You guys are always a big help so here I am again! Tried to search this, no luck. Replaced the "Front parking brake cable" but it's too short to hook up to the "intermediate". As you know, there is no adjustment on the cable length, although there must be some "trick" to it. Anyhow, it's about 2" too short. Called parts house back and verified part#, it's supposedly correct one. According to the book, it has a "auto tensioner" in the parking brake pedal assembly consisting of, if memory serves me correct, a spring/cam assembly which maintains this tension. I checked to make sure the cable was reaved through the assembly correctly and, as a side note, I did observe that the RR cable going to the brake assembly seemed to have more travel than the LR cable. To get 2" however, it would apply the parking brake and burn up the shoes/drums. Any help, as always, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
John

 

there should be an adjuster where the 2 cables at each wheel end connect to the one up to the pedal. Adjust that all the way out. Then connect your new cable to the pedal. and PULL LIKE HELL to get it to connect to the adjuster. It took 2 of us to get mine to pull back on the cam all the way. It goes some, but then gets VERY hard to pull the last 2 inches.

 

Thanks for the reply, Blue Rebel. Mine does not have any type of adjustment and according to the manual is not supposed to. This is what Ford calls an "Autotension assembly" whereby the spring/cam assembly keeps pressure on the cable at all times, taking the slack out of it, even as the brake shoes wear. Basically, this spring/cam works pretty much like a recoil starter on a Briggs engine. You have 4 cables: (1) Front cable(runs from parking brake assembly to underneath the truck (2) an intermediate cable which connects to the front cable by some sort of sleeve and the other end connects to a small channel/bar, in the center (3) & (4), being the RR and LR cables which go to the rear brake assemblies, connect above and below on the channel piece with the intermediate cable connecting in the center. These connections amount to nothing more than a steel ball which is swaged on the end of the cable and fits through a keyhole slot in the channel.

So, all of that having been said, I would think there is some way to "override" the tension on the spring which would give probably just enough slack to be able to hook up to the intermediate, and when you turn it loose it would automatically tighten up and tension the cable. But, I don't, at this point, see any way to get in the assembly and override the spring/cam. Got to be a way.............

Thanks
John

 

Buying aftermarket parts is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you might get.

F2TZ2853A .. Front Parking Brake Cable / Fits: 1992/95 F150 and etc.

MSRP: $28.65 // FTEpartsguy.com price: $20.63

 

Bill,
Thanks for your reply. I agree wholeheartedly with you, in reference to aftermarket parts, and I normally shy away from using them, IF possible. But, it's getting to a point with these older vehicles, so many of them are obsolete. That having been said, if you read my previous post, and I rather imagine you did, then there is no magic trick to installation/hookup? I realize you "gurus" like to reply with short, terse statements, but, some of us need a little more detailed commentary. A parts man is much like the proverbial bartender - he's heard it all. So obviously you've seen this before? And, I will assume that if it doesn't hook right up, it's the wrong cable ??

 

I think what he is saying that you should "pull like hell" on the cable coming from the pedal to extend the adjusting mechanism. Once you get it extended and slotted in the mechanism should retract the excess cable.

 

^^^Yes. Pull on the cable that goes up into the floorboard. Alone i could not get mine out past a certain point, but with 2 of us, it came out about another 2 inches...

 

Alright guys..... So we've got two schools of thought here. One for "pull like hell" and the other for the "box of chocolates".......... I can see where it could go either way. Make no mistake about it now, I've got the setup for the "pull like hell" approach........I guess the only thing that keeps nagging at me is, if it takes that much to override the spring wouldn't that put too much tension on the cable? Thereby keeping the brakes applied, at least to some degree, all the time???????

 

"Box of chocolates" in this case refers to gypo aka aftermarket autoparts.

You never know what you'll get.

However, if you buy the real thing: F2TZ2853A...the ACTUAL Ford part number for the correct cable for your truck by application (see post #4), then it won't be like a box of chocolates, because you will get the correct part the first time around.

 

Well Bill, I'm not real educated, but I have enough sense to know what you are referring to when you use the tired cliche' "box of chocolates" and the term "aftermarket", so a full, complete definement of those two particular terms, are unnecessary. Apparently you didn't read any of my posts or you would have known that I am, indeed, fully cognizant of the fact that aftermarket parts, more often than not, are made of poor quality materials and usually do not meet OEM standards/tolerances. While I prefer to purchase OEM parts, the local Ford parts people (or should I say "partspersons"), just seem to take such pleasure in using the word/term "obsolete". May I also add that their solution to any given problem (lack of availability) is always the same, and, spoken in disgust "Why don't you just buy a NEW truck ?". So, in my last post, by using your phrase "box of chocolates" I was simply pointing out that 2 people say to apply additional force to the cable, which would indicate it was the right part, and you say it's the wrong part, or it was obviously not manufactured to correct standards/values/length. As I said, I can see where either viewpoint could be correct, but, there is only one correct answer........ I don't have any problem buying one from the Ford dealer, but it would be rather disappointing to purchase one of "known quality" and then experience the same problem with installation. So, in essence my whole purpose for posting the original question was to find out if there was something I was doing wrong. If I am overlooking some particular step of the installation, then I wouldn't be any better off, now would I ??????

 

does this truck have a push pedal to release system ??

 

That box of chocolates comment was my first AND last use of that tired phrase!

I understand exactly what you are going thru with the old BS line of "Sorry, the part is obsolete."

Usually the clucks say it without looking in the parts catalog.

I guess you haven't read any of my dozens of ranting posts on this sorry subject.

If you need any part numbers looked up, I can do that..and if the parts are obsolete, I can search every US Ford dealers and most of the obsolete parts vendors inventories to see if anyone has the parts.

Then I will post the info on who has the parts, and of course the parts numbers.

I've done exactly that for 1000's of FTE members since 11/04/2006, the day I signed on here.

Prolly 85% of my 21,195 + posts (in 27 months) are parts related.

 

Here's the procedure from Autozones web-site. It says for Ranger and Explorer but the F series should be similar for 93 and later with the self adjusting parking brake.

Scroll down where it says 93 and newer and it explains how to remove the self tensioner control assembly, install the new cable and install a drill bit to disable the tensioner.

Click on the link below.

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Pull very hard on the cable is correct. Remove the bracket that holds the 2 rear cables. Hook it onto the front intermediate cable. Get your favorite ratchet strap and connect to the bracket and the other end to the body above left rear wheel. This is the proper angle. this overcomes the spring /automatic tensioner. pull as needed. One man operation. good luck. easy peasy.

 

Unless I glossed over it, I think this whole thread is missing mention of the little white plastic wedge in the parking brake assembly. Push the parking break down and you'll be looking at a small white plastic wedge just inside of the pedal arm where the arm enters the controller assembly . Jerk it out of there with some pliers. Gently stretch and assemble your cables. A ratchet strap does make it a breeze. Push parking brake pedal back down and re-install plastic wedge.