Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Brakes My e-brake cable install

As some of you know Contours have an e-brake cable problem. Especially in cold climates where they salt the roads. Eventually the inside of the cable will corrode and the rust build up will seize the cable. I'm on my third one now. (about $40 per set) I decided to install this one my self last night. 5 hours later I was finished but it didn't need to take that long. Per the Haynes Manual you have to remove the center column. THIS IS NOT TRUE. After attempting to remove it I moved on to the underside of the car. I just couldn't slide the e-brake handle out of it's boot. When I talked to Terry he never said anything about removing it but I didn't remember that until it was too late. Anyway I unbolted the exhaust heat shield to see what it looked like under there. Also per Terry & the manual you must drop the exhaust. I was able to slide the 2 cables from the T area by bending the heat shield out of the way. It would be a little easier to unbolt but mine was pretty rusty at the flange and I knew it wasn't going to come off. There is a cable that runs off the underside of the e-brake handle and runs down underneath the car and attaches to a bracket. The 2 cables then just unhook from that. The rest is pretty straight forward. You'll need a 13mm wrench to aid where the cables run through the body. They have a 3 prong locking system and you need to slide the closed end of the wrench down the cable to push those in. Everything works great now except my back.

Now tell ME you are 'too old' to work on your car!!!!

Never too old. Laying on cement sucks eggs! Guess I could have used the creeper but that's for girls.

No offense man but when Buckshot and I did the rear disc conversion the e-brake took all of 5 minutes, seriously easy. Just had to rub it in

Anyway A tip is to use it every day at least once when you park or get in the habit of using it every time you park, keeps her un froze even in harsh environments. Now take care of that back! I'm 24 and the doc said I have the back of a 50 year old! I said "Well when I'm 50 that will be fun then uhh?"

:p Yea it was an easy job but as I said I removed the entire center console. I work pretty slow as not to break anything as I usually do. I use it all the time but it didn't seem to have an effect with this car.

Indeed, using it every day did jack for me. I live in New England though so the winter snow&salt probably killed it. I have the TSB kit sitting in my living room, I've been a bit put off from tackling it as I thought I had to do the whole center console thing too.

One q though : How did you release the tension in the one cable that runs to the handbrake lever ?? I thought I read/saw it somewhere that the lever is ratcheting and thus picks up any slack in the cable ensuring everything is nice and tight ??

TIA....

I too put my third emergency brake cable in today. I bought it from good ole Bill Jenkins, $47.07 List $35.30 CEG. I lived in St. Joseph, Michigan for a while and now in Indiana. Lots of salt and sand in the winters. Especially with lake effect snow in Michigan.

Procedure:
1. Remove center console; unscrew and remove shift knob, engage emergency brake, remove 2 screws in front by the cup holders, slide front seats forward, remove 2 screws at the rear of the console.
2. Unbolt emergency brake handle. 2 10mm bolts.
3. Release emergency brake.
4. Block front wheels and put car in 1st gear.
5. Loosen rear lug nuts.
6. Jack car up and place on jack stands.
7. Remove rear wheels.
8. Using a box-end wrench, unhook rear cables from brake calipers.
9. Remove cable from plastic connectors.
10. Remove exhaust head shield. No need to lower exhaust above resonator.
11. Unhook cables from T connection to brake handle.
12. Use box-end wrench, to remove cables from frame.
13. Installation is reverse of above.

Tip, I used a long punch to line up the e-brake handle bolt holes.

FWIW I think Ford did a blow-job on this e-brake system.
todras, kinger, hoosier - I applaud you for working on this, but by this time next year you'll have an e-brake that drags, or sticks, or just plain doesn't work.
The simplest solution I've found is to garage the POS during the winter.

course maybe all those e-brake maneuvers on pavement, and in rain, and in snow put extra wear on the system...
naaaaaah....

Their was enough slack with the e-brake disengaged to unhook the 2 cables w/o removing the center console and e-brake handle. I say try doing it all from under the car and if it doesn't work for you then tackle the center console. I was on my 2nd cable only a few months after buying the car in 98. So apparently it has a life of about 3-4 years even with the revised cable in cold climates. Don't know how long it was hanging up before it was discovered by Terry.