Emergency Brake?

[Urambo Tauro]

I've often heard that every once in a while you should use your emergency brake to keep it from siezing when you actually need it. Otherwise, the release cable could break and leave you unable to move.

I bought a used 1992 LeSabre, which is now at 115,000 miles. No way of knowing if the previous owner practiced this. What do you think? Do I dare try it out? We do use salt on our roads, so there is potential for some serious rust.

[Loekee75]

Try it out. If it does break, better during a test than a time when you may really need it! I've never heard of the cable seizing, even where road salt is used, but that's probably because down here in S. TX we don't need road salt because we have enough salt in the air! I use the emergency brake during oil changes or any other time the car is up on my ramps. When testing it, do so on an incline to see if the brake holds the vehicle. If the car slips even with the emergency brake applied, then it's time to have the shoes replaced.

[wrightz28]

Meh, when you get up here past the 'rust belt', unless you've owned the car since day one and have used it or tested it regularly and kept it lubed and monitered, it's gonna sieze or break.

True, best to have the unfortunate happen during a test than under real circumstance, trust me, that happened once to me when I had no choice, it was use the brake or risk sliding back into a river. I chose e-brake, sure enough as soon as I hit pavement the motor was laboring but the car wasn't going anywhere. So it's underneath ya go in the rain with a pair of vise grips.

[Andrewhuffman]

If you do press the e-brake and nothing happens, i have found on my car that the tensioners locked up and the rear brkaes slowly wore out, thus creation enough room not to catch when the ebrake is pulled, or when your brakes are applied.