There's not going to be any substitute for you or someone taking it apart
and unsticking or re-putting back whatever is out of place.
They are VERY good parking brake mechanisms, 85 and up, and  almost never
fail in anyway.
I'd unbolt it from the floor, remove one circlip to get a pin out, then the
whole thing will be in your hands and you can do whatever it needs.
  Unless it's been completely un-lubed since it left the factory in Germany
in 85, and has had food and hair getting into it all these years, it should
be a matter of cleaning, lubing, and re-assembly.
   Vw has this trick of making the paw .......the thing engages the teeth of
the ratchet flip over sometimes. Doesn't usually happen to an 85 and up
vanagon parking brake mechanism though....
It's usually quite fixable. Nothing complicated about that mechanism at
all.
Scott 

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
AAG - Larry Word
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2007 2:36 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: 1985 Vanagon - emergency/parking brake set-up

Does anyone know how this thing works?....

Mine has stopped ratcheting and will not stay up - what gives?

Any insights would be appreciated.....

any photos/notes from your past repairs even better!

Thanks

Larry 
Ga.