What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

parking brake cable has too much slack

7

75K5

1/2 ton status
Joined
Mar 14, 2001
Posts
281
Reaction score
3
Location
Michigan
OK, admittedly the parking brake in this truck has never worked for the 14 years I've owned it. But now that the motor swap is done, it's time to tackle all of these small issues.

I looked under the truck and the problem appears to be too much slack in the parking brake cable. I would guess that there's probably close to 2-3" more slack than needed. When you have the pedal pressed all the way down, the cable is still loose. I see a nut that can be tightened down where the cable has a Y, but it's already cranked all the way down.

It was missing the frame clip on the passenger side, but I replaced that and it's still not tight enough.

Is there some other adjustment I am missing? Or is it possible when someone lifted the trick 4" years ago they did something to break this!

Here's a few pics from underneath. This is with the e-brake pushed the the floor.

Brian

IMG_1728.JPG

IMG_1729.JPG
 
Hard to see drivers side, any chance the wire guides are not far enough forward? Sure looks like there is a kink in the cable where the guide USED to be, right about where the cable is hitting the output shaft extension of the trans.

The shoe adjustment in the rear brakes affects cable length, but there is something up with that cable IMO, I doubt there would ever be enough slack in the drums to put that kink in the cable to where the guide is.
 
I'll get some more pics. Do you know if there's supposed to be a third wire guide? I was wondering if there was supposed to be one in the old transmission crossmember before I pulled it out and swapped in the new trans and transfer case.
 
To be honest I'm not sure if there were more than two variations of the general setup over the years. Mine is set up like yours, but its an '81 frame. I suspect those setups are all the same, but I'm not sure. The later setups (cables run down only the drivers side) are the other variation I'm aware of.

Another thought might be that the "intermediate" cable (the one that links both wheels and where you adjust) is wrong for your truck. You said the e-brake hasn't worked since you bought it, so possibility exists that if there are different lengths of that piece, someone swapped one in. A longer wheelbase truck would have had to be a different length somewhere, and it would be either that portion, or the drum portions, and I'd think it to be the middle one.

If you get a length measurement I can probably crawl under mine and get you a guesstimate on it as well. If yours is only about 2" longer than it needs to be, I suspect it's going to be pretty hard to tell if mine is longer or shorter though, at least with any accuracy. If someone were to have a parts catalog for the older trucks, it would tell us if that middle piece is a different length.

Your drums do some work when you apply the normal brakes though?
 
here's a few more pics.

looking at rock auto, they say the cable interchange is 73-83

front cable: AC Delco part number: 18P542
also looks like for 4WD applications the length is 59.25, for 2WD applications it's 50.

The intermediate cable comes in various lengths too:
Bendix C1146: 59.5"
RAYBESTOS BC92464: 57.5"
dorman 92464" 56.88"
ACDELCO 18P19: 57.5"

I might try the dorman cable and see if it fits

IMG_1729.JPG

IMG_1731.JPG

IMG_1734.JPG

IMG_1737.JPG
 
Last edited:
I don't recall my passenger side cable guide being back that far. For some reason I think the general shape of the brake cable setup is a "U" with the forward passegenger side cable guide even with the adjuster. But I could be wrong.

I'll see about peeking under my truck tonight to look.
 
I did actually remember to look under my truck last night.

The passenger side guide is just forward of where the frame transitions from the perfectly level portion up to the wheel arch. Looks like yours is good there.

On the drivers side, the guide is about 4" away from the adjuster. Maybe the hole where the zip tie is on yours?

Not sure that moving the guide would matter much in your case. You've got a few inches of "tightening" left in the adjuster in those photos, I assume you've run the nut all the way up? Real pain, I found clamping vise grips to the flats where the cable is crimped to the adjuster helps, as does a ratcheting box end wrench.
 
I did look at the LMC guide, but wondered if it was right. notice how they show a 45 degree bend in the cable in their drawing? I was wondering if there was supposed to be a guide there.

I have a new intermediate cable coming, hopefully shorter. I don't think I can crank the nut back far enough with the current cable to tighten it.

thanks for the help!

Brian
 
If the cable is in decent condition,why not just back off the adjustment,and use one of those parking brake cable slack eliminator dewhickies to shorten the cable up some,then you'll have enough adjustment to "fine tune" it....Dorman sells them...(sorry I dont have a part# handy or I'd post it up here)..

I have used a bolt with fender washers to shorten a cable before--you can "wind" the bolt around the cable between the washers and tighten it up..instead of buying the cable shortener thing..
 
got it fixed up tonight.

I replaced the front cable (to the pedal) and intermediate cable. The new AC Delco intermediate cable was about 3" shorter than the one on my truck. I went ahead and replaced the front cable because all of the threads were rusted on the adjuster bolt.

good to go, thanks everyone! About $30 in parts from Rock Auto
 
How painful was it to install the pedal cable?...the one on my truck has the outer sheathing and the spring all rotted to death--I've been lucky the guy who inspects it has let me slide without "testing" the E-brake,but this year he might not,so I'll have to replace that cable--and possibly the two rears also..
 
it was surprisingly simple. I used my bolt cutters to snip the cable in half. Then I pulled one side up thru the cab and just unhooked the other side.

feeding the new cable in was pretty easy, hardest part was slipping the cable thru the rubber fitting that seals the hole into the cab. Of course it was about 28 degrees in my garage which didn't help.

whole job was < 1hr.
 
Good to know,it sounds easier than I thought to replace...I hate doing the rear wheel cables the worst--I've been trying to keep them lubed up and free,but they may be seized by now thanks to being salted to death this winter...never had to replace a pedal cable before..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom