Need to replace rusted through e-brake cable

'99 Ex EB - stock

I found this thread talking about replacing the e-brake cable on a Ranger. It should be roughly the same, but if any of you guys have experience with it, some first hand 9and maybe even pictures) would help.

The guy at the garage said the part was $70 with about an hour's labor. I thought I'd try it if it were doable. Also, the other thread makes me think there are non-Ford parts that are a little cheaper?

Also, it's only the shorter drivers side cable. The passenger cable seems fine. I may attempt this this afternoon if I can get my hands on a part. Wish me luck, but I'll check for responses here first.

 

Elite Explorer 2 for 1 Sale! $20 for 2 years!
Explorer Forum has probably saved you that much already, and will continue to save you money as you learn how to diagnose fix problems yourself and learn which modifications work without having to experiment on your own. Elite Explorer members see practically no ads, can add their own profile photo, upload photo attachments in all forums, and Media Gallery, create more private Conversations, and more. Join Today. Your support is greatly appreciated.

The part is much cheaper IIRC from even ford or big box places. Call ford, advance,napa, etc get prices. Look for a cable with a plastic coating. Some very cheap ones are all metal and will probably sieze. If you get an all metal internal cable, coat the exposed cable with a thick layer of antisieze paste.

It is not difficult to do, you pull down on the long cable under the truck and insert a drill bit into the pedal mechanism in the truck(look for a hole) to retain the cam and release cable tension. A helper to hold the cable is helpful but you can DIY.

Then use pliers and swear words to release the cable retainer ends from the clips. Look at the cable, it will make perfect sense. Corrosion may make this job harder, a butane torch with a bit of heat on the shell type clips may help release the cable end. PB and Kroil does the job too.

Do not remove the drill bit until all the cables are in and set.

If the cable is siezed, it is very likely your ebrake shoes and mechanism is worn out and siezed. Don't be surprised if replacing the cable does not make the brakes work.

And while you are down there, take a good look at your hard metal brakelines in the frame and on the rear end. They get very rusty after a decade and can leak. Don't ask me how I know.

 

thanks for the advice. I'll try to check what i can while the car is up on stands and I'm under there. Sad thing is, I'm new to basic repairs, so I really don't know what is what.

 

Here are some free factory manuals for you to download. You can burn them to a CD or mount it as an iso file.

http://www24.brinkster.com/sdhartney/linc/linc.htm
The 00 truck at the bottom left of the page is perfect for you.

These procedures are covered there so you minimize chances of screwing things up!

 

So I got the car up, the cable slack, the tire off, and then fought with the cable connectors for about 2 hours. I absolutely cannot get any of the brake cables (front, intermediate, or back) to dislodge from their little metal connectors. It pretty much looks to me like they're rusted in. I tried WD-40 and let that sit. I can't get enough inward push to break the grip.

Any ideas? My only though is that, if I could find a small enough clamp, I could use it to pull together two of the metal ends of the intermediate/rear cable until the p.o.s. releases. Oh, and wear safety glasses so I don't get as much rust in my eye.

 

gentle heat from a butane torch may help heat the outer shell so it expands a bit.

 

Dislodging cable

I just replaced mine yesterday and ran into the same issue. Because I had the replacement cable already, I just took some tin snips and cut the cable near the conduit to make it easier to work with. I then sprayed some WD-40 onto the clip and with a pair of channel locks grabbed the cable and started to twist. I was able to break it free, and after that I just used a small punch and tapped it out with a hammer.