Emergency brake slips off..

[aj81spider]

I'm no expert, but I did change my rear brakes out this summer. Your emergency brake lever on the caliper looks like it is already pulled shut. Mine had a lot more distance between the lever and the end with the ball. The rubber boot that covers that section was much longer on mine. When you pull the emergency brake how much does that lever move? I would guess that mine moves about an inch, maybe more.

Pure speculation from a non-expert is that the lever is frozen in the closed position.

That opinion and $1.25 will get you a cup of coffee.

[seabeelt]

I would have someone pull the brake handle while watching each wheel as in your picture or with you under the car so you can observe the cable and caliper action. You could also remove the cable and lubricate it just to make sure that it is not the issue. Then that will leave just the calipers. I agree it looks like the picture of the caliper is already fully closed; perhaps a rebuild was done on the caliper incorrectly??

[kmead]

This is my opinion on this. I have had one of my Fiats run loose with its emergency brake on. Not a pretty picture especially when it hits another one of your Fiats.

I don't think the existing caliper, cable and pad material combination combine to create a e brake that actually works as a parking brake. I have never trusted it to hold the car. The one time I neglected to leave my X in gear it rolled down the driveway into One of my other cars

The calipers on my much newer Golf works much better and are generally trustable. I am extremely tempted to change over to a more modern rear caliper. I have seen it done and think it would be worthwhile.

Karl

[radionovember]

I'm with ya, kmean. I've had that happen to me twice with this car. The last time was a few weeks ago while I was letting it warm up in the morning before leaving the house. Pushed my block of wood out of the way and rolled right down the driveway into the neighbors mailbox. Pretty rough. The modern caliper would be a great idea if it works any better... I'll definitely look into it when i replace.
Oh, & thanks guys.. I'll check to see if those levers move when the handbrake is pulled but ultimately I'll probably just plan on replacing those back calipers when spring comes around. Probably the handbrake cable too. I'll let ya know how it works out 124joe.