Hand brake is difficult to work after some puddle jumping

[Marla.the.V35]

Hi there,

I was doing some puddle jumping last week (couldn't resist!), but today I hopped in the jeep to spin it around, and noticed the Hand brake cane was inconsistently difficult to work. Sometimes it felt like it wasn't ratcheting, sometimes it felt like it wasn't disengaging, sometimes it worked fine. I looked underneath, the brake lever appears to be moving through its allowable tolerance. Where can I start to diagnose this issue?

TIA

[Chuck W.]

PB Blaster on everything!

[Rus Curtis]

The handle itself should be dry but it couldn't hurt to check and see if the ratchets are cruddy or covered in rust.  Everything else could be working just fine but if the cane won't slide the brakes won't work.  I smeared mine with a real light coat of grease thinking it might help it sliding in and out through the tube bracket. 

The cable, on the other hand, took a bath while you were exploring.  It may or may not have some debris in it.  Have you ever lubed it?  You could use what Chuck suggested and spray it in one end and see what comes out the other.  What's its condition?  Is the outer conduit new or worn?  Does the cable have a kink in it?

If the problem is inside the brake drum it may be difficult seeing the condition without a tear-down.  Typically, brakes can put up with water like that (any problems with your main wheel brakes?), so I'd be more curious about the cable.