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["Lynn Wigglesworth" <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com>]

My mother's car is a 1993 Ford Tempo. It won't start, but I think the 
problem is the brake.  The key turns in the ignition, the dashboard lights 
light (all of them), but it doesn't make a sound. It's NOT the battery...I 
KNOW what a dead battery sounds like. That car has all kinds of interlocks 
with the brake and the shift (it's an automatic) and the brake and the 
ignition. You need to depress the brake to do anything, like start the car 
or shift out of Park. If the brake doesn't work, nothing works.

The problem is that the brake pedal won't go down at all. I know absolutely 
nothing about cars, but I suspect something in the brake mechanism 
(linkage?) is jammed. I couldn't find a tow truck to get it to the mechanic 
before they closed at 2, so I have to wait until Monday. Can they even tow 
it if it's stuck in Park? I thought it would be nice if I could fix it 
before then and save some money and annoyance.Any suggestions for a 
mechanically-challenged person (that doesn't involve disassembling the car)?

Lynn Wigglesworth
Tioga Co. PA