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- Joined
- Aug 10, 2014
- Messages
- 503
- Reaction score
- 22
- Points
- 18
- Age
- 30
- Location
- Madison, IN
- Vehicle Year
- 1995
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Engine Type
- 4.0 V6
- Engine Size
- 4.0L
- Transmission
- Automatic
- 2WD / 4WD
- 2WD
- Tire Size
- 215/70R15
Last week I made the mistake of buying a Prenco Brand parking brake cable. It was the right side rear cable, Prenco Model Number 9970346, a closeouted item on Rockauto.
The problem: The included splitter bracket (which connects the right cable to the left) is made of cheesy thin sheet steel, which pulled open while testing the parking brakes. It did it in two places no less; I "fixed" one end only for the other to pop open a few seconds after re-applying the brake. My "fix" is detailed below.
Since I had to be somewhere and I didn't have time to fuddle with swapping in the old stock bracket (which was made of a stouter, thicker aluminum), I had to get barbaric to make it work, aka hose clamp time:
Eventually I'll either swap the bracket (I kept the old one) or get a better brand cable.
To be fair, they are (and currently are) a closeout item after all... but damn! Cheap is one thing, non-functional is another. I could see this being particularly catastrophic for somebody with a stick (and was only using the brakes parked on a hill)... POP!... and bye bye Ranger, SMASH! In my case, I was just trying to make lug nut tightening go a bit easier... but still, yikes!
Otherwise the cable is OK... not OEM grade quite, but good enough. If anything, the cable was a tad too short (the spring in the picture was sorta loose, and it doesn't seem to be the crappy bracket that's causing it). My parking brakes work at least... For now.
As shown in the picture, I replaced both cables that day, the other was a wagner cable, which was much better built.
The problem: The included splitter bracket (which connects the right cable to the left) is made of cheesy thin sheet steel, which pulled open while testing the parking brakes. It did it in two places no less; I "fixed" one end only for the other to pop open a few seconds after re-applying the brake. My "fix" is detailed below.
Since I had to be somewhere and I didn't have time to fuddle with swapping in the old stock bracket (which was made of a stouter, thicker aluminum), I had to get barbaric to make it work, aka hose clamp time:
Eventually I'll either swap the bracket (I kept the old one) or get a better brand cable.
To be fair, they are (and currently are) a closeout item after all... but damn! Cheap is one thing, non-functional is another. I could see this being particularly catastrophic for somebody with a stick (and was only using the brakes parked on a hill)... POP!... and bye bye Ranger, SMASH! In my case, I was just trying to make lug nut tightening go a bit easier... but still, yikes!
Otherwise the cable is OK... not OEM grade quite, but good enough. If anything, the cable was a tad too short (the spring in the picture was sorta loose, and it doesn't seem to be the crappy bracket that's causing it). My parking brakes work at least... For now.
As shown in the picture, I replaced both cables that day, the other was a wagner cable, which was much better built.
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