1992 Ranger - Parking Brake Cable Grommet?

[rangerenthiusiast]

Hey, all.

Coming down to the last of a long list of repairs to my 1992 Ranger Custom. The parking brake cable was shot when I got the truck. Ordered a new one from Dorman and have fed it through the firewall, seen here for reference:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/108xOzQRmN_NUymVL0ZiiVdGajWVHpA6Y/view?usp=sharing

The problem comes in threading it through the actual parking brake pedal bracket assembly. Initially, I had the cable routed behind the shoulder toward the back of the bracket, but that didn’t seem right. So I instead threaded it through the hole in the bracket, seen here in close-up:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wAXnB5_LjRowo4OkKHNsBiF74ZmKD-aA/view?usp=sharing

The obvious problem is that when the parking brake pedal is applied, the cable contacts the sides of the hole and the protective insulation on the cable gets scraped off (you can see some damage from this in the above photo, from my initial attempt at depressing the pedal). I’m thinking that there should be some kind of grommet protecting the cable where it passes through the hole. Unfortunately, I can’t find anything like that online and the dealership has advised me that they don’t have any listings in their system before model year 2000.

Can anyone please tell me the following?

1. Does it look as though I’ve routed the cable correctly?
2. Should there be a grommet in the hole mentioned?
3. If the answer to #2 is “yes,” does anyone know where I can find one?
Junkyards aren’t an option (unfortunately) as none exist in my area, due to
local ordinances.

Thanks so much for any help at all!

 

[Ranger850]

you could fab one. How big is that hole? Maybe a tiny pvc pipe or the tube if a marker/BIC pen cut to about 1/2 inch long and shove it in the hole then thread the cable through that, so when it slides it is plastic on plastic not plastic on metal. Might have to use some JB weld to keep the "grommet" in place. A Rubber hose might also work.

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

you could fab one. Maybe a tiny pvc pipe or the tube if a BIC pen cut to about 1/2 inch long and shove it in the hole then thread the cable through that, so when it slides it is plastic on plastic not plastic on metal.

Thanks for the reply, but that wouldn’t work. The end of the cable has an octagonal steel “plug” on the end of it that wouldn’t fit through a pen or small piece of PVC. Also, the hole is approximately 3/4” in diameter, so it would slip right through. I thought about trying something similar with a piece of rubber fuel line, but I don’t have any that fits correctly. Plus, I figure that it would wear right through.

Anyone else? Maybe someone that has a similar truck could take a quick peek at theirs and tell me if it actually has a grommet in this area or not?

Thanks.

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

(bump)

 

[Snoranger]

The end of the outer sheathing is supposed attach to the pedal assembly in that hole.

 

[rangerenthiusiast]

Thanks, snoranger.

Yeah, I realized after I last updated this thread that the original cable would had a wound metal sheath that covered the cable where it passes through the firewall and parking brake assembly. Unfortunately, I can’t reuse the sheath on the new cable, due to the octagonal ends that are put on the cables. So the cable I bought is now useless and I have to try to find an OEM one somewhere that has the metal sheath on it. :-(

 

[cocoasranger]

I would take a piece of 3/4" diameter water hose, and slit it lengthwise. You could then slide it over the cable and through the 3/4" hole with about 3" on each side.