What is wrong with my driver rear parking brake cable?

[gnx547]

On my 96 escort the parking brake cable does not release and the driverside rear wheel when I put the handle down. The passenger rear is fine.

I removed the driver rear drum and looked at the parking brake bar and it looks good and it is clean. I notice when I remove the 2 bolts that holds the cable, it releases the tension and the drum spins freely but if I put the cable back, bolt it down and pull up on the parking brake and release it, it does not release the shoes..I looked at the cable it looks fine..Is there an adjustment that can be done for parking brake cable? Or is my cable bad?

[Intuit]

I doubt the cable is bad though it's possible for cables to seize up in the housing if they begin to rust and corrode.

When you take that drumss apart, verify that the lever that the cable attaches to is able to achieve it's full range of motion. You should remove all parts from the drum, clean up all contact surfaces and replace the necessary springs + pads; machine rotors if they are warped. Compare the parts to check against warp/bent/damage and replace as necessary.

Left & right cables meet at the balancer and so it may be possible for one side to throw the other off. Whenever you service brakes, they should be serviced in pairs. Wasn't sure what was going in my case until I got a look at the parking brake cable balancer which was cocked-off to one side. Cable was slack at the drum and the lever on the drum totally seized. Prevented that wheel from engaging it's P-brake.

[mark v]

So let me get this straight..... Disconnect both of the cables from the brakes and pull the handle and see if they release, if they do something else is wrong.

[gnx547]

Originally Posted by Intuit

I doubt the cable is bad though it's possible for cables to seize up in the housing if they begin to rust and corrode.

When you take that drumss apart, verify that the lever that the cable attaches to is able to achieve it's full range of motion. You should remove all parts from the drum, clean up all contact surfaces and replace the necessary springs + pads; machine rotors if they are warped. Compare the parts to check against warp/bent/damage and replace as necessary.

Left & right cables meet at the balancer and so it may be possible for one side to throw the other off. Whenever you service brakes, they should be serviced in pairs. Wasn't sure what was going in my case until I got a look at the parking brake cable balancer which was cocked-off to one side. Cable was slack at the drum and the lever on the drum totally seized. Prevented that wheel from engaging it's P-brake.

What did you do to the cable that was cocked off to one side? From being off to one side, did it mess up the cable? Were you able to fix it?