Ok good. So if I cut the rusted wire the lever should just go free?

 

Yes.

 

I would suggest you first go underneath and have a look at the cables first. Before you cut anything, make sure you can find a replacement. If you don't care about using the handbrake then cut away.

 

As sadly departed Cruiser would have said "time for some "noggin poking".

One problem I had when I did mine is that the left and right rear cables are very different lengths. If the manufacturer (in my case ray....) Didn't make the 2 in the pair exactly the correct lengths for each side the equalizer can't compensate for the bad QC. In my case a couple washers took care of it but kinda sucks. (No I didn't have the sides switched, the 2 cables are inches different in length, ihe issue was maybe 1/4". Just normal aftermarket parts garbage.

 

I've been fine so far without using it but I have yet to park on a hill and don't want to end up with a crashed car because I don't have a handbrake. Oh and I need it to be working so I can pass my state's safety inspection

 

remove the whole thing before the inspection and replace it with a button that says ebrake

Think they'll check? Heh

 

Haha, thanks everyone for the replies its very helpful

 

ummm...I can't understand why you wouldn't just do this first, as it gives access, takes 1 minute?...

 

Does it give access to the handbrake mechanism? I figured it would only let you get to the shifter/gear selector since that's what it covers.

 

The pivot, pawl and lever are all accessed from the top, as well as the fixing screws securing it to the body. Under the vehicle you can access the equalizer bar, wire pulls and adjuster nut. In any case if you need to remove it you'll need to pull the center console plastics to expose the top of it.

 

Kate ... Did you get that cover off yet?

 

Heres a picture of the brake cables underneath the car. Does anyone see anything that could be making my ebrake lever be stuck?

Thanks

 

Try knocking the rust off the adjuster bolt, hit it with some pb or wd40 and back off the jam nut and then adjuster nut, get it loose and then see if the ebrake lever moves, if it does then your problem is in the ebrakes or pull wires, if it doesn't then the lever assembly is probably rusted up and frozen. Also as I mentioned before the pawl is probably stuck

 

Holy Cow.... This has been explained to you more than too many times.
If you don't understand it by now, Bring it to a shop and open up your wallet.....

good grief.... you can lead a horse to water....

I'm OUT.

 

Back off the nut to give the cables more slack. Have someone pull on the handle while you watch the adjuster. You should see the adjuster move a bit. If it does, it's probably one (or both) of the cables going to the rear brakes. If not, it's the cable going to the handle.

Have you taken the drums off to see if it's all rusted behind the shoes?

You may have to soak the adjuster in some penetrating oil to get the nut to move.