emergency brake cable replacement

Have 2001 tacoma 4 wheel drive. Tried to replace front emergency brake, but can't get the pin that holds the emergency brake out. any body know of an easy way to remove the pin without taking it to a dealer. Don't want to do that. Thanks

 

Huh. two years and no answer?

Just had to figure this out. Found posts with people removing the whole assembly, removing the pin by driving it out, all sorts of work. Couldn't be right. Wasn't.

Take a flashlight, 12mm wrench or socket, pair of needlenose pliers. Grab the handle above the door and slide awkwardly under the dash on your back (don't take it apart.) Pull the pin retaining the axle on the pulley. Slide the axle out (easier if you push down the gas pedal.) set pulley, axle and pin aside. Use the 12mm to remove the parking brake switch. Now the "trick" - reach up near the dash, on top of the shaft mechanism, and feel for the two ratcheting bits. Push on them until the handle will push in just that extra bit that will let you pull the cable end out with the pliers (over where the pulley was).

Grease all the exposed parts of the cable very well, and use grease or antiseize on all the nuts and bolts for clamps and such, to slow the rate of rusting and reduce the time and frustration the next time you have to do this. Especially grease the exposed cable where the old one rusted and broke...

The pin at the other end (under the truck) was rusted in place, but a simple use of an old sledgehammer head with the hole over the pin as an "anvil" on top of it (with room to drive the pin into) and a hammer on the pin got that out.

 

Ecnerwal has the best method. Not the easiest to get to, but not bad. Thanks for the posting. Now I can get this truck registered and on the road.

 

HtH. It was one of those things where it simply didn't make sense what some people were going through to do it. Maybe on one of those cars where it's "remove fenders to change spark plugs" it would be that hard, but not on a Toyota...though "remove intake to change spark plugs" is getting there, come to think of it...but at least they are 100,000 mile plugs.

 

Old post. Worth reviving.

I had read about driving the pin out - was like WTF, that doesn't make sense at all. I tried, and bent my punch without moving the pin. So, I searched again..ran into this. WAY easier.

 

I tried for a while with the screw driver technique on the ratcheting bits and finally figured out a "better" way to get the e-brake to push all the way in to allow for the removal of the cable.

I cut an aluminum can from my recycling bin into a strip about as wide as the e-brake shaft. From the front, I pull the e-brake all the way out (engaged brake position), set the strip of aluminum on top of the brake shaft so it covers the final, lone groove. As you push the e-brake in (dis-engaged brake position) keep the aluminum on the top of the shaft. It's thin enough it'll slip into the ratchet housing and block the ratchet teeth from engaging with the grooves in your e-brake shaft and allowing you to push the brake shaft all the way down, exposing the end of the cable to remove.

I found this technique to work well and not require me to be shoving my hand up under the dash blindly feeling for the ratchets pieces to force open.

 

Thread worth reviving again. I just used this method and it saved me so much work. Thanks, Ecnerwal.

 

Great method!
I'd add that the ratchet bits are at the aft end of the tube, near the dash/handle (took me a minute to find them). And that you must pull both ratchet bits forward (towards the engine).
thanks Ecnerwal.

 

Thanks Ecnerwal and to others! I followed the advice posted here and it took me about 2 hours to replace the entire cable assembly.

 

Thanks all. '96 Tacoma base: remove lower dash panel (easy) to get easy access to the two ratchets.

 

Do you, or anyone else, have the part numbers for this cable replacement part? Where did you source them? Thx.
My e-brake cable(s) is (are) totally frozen - as I freed up the drum parts to no avail.

 

The "front" cable (the one this post is about, attached to the handle) is variable with the model of your truck - For my 2002 4WD Ext Cab it was a:

DORMAN C660250
Alternate/OEM Part Number(s): 464103D010, BC660250, C9981

Which I bought from Rock Auto. $21 then, $16 now. 2WD, different cab, different year, other cables in the system will potentially be different. Not sure if one of those alternates is actually the Toyota number. That cable is still good 5 years on, but there's a bellcrank kit sitting in the truck for the other end of the system now.

 

Myself as long as I can still get Toyota E-Brake cables they will be my first choice.

 

Feels good to know I'm not the only one to take pictures of OEM parts in their OEM bag, lol.

 

I am not much of a picture taker.

It is a easy way to remember part numbers but my hard drive would crash and my back up thumb drive would get lost in the tool box

 

Just had to do my cable. Thanks for the write up! It helped immensely

 

Great write up, thanks!
The ratchet bits aren't bad to get at, on top of the shaft, right behind the dash.
Press them both down (and toward the floor) at the same time. Moving shaft towards floor that extra little bit that allows access to cable.

 

Bumping this old thread up for everyone else. Just did the job for the third time, but first time not pulling the pin out. This way is WAY easier! Reaching the pawls under the dash is easy peasy.

 

I know old thread, but any idea how to get it out of there? Noob here.