Hey Guys. Today I replaced both rear parking brake cables on my 2001 regular cab shortbox. Everything was straight forward until I came to the connector under the cab that joins the front cable to the rear. I couldnt figure out how to get it appart. I tried removing both ends and neither would budge. I have tried every method I can think of, from hammer and screwdriver, heat, liquid wrench, prying open the connector. In the end I cut the rear cable off and for now I have two loose ends hanging there. Can someone please give me an idea of how to approach this. Thanks.

 

Come on guys I need some advice here. Should I pound away with a hammer to get the front cable end out of the connector? Can I buy the front cable seperately from somewhere? I was told by Ford that the front cable was only available with a replacement pedal.

 

LS1Zedder,
The cable joining component functions exactly how it looks. Corrosion is what makes life difficult. I did the same thing with the rear cable on my Explorer. Once the rear cable was cut (as close to the joining bracket as possible) I used a punch to beat the rear cable forward. If I remember correctly the biggest pain was finding something to use as an anvil. I think i ended up using large "water pump" pliers and some wood. I also have a pair of heavy external snap ring pliers that I used to spread the "C" open around the rear cable end. By the way heavy snap ring pliers do not have interchangable pins and look like large needle nose pliers with flat ends that open when squeezed. Hopefully this has already been resolved on your end. Sorry I did not help sooner.

David

 

I am having a parking brake cable issue as well. It seems as though it is sticking and causing the passenger side parking brake to engage and not release. I have just replaced all pads and brakes on the passenger side and it is not the metal hinge causing the problem (as much discussed on the forums). Every time I engage the parking brake then release it the drivers side parking brake assembly is fine but the passengers side sticks. I have completely removed the cable from the hinge of the parking brake and it is still sticking. i tried to lube the cable itself where it is entering and exiting the protective
sleave but nothing is working, the cable always sticks and i have to forcibly yank on it hard to get it back into the "released" state.

Any suggestions?

Sorry if it's confusing as to why i attached onto this tread, i didn't want to start a new one and annoy anyone.

 

Rather than fight with the connector I used a mini die grinder and carfully cut it off. Tool 10 minutes and I really should have just done that from the beginning instead of trying to battle with it!

I had the sticking parking brake issue as well, hence the change. My biggest problem was that in winter it wouldnt release. I could only push the pedal down half way to give myself room to break the cables loose in the morning by pushing down the rest of the way. Dont know if I have solved that issue yet or not. With the new cables it certainly engages and releases cleaner now. I used to feel a sort of grinding resistance when engaging the brake before. No matter how well I adjusted the shoes, one side seemed to fully engage and the other didnt. It is so smooth now its almost like the cables are unhooked at the back. I suggest thats what you should do if you are having these problems. The new cable comes with a new connector to join to the front cable. Its a fairly easy job if you cut the old connector off like I did instead of fighting with it (like I did!). One suggestion, buy the cables from the dealer. with you Vin number they can get you the exact ones you need. There are about 50 different aftermarket part numbers for each side and you'd be lucky to get the right ones.

 

so if the new cable comes with a new connector i still have to find a way of getting the old connector off of the front cable. I have no problem cutting the back cable off since I am going to replace it, but you said you used a mini die grinder to get the connector off, I am not sure what that is. Can i use an angle grinder or a something like that to cut the front cable free (without damaging it of course)? Has anyone found a tool that is able to free the front cable from the connector without cutting required?

thanks for the suggestion too LS1Zedder, i figured that i probably would have to replace the cable but was hedging about doing it. How hard was it to remove the passenger side cable from the truck frame? did the new cable come with the mounting brackets that i see on the current cable or do i have to reuse them?

 

A mini die grinder is like a dremel tool except a little slimmer and of course pneumatic. In fact the cut off wheel I used is a dremmel cut off wheel. What I did was carefully cut a horizontal slit in the connector so that I could peel it back and remove the end of the cable. You have to go real slow and easy so you dont cut the cable or the **** on the end of it. I used a good amount of anti sieze on both ends when I connected the new rear cable to the front.

The rear cables are easy to install. the driver's side just has a snap connector. The passenger side has a metal bracket that bolts to the axle. The new cable will have one already installed so just remove the bolt from the old one and re use it on the new one. There is also a clip on top of the pumpkin that the cable will run into. Running the cable is very easy. Remember to hook the new cables onto the ebrake hooks BEFORE connecting the front cable to the rear.

 

i was actually able to use a flat head screw driver and pry apart the connector and the front cable slipped out. also i wish i had taken your advice on going to the dealer first, the aftermarket places and i spent about an hour going through options and they didn't have what i needed. i have to wait until tomorrow when the dealer is open to get the cable so the truck will have to stay up on the blocks for another night as I wait to get one, hope it's in stock.