Emergency Brake Failure - United Bimmer Community

**dinan540** · 11-13-2006, 10:27 PM

My e brake doesn't work on my 2001 540i. When I pull up on it, it doesn't make that familiar click. What could it be? Is it an easy fix? My car is a manual.

Thanks

**Numark318i** · 11-13-2006, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dinan540

My e brake doesn't work on my 2001 540i. When I pull up on it, it doesn't make that familiar click. What could it be? Is it an easy fix? My car is a manual.

Thanks

take off the boot that is covering it. See if anything looks amess.

witeshark · 11-13-2006, 10:38 PM

My first guess is the spring that holds the part that clicks is stuck

**celsdogg** · 11-13-2006, 10:43 PM

does it hold the car in place? or does the handle just not stay up?

**dinan540** · 11-13-2006, 11:28 PM

Handle does not stay up and it doesn't ratchet.

witeshark · 11-13-2006, 11:36 PM

I think that makes it closer to my first guess

**dinan540** · 11-13-2006, 11:42 PM

whiteshark, should I remove the ebrake boot?

witeshark · 11-13-2006, 11:49 PM

Yeah, if you know what to look for based on Numark318i's post

drz · 11-14-2006, 01:05 AM

Yourr cable may have come undone. Remove the boot to check.

**celsdogg** · 11-14-2006, 06:32 AM

if the cable came undone, then it wouldnt hold the car in place, even when you hold it up yourself.

if the handle wont stay up, that is the "ratcheting" area

drz · 11-14-2006, 10:45 AM

I didn't know it was holding the car in place. He never explained that. My bad. Yeah, check the "ratcheter."

**celsdogg** · 11-14-2006, 11:53 AM

^^^ im not sure either way. it just sounds like that is the problem because he said it doesnt make the click, and the handle wont stay locked. id stop on a slight incline, leave it in neutral, and see if it rolls with you holding the handle up. then let it go. if it holds, the cable is fine.

i looked on realoem, looks like that if the handle is the problem, you have to replace the whole thing. if its broken that is.

**dinan540** · 11-14-2006, 05:07 PM

Thanks for the input. I will try the stopping on the hill deal.

**dinan540** · 11-15-2006, 02:10 AM

Works on a hill if I hold it, so the cable is intact. The spring popped out, so I popped it back in and now it works.

**94bmw325i** · 11-15-2006, 08:00 AM

thats good to hear! On my friends car his handbrake recently messed up also. He doesn't have a BMW, but sometime soon we need to adjust it.