This has been the most common issue between every tercel I own. I snapped both on separate occasions on my first tercel, bought a tercel with a snapped right e-brake cable, and recently snapped a cable on Jenny.
It has quickly become my least favourite job due to the aluminum barrel ends used in a steel retainer chemically welding themselves together, and being located in a shoulder aching spot to work on. Not to mention the clip that feeds itself into the drum is consistently a b*tch as well.
Are there any fixes to this issue besides replacing cables when they break? Can I service old cables to keep them from snapping?
Maybe cables in interior BC have a lifespan of about 30 years and I should just accept that this will be a problem of every tercel I own.
I never snapped any but I did run into 3 or 4 frozen ones over the years. It is definitely one of the more annoying jobs. I think I remember attempting to revive some frozen ones with penetrating oil but it didn't work.
soak the part in large amounts of ATF, it should free the dissimilar metal bond. keep applying it for several days, should work free after that. I find completely immersing the stuck parts works best, usually all it takes is overnight. but not all parts can be put in a drum of ATF.
the problem with the cable breaking is usually rust. I have owned perhaps 14 differnt T4wd, and had only one break, that was due to unseen rust in the housing.
I think if you soak the cable in rust inhibiting compound it will last longer, but you have to do it regularly, and get it down inside the housing. The lube sprays made by CRC, LPS or Corrosion-X are the best, they are specifically formulated to displace moisture and seal out air to prevent oxidation (also somewhat costly too, but worth it for this application). I would not trust WD-40, it is better than nothing but it is a different formulation that is not as effective.
Petros wrote: Tue Oct 22, 2019 3:33 pm
soak the part in large amounts of ATF, it should free the dissimilar metal bond. keep applying it for several days, should work free after that. I find completely immersing the stuck parts works best, usually all it takes is overnight. but not all parts can be put in a drum of ATF.
the problem with the cable breaking is usually rust. I have owned perhaps 14 differnt T4wd, and had only one break, that was due to unseen rust in the housing.
I think if you soak the cable in rust inhibiting compound it will last longer, but you have to do it regularly, and get it down inside the housing. The lube sprays made by CRC, LPS or Corrosion-X are the best, they are specifically formulated to displace moisture and seal out air to prevent oxidation (also somewhat costly too, but worth it for this application). I would not trust WD-40, it is better than nothing but it is a different formulation that is not as effective.
I've used penetrating oil to no avail, thanks for the tip on the ATF, I'll have to try that.
ATF is by far the best pentrationg oil ever discovered. it is way better than all the rest. I keep a tub of used ATF around just to use to break rusted parts free.
I once got a metal adjustable protractor in a free box at a garage sale. It was a precicion measuring tool for wood working or even metal shop use, it has an accurate veneer type degree scale on it, but it was rusted stuck. I used several types of penetrating oil on it for several weeks, still stuck. I recalled the AFT trick, and just dropped it into a bucket of used AFT over night. the next day it just moved freely with a touch. Amazing stuff.
