I am just wanting to know what it is going to take to remove and replace the the rear parking brake cables on a 93 f150 xl with 5.0l 2wd. and help would be a great help. thanks

 

Keeping in mind that I still haven't got my parking brake working... I just recently got some practice changing the cables on my '95 XL.

I loosened the lugs, jacked the back end up, and put it on stands. Took the drums off, cleaned them with brake cleaner, wiped them down good, and let them sit for a bit.

I was doing this in a dirt driveway, so for comfort sake, I used one of my wheels as a short stool while working, got about the right height.

Anyway, you'll need a sturdy flat head screwdriver to break off the tabs that hold the cables in the brake case and in the bracket on the left frame rail. It worked best for me to break off the whole clip ring, prying it back and forth until it snapped off.

You'll want a screwdriver and a long needle nose plier, one to push the spring away from the part that the cable end hooks through(toward the rear, just follow the spring wrapped brake cable), and the other to unhook it once the tension is off. Two screwdrivers work, too. Don't use a finger, it's a good way to get pinched.

Should pop right out, might take a minute to figure out which way to move it. Should be able to push the end toward the center of the vehicle and it'll slide out of its slot.

You'll have to loosen a bolt that holds the clip just behind the front leaf spring hanger on the left rear, it's half inch, and the cables should pop out of it. The longer cable(right rear) is clipped over the differential, and that pops out with some lovin'(good luck getting the new cable back into that clip, you'll need it).

Might have to tap on the ends that go into the frame bracket, but you should be able to remove the cables once you've done this.

Best bet for putting the new cables on is to push all the slack to the end that goes in the drum(the one with the spring), so you have all the cable you can to work with while hooking it into place(needle nose plier and long screwdriver are handy here, again). Use the plier to pull it toward you(away from the center of the vehicle) to seat it in its slot, then slide the clip part of the outer cable into the hole in the brake cover until it's locked in, then you've got to route it the same way the old ones came off. Should be an extra sleeve over the places where it'll rub suspension components. Snaps into the frame bracket just like it did into the brake, I think the left brake cable goes in the bottom hole in the bracket. Before you put the drums back together, make sure to pull the front inner cable to tighten it up inside the brake assembly, and make sure the cable stayed hooked.

 

Oh, and don't forget to put the cables into and tighten up that bracket on the frame, and get the right rear into the clip on the differential. Careful not to damage the hard line or the sensor wires nearby.

As for getting the cables hooked back up on the equalizer in front of that frame bracket, good luck, I've still had no luck in that department.

 

thanks gunman. i will give it a try this weekend and hope it all works. all i need it for is just to be able to launch my boat this year. i will keep you informed when i get it done. and thanks again for the pretty detailed description.

 

I'll be tackling that job on my truck tomorrow when my passenger-side cable arrives, I have an idea as to how to deal with the equalizer so I'll let ya know how it all works out.

 

Apparently, most of my problem is as a result of the auto-tensioning pedal... that, and I think I'm going to have to tear my drums down and clean things up to make sure things are moving right when the cables are pulled. There's probably a reason why two of the three cables I replaced had been snapped, and perhaps why I had to manufacture an equalizer out of scrap tube stock. If you have any luck in that department, let us know!

 

I don't have the auto-tension pedal tho, and your should have been disabled by now... can't you make an earlier cable work, or even only the equalizer bar?

 

My pre-auto-tension donor equalizer bar is far too rusted, I can't get the thing to tighten far enough, even with a can of penetrating oil. I'll strip something out before I get it tight enough to operate.

 

as for gettin the cables hooked up to the equelized bar...... leave the drum off and when you pull on the e brake cable ,the shoes will go beyond their normal range of travel and give you enough slack to hook to the equilizer bar. Then adjust the shoes and put your drum back on

I just had to replace the e-brake pedal assem on my brothers 94 and it worked great

 

If I can get the stuff out of my shop, namely the pig feeder and wire spools, that are taking up my parking space, I'll get it inside to play with during our rainy afternoon. I think I'm going to find me a long bolt, cut off another piece of that pipe, and make myself an adjustable equalizer, similar to the seized up donor I have.

 

Thanks to Diesel Brad for his 6/2009 post on attaching the equalizer bar to the intermediate cable. People driving by yesterday seeing my neighbor and I both under the truck, him pulling the equalizer bar and me pulling the cable were treated to a good laugh. By turning the adjustment wheels inside the drums, I got oh-so-close, but no cigar. I will remove the drums this weekend and try that, it's my understanding that proper shoe adjustment is obtained by simply driving the truck in reverse once the drums are back on again. Any truth to this?

 

Simply driving in reverse won't adjust the shoes. Driving in reverse and hitting the brake pedal every little bit as you continue backing up will probably work, one foot on the brake pedal and one foot on the gas pedal. You best find a nice open space. I have done that before.

It would be much simpler to try and adjust them up at least most of the way before putting the drum on. I know it can be tricky to get them adjusted just right, especially if you aren't used to doing this.

 

i had a LOT of trouble with this until the mechanic down the street showed me that i needed to take up all of the slack from the front cable ... he did it by pulling then holding it in place with vice grips ... i dont recommend that particular technique because i chewed up the nylon cable coating by applying the ebrake while i still had the vice grips attached (duh). someone here suggested using a ratcheting strap ...sounds like a better idea to me.

 

I had much failure, until my friend came over with some rope and made a "truckers hitch" knot to pull the equalizer bar and hold it, then pull the cable to meet and attach...took about 15 minutes! But if, like myself, you don't know the "truckers hitch" knot, a ratcheting strap will certainly do the trick.
I pulled the drums off, but I'm not sure if this helped in my particular case. I am starting to see how much different these trucks are from each other (if that's possible). Bottom line is, I learned something through my struggles, and for my next trick, I will attempt to replace the front fuel tank, and there will be posts!
Thanks to all...this stuff is very helpful! Happy Veterans Day!