1973 Dodge Dart Brake Problems

MEKBLAD

MEMBER
1973 DODGE DART
2WD
AUTOMATIC

I have a 73 Dodge Dart. I parked it on an incline, engaged the parking brake and let it sit for a couple days. When I went to drive it again, it would not move. It started and when I put it in to reverse gear to back it out of the driveway, it just wouldn't move. It seemed like the car was trying to move so I have a feeling it has something to do with either the parking brake or the foot brake. What can I do? Is there any jiggling I can do? How might I be able to tell which brake is the problem, if they are they problem?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,916 POSTS

Most likely a parking brake cable is rusty and is stuck in the applied position. You may be able to get it to release by flexing the casing that comes out of the back of each rear brake. If one of those two cables is just sluggish, it will release under spring pressure when you flex the cable. Be sure the transmission is in "park".

There is no need to use the parking brake with an automatic transmission. If you DO use it, you should use it regularly to keep those cables from becoming sticky. Stuck cables are a real big problem on Ford products as little as a year old. Other car brands don't have so much trouble, but they still will tend to stick after a while, especially if they aren't used all the time.