible .
When you can, get under the car and twist the parking brake cables near the rear wheels and along the underside, and apply WD40 over brake cables wherever you can, including inside near the pedal..
If you could get them to work freely, then you should USE THEM as often as you can, or at least once a week.
Now the lights:.....My first idea, BECAUSE of the brake pedal "affair", is this: applying parking brake releases a switch that trigs the brake indicator lights ON AND disables the DAYLIGHT RUNNING LIGHT and automatic night turn on so, if you have returned the brake pedal to rest position, your lights should be back on now.
What puzzles me is that you should have been able to turn the headlights ON, BOTH low and hi, using the dashboard light switch....Someone said he had such problem lately on this forum, but he did not signal if problem was solved and how.....

[sirox]

The headlights were not on before I touched the parking brake though, the parking brake was a result of my trying to get the headlights to work :/

I know that the brakes ARE engaged a bit, because if I put it in neutral, the van doesn't move but if I push, there is resistance then I hear the rear brake rub a bit and it rolls. I'll try to get under the car right now, and see what I can do to loosen the cable.

[sirox]

Wooooooooohooooooooo

Well, I fixed both problems! It turns out, that since my parking brake pedal had some play, it indeed was turning off the headlamps, so even when the car didn't have parking brakes, it was possible to turn on the sensor to turn off headlights, but the parking brake light didnt turn on.

I got under the van, and I sprayed some WD40 inside the lines, and I grabbed the metal piece in the middle, and twisted and after some effort it finally went limp. I check the brakes, off! I checked the pedal, and best thing, now it is rock solid. So, I got all my problems solved! Thank you very much for the really fast help.

[LMP]

Great
Greetings from Chicoutimi Quebec