Bamadude

I have a 04 XLT. I bought the truck used and knowing the e-brake didnt work(hoping that the cable was loose or undone). Anyways, got the rear brakes and rotors replaced the other day and they mechanic was looking at the e-brake system and said it would need a whole new e-brake. He said it would cost $300-400 to have to replaced. Is this a hard procedure to replace? Anybody else know what they paid to have this done? Thanks for your help

lewissa81

What do you mean by "whole new e-brake?"
There's a common issue where the part that spreads the shoes (can't think of the name right now) rusts and locks up. You can fix it, then buy new hardware and shoes yourself for significantly cheaper.

Bamadude

Cant remember what all he said but that its not the cable and that the whole thing needs to be replaced. 300-400 bucks

techrep

iTrader: (1)

Naw...he want's 300 labor to install 50 bucks worth of parts. Get a written est. with parts needed and what the labor will be.

Bamadude

Just saw this on advanced auto
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/d...rgency+brakes#

also found a video on youtube on how to repair it. Thanks for the replies

homer

There's quite a few posts on this. My adjusters seized, after I pulled the hybrid rotor off (caliper, pads, rotor, etc), the e-brake shoes are exposed. I literally had to take a hammer to free the adjusters. Once I did that I put never seize in there and I've never had an issue since. My cable literally fell off on the left side due to the adjuster seizing. Once I freed it, I haven't had an issue since about 5 years ago.

Nocturnal1

As the other poster mentioned, very easy to fix or replace (assuming it's the common known problem of a seized parking brake adjusting lever). I did mine last Nov. The replacement part was about $20-25 (eBay)/side but I was too cheap to replace the part so I took mine off (only the left side was seized) and cleaned the parts.

The adjusting lever are simply two flat plates (approx 1/4" thick) with one plate having a stud and the other a hole which the stud pivots in. The combination of accumulated brake dust and rust, in the hole and between the two plates prevented the parts from pivoting.

To fix (if you don't want to replace) remove the part, hold one plate while you hit the other with a hammer to separate the parts. Once they're separated, you can use a wire wheel, wire brush, abrasive paper, and drill bit to remove the rust and brake dust. The parts will pivot freely once the rust and brake dust have been removed. Remember to wear safety gear of course! It took me about 20 minutes to fix the part once I removed it from the vehicle. Of the 20 minutes, it took me about 15 minutes to find my stash of abrasive paper.

Mod (Ret.)

I rarely use an e-brake, but will operate it once a week to help in preventing it from seizing up. I'm fortunate in that I do not live in a snow/salt location; these two I'm sure add to the seizing of the adjusters.

Darkstarskater8

I fought mine and re adjusted so many times I finally gave up.
Never did last for very long until it just stopped holding or wouldn't unlock .