Today, when I was engaging the hand break, I heard a sharp snapping noise like a spring or something broke.

I only heard that noise once. When I engaged the break it did stop the car from rolling. It seems to work fine when I release and re-engage the hand break lever, and it also has typical resistance as it engages.

However, I am wondering if something did indeed break or snap?

I noticed that I am able to lift the hand break lever with my finger (when it is in the normal horizontal disengaged position). I don't remember if there should be more pressure at this position? Since I always used to pull the break lever with my arm, I never tried lifting it with my finger before.

Would someone check if they are able to lift the hand break lever on 997.1 about an inch or so just by using their finger?

May be there is a secondary spring that provides resistance to give a better "feel" and perhaps that is what broke and resulted in the snapping sound?

 

Just checked mine, 2008 Carrera S, and I can easily lift the handbrake lever, from a resting position, an inch or more.

Could there have been some sort of obstruction that was made the noise?

 

FlaHeel, thanks so much for checking.

After you lift the lever an inch or two, does it automatically spring back to the horizontal position, or do you have to push down on it?

Mine stays up (about an inch or two) and I have to lightly press it down. If your's behaves the same way, then may be the sound was a coincidence. However, if yours springs back to horizontal when you let go of it, then something may have broken or come lose on mine.

 

I would not say it "springs" back, but it does return to the resting position without any interaction from me.

 

FlaHeel,

Thanks. So something did break on mine.

Now I need to figure out if this can be a DIY fix. I'll search for some parts diagrams.

If anyone has info on how the hand break lever is assembled/connected, I would really appreciate it.

 

i hear the snap from time to time. do a search here or on RL - a couple threads i ran across when i was concerned about mine. i seem to remember the snap is nothing serious (and maybe not even something breaking?? i seem to remember reading it was more like a plastic piece getting caught on an edge or something...)

 

Mine just did the same loud snap yesterday for the first time, which alarmed me, but it seems to be working fine. I can lift the brake a couple inches without any resistance but then it starts clicking like it should.

 

spiffyjiff,

But if you lift your lever just an inch or two, does it automatically re-seat itself to the horizontal (down) position, or do you have to push it down?

(I vaguely remember that the lever used to automatically re-seat itself, before I heard that snapping noise).

KonaKai,

What happens on yours, if you let go **before** the normal clicking starts? Does it go all the way back down, or does it stay where you let go of it?

 

No need to park, just keep driving!

 

KonaKai,

What happens on yours, if you let go **before** the normal clicking starts? Does it go all the way back down, or does it stay where you let go of it?[/quote]

Unless you give it a proper tug, it just goes all the way back down on its own

 

Ok. So what could be wrong? Anyone have any ideas based on the diagram below?...

 

well, it's not like it snaps back down with "authoritaugh!", but it def feels like a slight spring pull which gets it back to completely horizontal. in any event, it works fine/holds car in place, and the pads and mechanism look normal and release just fine (i changed rotors a few months ago) so i'm not worried about it.

FWIW, here's a guess from someone over on RL when it was posted there last year:

"There's probably a bushing or a collar on the cable end with a rim or edge which gets caught in it's receiver and when tension is applied it finally loses it's grip and snaps into it's seat. Wild guess on my part."

 

The same thing has happened on my current 07 C2s maybe three times (in the 7k miles I've driven it), when releasing the handbrake. Always sounds like I broke something, like something gave way. Never happened on my prior 07 C2S that I drove for about 7k miles.

 

This happened to me a few months ago when I quickly engaged the parking brake. I thought I broke something too, but everything seems to be fine. I don't yank on the parking brake anymore. I just pull it up slowly.

I don't have to push mine down if I lift it an inch or two either.