Parking brake cable replacement

Thanks for the reply. Yes, you are right about the length of the cable for the front. Although, I believe, a couple of places list the length as being something like 95.13. But since that would be shorter it's irrelevant.
Anyway regarding the cable there is the cable that connects to the assembly and to the equalizer, and then there is the black rubber shroud that protects the middle part of the cable. That shroud has a push through fastener clip on each size, one to secure it at the hole on the assembly right there as it comes through the floor board and before it goes up and around the interior of the assembly. The other connects to the bracket welded onto the frame on the underside of the truck. Once that shroud is connected to the points you cannot move or slide it because the fastener clips keep it in place. Of course you're still able to move the cable back and forth through the shroud.

Once connected the shroud itself has a fairly decent bow in it but you can't pull the bow out if it because it's secured in place by the fasteners on either end. That bow takes up two or three inches of cable that can't be pulled out because the shield wont move and the cable, itself, is inside of the shroud. That's why when I remove the shroud from the fastener underneath I can pull the slack out of the bow in the shroud and the cable comes along with it, and that is where I get the extra length from the cable to be able to attach to the equalizer.

The best way to visualize what I'm saying is to take a string pull a few inches tight with both hands where there is no slack. (This would represent the shroud and cable disconnected from the underneath bracket and secured to the equalizer) and then move the right hands closer to the other. As you do that the string will lose tension in the middle and start to dip in the middle. That dip is similar to the dip in the shroud when it's secured to the bracket underneath. Since the cable is housed in the shroud the cable will follow the exact path of the shroud. That immovable portion of the shroud contains a couple inches of cable that can't be pulled tight. When I disconnect the shroud from the fastener I can pull the bow (slack) out of the shroud and since the cable is within the shroud that allows me to pull enough slack out of the cable to attach it. It seems to me that the shroud is an inch or two too long. A little bit of slack pulled out of the shroud would allow the actual cable to reach the equalizer.

I've heard of people using a ratchet strap to pull the equalizer the final inch or so, but the first time I did that the cable on the brake shoe side popped off of the holder where it connects to the emergency lever and I had to disassemble the brakes to get it back on.

Sure thing. I've included a picture of the cable secured at the fastener on the assembly, a shot of the cable underneath with the bow while fastened to the bracket on the frame, a picture of how short the cable is to the equalizer, a picture of the cable disconnected from the underneath bracket, pulled tight, and secured to the equalizer. The pictures uploaded such that you'll have to flip the first two to the right once and the last three to the left once to get the proper angle. Sadly I wish now this was my only issue, lol. After replacing the rear brake shoes and bleeding the lines the brake pedal goes all the way to the floor and my ABS light is flashing. I'm guessing the brake booster has gone bad as the brakes should still operate without the ABS system working properly (at least I think lol).
The one thing I didn't do but will do tomorrow is adjust the star controllers on the the rear brakes. When replacing the brakes I screwed both of them all the way and when I replaced them I never adjusted them back out. I hope this is the reason for the spongy brake issue. Anyway, thanks for all of the help. You have a great site here and have helped me quite a bit in the past with other issues, things I likely wouldn't have figured out had it not been for your help, so thank you!

Good morning,

I did cross reference the number you provided with Raybestos and it gave me a Raybestos # BC95389. The cable length on this Raybestos item is only about 65 inches. The part I ordered initially that is about an inch short is a Dorman C600345 that is suppose to have a 95.6 inch cable. I should have included that the production date of my vehicle is 03/1996. The only other thing I can think of is that maybe I routed the front end of the cable the wrong way when connecting to the brake assembly. There was only one logical route, which was straight up and over the guide shroud to the left, then back to the connection. Imagine a backwards P as the route of the cable that wraps around the assembly. Other than that possibility I'm not exactly sure what the issue is other than maybe the wrong cable was put in the package when sealing the product bag. It's a pretty straight forward application. Thank again

Sorry for the multiple replies. I have reordered another front brake cable hoping it was just a fluke cable that just wasn't long enough. That being said I literally have no brakes now. Had them when the emergency cable broke but after I changed the rear shoes and bled the brakes I'm getting a pedal that goes all the way to the floor when the truck is running. The brake is nice and stiff when the truck is off but sinks as soon as I turn the engine on. When I do press the brakes I hear a hissing/blowing sound when the pedal goes to the floor. To me it has to be the master cylinder or the brake booster. Is there any way that would distinguish one from the other as far as symptoms go? Also, the ABS light has started flashing rapidly around 14 or 15 flashes. This has a rear ABS system in it.
This truck has gone from a broken front emergency cable to replacing the rear brake cylinders to replacing the left front brake hose (started leaking when I moved the caliper to replace the front pads), to no brakes. The pedal to the floor issue was happening before I replaced the left front brake line. Any ideas as to what this sounds like and is there a way to simply drive without the booster attached? I know the brakes will be harder to activate, but is this something that can be done? Apologies for all of the questions. I've got a business that is on hold until this truck gets fixed! Thanks again!

Very helpful tutorial! The thing is that I had brakes even after the EB cable broke, and when I ended up. Replacing both rear cylinders and shoes I had some brake but not much, and now that I went and replaced the front brake pads and, subsequently, the left front brake line. I have no brakes at all. I did not see any leaking behind the master cylinder and I didn't see any leaking at the front calipers; r the rear drums. I double bled all four corners starting right rear, left rear, right front, left front. Still the pedal presses all the way to the floor when the car is running. When the car is turned off you can pump the brake and it will stiffen up nicely and hold. Just odd to me the brake goes to the floor while running but stiffens up when the car is off. Seems to me the faulty master cylinder would cause it to go to the floor, both with the engine on or off.
All signs point to the master cylinder like you've mentioned, but I have heard of that also being a symptom of a faulty BB, although with a faulty booster the brake pedal usually is stiff from what I have gathered. Thanks again for the great advice.

Also, I should add that I removed the vacuum hose from the BB when the vehicle was running and the brakes stiffened up. The engine started to idle rough but the brakes did stiffen. Thanks

Oh my goodness lol.I've replied twice and neither posted so I'm going to reply with the body and then another reply with the video.

To answer your question, yes. That is the exact what Ive always bled brakes on all of my vehicles. That was the way they were bled after I replaced the rear wheel cylinders, and that's how I bled them today after replacing the Master Cylinder. Even after replacing the Master Cylinder the pedal still easily goes to the floor when the engine is running. The pedal is nice and still and doesn't slowly sink to the floorboard when the engine is off. It goes down a couple inches and holds there. As mentioned there is a noticeable whooshing noise when the pedal is pressed to the floor, of which I've included a video of. Can't see it very well but you can def hear it. I have also included a video of my ABS light flashing rapidly and then, after pressing the pedal several times, the light going off. The system is basic. The booster rod pushes the plunger in the Master Cylinder which, in turn, sends pressurized brake fluid to the rear cylinders and front calipers. If the fluid is fully compressed then the cylinders and calipers will expand and stop the vehicle. That just isn't what is happening. Could the ABS system be causing this? I mean technically shouldn't the brakes still work even if the ABS system isn't? I guess it could be the rear cylinders I replaced, but there are no fluid leaks anywhere and even if there was I would think it would be isolated to that one particular wheel. The pedal goes down like there is no pressure on any wheel. The brake booster is suppose to help braking easier, so logic says if that went out then braking would be harder. Also, if there was a leak in the system wouldn't the pressure slowly bleed down from the firmness there is when the engine is off? I mean I guess there could still be air in the system but I would find it very hard to believe as I used a 32 ounce bottle of DOT 3 each time I bled those brakes. Shouldn't any air in the system be forced to the bleeder valve when pressure is put on the system when bleeding? I mean the issue has to be air in the system, a malfunctioning Master Cylinder, or some strange rare malfunction with the booster. I'm going to jack the rear of the truck, remove the check valve from the BB, start the truck, put it in gear, and see if the brakes catch without BB assistance. My guess is they will. If the brakes work without the booster then wouldn't they work WITH the booster? Very annoying issue lol. The videos in the next reply are of the brake being pressed to the floor with the engine running, with the whooshing noise, and a video of the ABS light flashing rapidly before going off after the pedal is pressed to the floor several times. Thanks for any advice.

Btw. I know you're suppose to bleed brakes with the engine off, but do you think it would help if I bled these brakes with the engine running?

Sorry, thought I had mentioned with was rear wheel ABS. I think 4 wheel ABS was an option on this truck and 4 wheel ABS the standard must have been in one of those replies that didn't post. The adjustment of the booster rod. I honestly had no idea they were adjustable, but truth be told the ease of pressing the brake pedal to the floor now is the exact same as it was prior to replacing the master cylinder. Not sure how I would have gotten air in the ABS only changing out the rear cylinders but I guess it is possible. I've actually specifically looked for the ABS module but couldn't find it. I thought it was under the air filter housing but it wasn't, and then I thought it might be mounted in the rear and it wasn't lol. I don't know where that module is unless it's directly under the master cylinder. There was a bracket holding some sort of device onto the bolts that the master cylinder is attached to the BB with. Two screws holding the master cylinder onto the BB and then two screws on top of these holding that bracket on.

Thank you. This is interesting. I read somewhere that the bleeding procedure was done opposite of normal if the ABS module was mounted in the rear lol. I'm guessing it was a misprint of some sort and that it was meant to say rear ABS system.
So all I have to do is bleed the brakes opposite of how I've been doing it and it will get the air out of the ABS? No scanner to activate the ABS is needed? I'll definitely give it a shot and let you know how things turn out. Hopefully this solves the issue. Thanks again and take care.

To add, regarding testing the BB. It mentions a repeating of steps 2 and 3, but I'm not sure what the third step is. Also, it mentions idling the engine high RPM for 10 seconds, turn engine off and let sit for 10 minutes and then press pedal and it should feel the same as it does with the engine running. I'm assuming these testing instructions are based on the ABS working properly, is that correct? Reason being is that I already know the pedal goes to the floor when running, but firms up when off. The BB check valve. I disconnected it from the booster, and drew a suction on it. It allowed air to be sucked in, but wouldn't let any air exhaust from it, so I'm guessing the CV is good.

Okay, so I followed the instructions for bleeding the brakes for ABS of my truck. I have to ask how much brake fluid can go in a vehicle because each front brake bubbled and bubbled and bubbled some more. Almost such that I'm thinking air may have been seeping into the tube from where it was attached to the bleeder screw. In any event after bleeding the front calipers I started the truck to see if I would get any resistance. Still goes right to the floor. No difference whatsoever. Being that each front caliper if fed from a separate line, and the rear two wheels are fed from a third line I would have def thought I would have felt some resistance in the pedal. Just to verify; when bleeding the brakes I cycle the brakes continuously until bubbles disappear. I'm taking that means with the engine off and with the cap. In the master cylinder open a bit. I attach the hose to the bleeder screw, put the other end into a jar half filled with brake fluid, open the bleeder screw and pump the brakes slowly and continuously until there are no more bubbles, and then repeat for each wheel? Thanks