all brake components are new within a year. i set the parking break on sunday and it dropped from 70* to about 30* when i left tues morn and the passenger rear was stuck. any tricks to loosening it up? could it be moisture in the cable? it's always worked perfect since i did the brakes. any tricks to freeing it up?

 

Sometimes reversing against the brake can pop a froze cable loose.....
other than that, heating it obviously, and tapping down the length of the cable wth a hammer while the spring pressure is trying to pull it through.... big help huh?

 

is it likely to be moisture?

 

I wouldnt think you could get enough moisture in there to freeze them solid, but stranger things have happened. My personal experience was with a 85' D250 gasser.. never could figure out why they froze up..kept breaking them loose and the kept seizing.. replacing the drum hardware fixed that one...

BTW, where did you find the cables and such when you replaced them?
I have been looking for the cables for a 149" wheel base and have had no luck.....

 

YUP moisture and rust!

If it worked just fine before the cold winter came along, then you need to get it some where's dry and warm, for 24 hours.

Them you need to get some penetrating lube and and drowned the cable, let set for 10 min and do it again!

If this don't work then you well need to replace the e-brake cable that is sticking.

usually when thy are sticking you can just reach under the tire that is hanging up and flex the cable, and it will release.

I had to do this on my jeep at the first of the winter and 2 days ago it hit -27. Pulled the e-brake and thought to my self that may have been a mistake!
Came out of the store with my freshly fill Doc pepper and release the e-brake, got it to role, pushed in the clutch.......it keep rolling!

If this work for ya, ya might wont to reapply it a couple time Thur out the winter so the moister has no chance of getting back in there!


Flash.

 

chrisreyn, the praking brake cables shouldn't matter what wheelbase you have. the driver an passenger side cables come to a head on the frame on the drivers side then there is a mostly open cable from the front.

it was warm enough when i went outside that when i grabbed the cable with a pair of plier and pushed it just slid right back in... i am afraid to use it now which stinks cause i just replaced these things like a year ago. and i'm not exactly in a rusty section of the country. i REALLY don't want to go back into those drums till i have to.

 

It just froze. Mine does it too when the temp drops suddenly. Just put it in reverse and it should pop loose.

 

reverse didn't do it... i backed up 250yrds to the house! hope the spring in there is ok!

 

Unless TN is a LOT drier than MO, you are in a humid, wet part of the country. If you have dew or frost most mornings, you have high humidity that can rust stuff and make cables stick. I have a sticking cable on mine I need to replace- cant use it in cold weather.

New cables are only $15 apiece, and I even have outboard drums. Just too lazy to do it, I guess.

Daniel

 

If you can't find what you need, Ford cables and Dodge cables are almost exactly the same in these years.

I have used them both ways, in the past, Ford on Dodge, and Dodge on Ford.

As stated, wheelbase should have no bearing on the housed cable length; and, the bare cable that extends under the cab can be pieced together with a splice to make any length, or completely replaced with plain old hardware store cable.

I have seen foreign vehicles of various makes that only have a short portion of the cables housed at each end, with the majority being exposed and running through eyelets; this is a far superior set-up, compared to the constantly seizing housed cables that we have.

Also, some never set the parking brake; and, when someone does set it, the cables are all corroded and will seize.

Constant use and lots of oil is the best medicine for parking brakes.

 

I must be going about finding these allwrong or somthing!

The only place I havefound new cables is at a internet site, that sorts themby wheel base,and doestn list the set for a 149" truck......
AND they are asking around $50 a cable.....I havent checked at NAPA, O'reilly's cant get them.... where are you guys finding them for $15???????

 

I searched the other day for one. On Napa's site they were about $13-$17. They had them listed by wheelbase also.

Here are the links to the parts that were listed for a 90 W250:

Front cable for 149"
Left cable for 131" or 149"
Right cable for 131" or 149"

-Steve

 

THANKS STEVE!!!!!!!!

I now un-hijack this thread......