P80 and 850 Ebrake cable replacement: 9209756

[zhenya]

Wanted to add my comments to this how-to since it seems to be the primary one available for doing this job. I did this in my 850 this weekend and feel like there is quite a bit I could add that should make the job easier for others.

First a correction - the front two bolts holding the center console in were - at least in my car - T15 not T10. I too chose to merely lift the console high enough to work around rather than removing the rest of the electrical connectors to allow for complete removal.

I struggled more than anything else with figuring out how to route the cables under the carpet because there were no good instructions here. What I would suggest that as by far the easiest method, at least in a wagon - can't speak for the sedans - is to remove the rear seat bottoms (easy, no bolts, takes seconds per side) - and pull the carpet up from the rear. Lift the particle-board sub-flooring, and underneath there you can see a plastic retainer that holds the cable in place. Lift it free with a flat-head screwdriver. This step seems to be completely missing from the above tutorial and made the guide string method un-workable for me. Once you lift the rear of the carpet you have complete access to everything with no need for the string.

On to the rear wheels.

I would plan on replacing all your parking brake components at this time unless you are certain they are in serviceable condition. I had replaced mine recently while doing rear brakes when I'd discovered the cables were seized. Do the shoes and buy the service kit that includes the clips and springs which are likely rusted and/or may be damaged during service.

Remove the rear wheel, remove the caliper, and remove the disc rotor as per standard practice. Now you need to finish removing the parking brake cable. I drilled out the rivet holding the bracket on - I would plan on replacing this bracket as well as it's just plastic and both of mine cracked. If you don't have a rivet gun Harbor Freight sells a workable one with rivets for $5. Buy one!

Remove the plastic locating collar. This is held on by a T27 torx. There is no access here so you either need a right-angle allen-type wrench, or I was able to use my socket with a pair of pliers holding it and providing the leverage. Once those parts are removed the cable is completely free except at the two ends.

Back in the cabin, loosen the main adjustment bolt under the console. This is a t50. Loosen it enough to remove the head of the cable. If your cable is not completely seized, this will allow you to push the cable down enough to give enough slack to push the expander out of the rear hub to remove the rear end of the cable. If your cable is seized, you may have little choice but to cut the cable at some location. I was able to do this with a pair of quality bicycle cable cutters. If you don't have those, I'd suggest a dremel. Standard dikes aren't going to cut it. (ha ha).

Remove the cable from the expander, then pull the entire cable and sheathing out of the car. Installation is the reverse of removal and should be pretty straightforward. The advice above to connect to the rear expander first is correct. You have a lot of play up at the e-brake handle to loosen that t50 to get the forward end installed.

One last word of advice - really - truly - only buy OEM cables for this job. It's way too much work to risk it. I bought Febi brand and they looked to be of high quality - the grommets were decent - and the first one went in fine. The second one however, the rear plastic collar that fits into the rear hub would not snap into place under any circumstances. This fit is crucial - first - the brake won't work at all unless it fits snugly - second, this is an o-ring seal and you will quickly have water/salt invasion into both your new cable and into the parking brake mechanism if it doesn't fit perfectly. I was forced to re-fit the original cable (which went back fine) while I source a new OEM cable instead. Fortunately now I know how to do the job rather quickly.

[j-dawg]

I had the same issue with a PEX cable. Turns out the o-ring it came with had too fat a cross-section. After two days of wrestling with it, I swapped the o-ring with the original and it went right in.

[cn90]

Just curious labor time: how many hours do you guys spent replacing these 2 P-Brake Cables?

I know there was one answer previous but curious how many hours others spend.

[zhenya]

The o-ring on the new cable was being torn up badly from me trying to fit it in so I removed it and it would still not fit. This was simply a matter of quality control on the dimensions of that collar. The O-rings appeared to be of low quality though and not a great fit, so I'll be replacing both cables when I do it again with OEM.

Time-wise it really depends on how familiar you are with things, whether you have the right tools, and whether you need to also replace the parking brake pads and hardware, how much grief that gives you, etc. I think it would take about 4 hours for your average home mechanic who had everything they needed and didn't run into many issues. A bit less if your parking brake was in good condition and you were simply replacing the cables. Knowing what I know now about how to access things on the inside of the car I think I will be able to do the new OEM cables in 1-2 hours.

[mecheng]

After the repair, does your E-brake work well? My e-brake does stop each tire as I checked each one with a jack, but the parking brake doesn't stop well when compared to other cars. Perhaps, my cable is slightly seized? I lubricated the mechanism and replaced the pads, it had little effect.

[zhenya]

Well at the moment it doesn't work at all as I had to cut the seized cable that I had to re-install. I only re-installed it to have a seal at the rear hub and in the body. We'll see how it works when I get it back together properly. The one side seemed fairly effective when I tested it before moving on to the second side.

[scot850]

It is weird that so many have issues with the parking brake and the holding ability. I can't say I have had an issue with the parking brake (this is a parking brake and not as we called in Britain a hand brake which is much more effective!!).

The largest issue I find is seized or partially seized cables or lack of maintenance on the parking brake mechanism in the hub. When I get a car I strip the system, thoroughly clean all parts and replace the shoes. Finally I give the hub a good rub down with a wire brush and then a final run with fine emery paper. Volvo also has a 'clean' cycle for parking brakes which involves driving the car for a short distance with the brake applied to clean the hub of rust.

Neil.

[zhenya]

Around here it's because of the salt. We use more salt than anywhere I've ever seen before, and it just gets everywhere. Every component of the parking brake system breaks down as a result. There is only so long those seals can hold out a continuous salt spray and once it's in there, it's going to corrode and seize.

[skloon]

I use a bolt cutter and cut the cable close to the wheel and the floor to make it easier to remove, especially if it is seized in the jacket

[j-dawg]

My parking brake has never worked, resulting in one accident to date. In the time I've owned the car I've changed the shoes twice, changed both the cables, adjusted each star adjuster and the cable ad infinitum, cleaned and lubricated each moving part, and, most recently, used a drum sander bit on a Dremel to scour the inside surface of the drum. None of this has made any difference.

The only component I haven't replaced or rebuilt is the rear disc itself, which may be due for replacement anyway owing to the rust and new front discs making the rears look bad. But I am not getting my hopes up. My old Maxima had a small lever in the caliper that the parking brake cable would tug, compressing the caliper piston mechanically, which was easy to set up and always worked. Miss that system.