Frozen e-brake cable? - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

Russell · 06-22-2006, 01:44 PM

Hey guys!

I finally found a 4x4 e-brake setup at the junkyard, but after using it once, the e-brake cable on the pass side rear wheel stayed in the out position. Basically locked the truck in the spot.

Is there any way to un-stick it without taking the drums apart? How does a guy prevent this from happening in the future?

My truck has a standard transmission, so the e-brake is pretty important, lol

Oldtruckfanatic · 06-22-2006, 02:07 PM

The only thing I can think of is to get under the truck and try to manually push the cable back at the pull bar. Those cables are prone to corrosion because they live under under the truck and when they do lock up it's usually a pain to get them free. In any case unfortunately the best way to try to free one is to remove the cable and hose it down with penetrating oil and try to work it back and forth until you have the entire sheath inside lubed up. This is a double edged sword because the oil attracts dirt so after it's free you have to try to clean as much off as you can and then use a sillicone lube. In many many cases I have spent time freeing a rusty cable to find one broken strand bound up inside the sheath that made the time I spent not really worth it so check it close for freys before you spend a lot of time. One more thing...If you do manage to get it pushed back manually and it's not too hard take the drum off and check out the spring on the cable that helps it return I have had the old rusty ones squash into broken pieces when pulled and not work right afterwards. I'm sure they are tough to find but the most cost effective and safest way to fix that problem is to try to replace the suspect cable if you can. Hope this helps.

tgh117 · 06-23-2006, 12:26 PM

My ebrake cables stick from time to time. What I do, it climb under a little bit, and just start jiggling the cable around. Mine do not stick that hard, so after you shake and pull and spin them around a little bit, they work themselves back out and it doesn't cause any problems. I guess I will have to get some new ones eventually. Good luck

06-22-2006, 01:44 PM	#1
Russell Professional Grade Join Date: May 2003 Location: Fort McMurray, Alberta Posts: 7,915	Frozen e-brake cable? Hey guys! I finally found a 4x4 e-brake setup at the junkyard, but after using it once, the e-brake cable on the pass side rear wheel stayed in the out position. Basically locked the truck in the spot. Is there any way to un-stick it without taking the drums apart? How does a guy prevent this from happening in the future? My truck has a standard transmission, so the e-brake is pretty important, lol __________________ 1995 Chevrolet 2 Door Tahoe (6.6L LBZ Duramax / ZF6 / NP241 with 1 ton solid axle swap)

06-22-2006, 02:07 PM	#2
Oldtruckfanatic Truck junkie Join Date: May 2006 Location: Reno NV Posts: 697	Re: Frozen e-brake cable? The only thing I can think of is to get under the truck and try to manually push the cable back at the pull bar. Those cables are prone to corrosion because they live under under the truck and when they do lock up it's usually a pain to get them free. In any case unfortunately the best way to try to free one is to remove the cable and hose it down with penetrating oil and try to work it back and forth until you have the entire sheath inside lubed up. This is a double edged sword because the oil attracts dirt so after it's free you have to try to clean as much off as you can and then use a sillicone lube. In many many cases I have spent time freeing a rusty cable to find one broken strand bound up inside the sheath that made the time I spent not really worth it so check it close for freys before you spend a lot of time. One more thing...If you do manage to get it pushed back manually and it's not too hard take the drum off and check out the spring on the cable that helps it return I have had the old rusty ones squash into broken pieces when pulled and not work right afterwards. I'm sure they are tough to find but the most cost effective and safest way to fix that problem is to try to replace the suspect cable if you can. Hope this helps. Last edited by Oldtruckfanatic; 06-22-2006 at 02:09 PM.

06-23-2006, 12:26 PM	#3
tgh117 Crazy Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Emmaus, Pa Posts: 203	Re: Frozen e-brake cable? My ebrake cables stick from time to time. What I do, it climb under a little bit, and just start jiggling the cable around. Mine do not stick that hard, so after you shake and pull and spin them around a little bit, they work themselves back out and it doesn't cause any problems. I guess I will have to get some new ones eventually. Good luck __________________ 77 SB Stepside in a bunch of pieces scattered around the garage.



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