2004 E-350 E-brake Cable Removal

[ScrapIron]

Why are you trying to troll this post?
I buy all my parts from them and have been for several years. Not sure why youre curious about it however. For instance in the last month i have purchased in excess of $3000 worth of new parts just for this rear axle project.

You can walk into any Ford dealer, purchase a part and then ask a specific question in regards to installing it and their going to help you find an answer to your question even if they have no idea who you are.

[Ben10281]

Not trolling at all, genuinely curious. I usually do as much work myself as possible but somethings are beyond my ability. I never have gotten the feeling from a dealership service department that they would provide pages from the service manual. Honestly though, I have never asked them either. I figured since the service manuals were so expensive they probably wouldn’t want to divulge that kind of info.

[ScrapIron]

The service manuals are in their computer system. All they have to do is punch in your vehicle and find the correct page and then hit print. I actually returned a second time because the first two pages he printed showed how to remove the cable once the tension was already released from the cables but it didnt show how to actually release that tension because it was in a seperate section labeled releasing cable tension or something of that nature.

I certainly dont walk in and demand that they help me by any means. But if you approach them like a normal human in need of their assistance i dont know why your dealership service manager wouldnt be willing to help you out if all he had to do was hit a few keys on a keyboard. Its not like he had to take a mechanic away from his job to answer my question. But then again if youre going in a dealership every week just asking them to print you pages from their shop manuals, they will likely tell you to pound rocks.

But then again im in the midwest and its been my experience from travels that people in large cities in various states tend to be... lets just say different imo

At the same time i dont ask for free information everytime i walk into the dealership. I goto the same dealer everytime i need parts and i walk right past the service desks everytime i go to the parts department. That said they all know im not just there to get free information because i usually walk right back out with arm loads of parts the same way i came in.

Your other option if you cant locate what youre looking for online and your dealer told you to pound rocks is to simply goto one of the larger chain book stores where you will likely find all kinds of haynes and other service manuals. Just pick it off the shelf, find the answer to your question and place it back on the shelf. Just make sure you wash off any axle grease or engine oil from your fingers before you go. Grab a cup of coffee and then leave.

[86Scotty]

Dealership parts guys, especially the oldest guy behind the counter, can be a lifesaver. Lots of knowledge of these older vehicles.

If you call you aren't going to have any luck at all but if you show up and are patient and wait it out through the 5 phone calls they get while you are there they will usually help you out.

[1der]

I have found the model year specific Factory Workshop Manuals, including the wiring manual to be incredibly helpful for any work I need to do on my vehicles.

A full set can be $100 or more, or sometimes can be found online for free PDF download with some cyber sleuthing. The manuals are also available on CD. Personally, I like the paper versions.

Asking here on the forum like ScrapIron did in the original post is good. If I had a 2004 Workshop set I could have taken a few pics of the relevant pages and emailed them.

If anyone needs 2002 info, I have that. The 2002 info is probably applicable to 2001 and maybe most of model year 2003. 2004 was a year with quite a few changes, 2005 /2006 even more changes.

[ScrapIron]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

Dealership parts guys, especially the oldest guy behind the counter, can be a lifesaver. Lots of knowledge of these older vehicles.

If you call you aren't going to have any luck at all but if you show up and are patient and wait it out through the 5 phone calls they get while you are there they will usually help you out.

Been there done that more than once. I always wait for the same old fella everytime. In all the years i have been getting parts there he has never once ordered me an incorrect part, not once, and he usually has most items at the store by the next day with no additional charge to me, which i find amazing in todays world.

I probably shouldnt refer to him as the old fella because im likely older than he is.

[ScrapIron]

Originally Posted by 1der

Thank you for digging this up ScrapIron - definitely a different instruction set than in my 2002 factory workshop manual. The '02 manual requests the parking brake pedal assy be unbolted from the kick panel area.

Also learned from the manual - it seems 2002 model year E250's had rear drum brakes vs the E350 that has rear disc brakes?? The E350 parking brake is a small drum/shoe arrangement on the inner side of the disc.

Is your 2004 parking brake system the smaller shoes inside a drum setup? Looks like it.

Well at least now i have an idea of how to go about releasing enough tension to get it apart. I think i will ignore fords instructions and use a ratchet strap like someone suggested earlier to pull back on the intermediate cable since i dont have anyone here to help me out. If it ever stops raining here that is...

[Ben10281]

Great info guys, I appreciate it.

I have typically only gone to the dealership/mechanic for them to perform service work. If I am doing things myself I usually buy parts online from somewhere like RockAuto, so my relationship with the closest dealer parts desk is zilch. I also haven't spent nearly that much money in parts for the jobs I have tackled. I recently replaced my parking brakes on my 2000 E350, but that was only $100 in parts, so I don't know that I have the same claim to help as spending $3,000 in parts. The local service dept quoted it as an $1,100 job, so I did it myself.

Thanks again!

[ScrapIron]

Well in regards to parts let me say this and its only my opinion. I am far from rich and i exist on a fixed income. I dont buy ford parts because i like to spend money. I buy ford parts because i prefer to do a job once and be done with it.

Thats not to imply that there arent some good quality cheaper parts out there. However there is some garbage out there and a cheaper part with a lifetime warranty is of zero value to me if i have to do the same job over again in six months. I understand money can sometimes be a deciding factor in what part a person can buy but in those cases i just wait until the following month until i have enough money stashed for the higher quality parts.

One example was a friend of mine that had a Trailblazer with bigger tires and wheels on it, he was bragging up what a great deal he got on new tierods for his trailblazer because they came with a lifetime warranty the same as the more expensive tierods at the same parts store. Less than a year later he was back underneath his truck replacing tierods again, under warranty of course. Even after that i dont think it quite sunk into his head what i was getting at when i started teasing him about buying cheap parts with lifetime warranties because he insisted that " i dont care, it isnt costing me anything, they're under warranty".

What i do is research what parts i need each month on the internet. I then write down part numbers and what price i can order them for on fordparts.com or ford parts giant. Then i goto the dealership to get the parts, the old fella i mentioned always gives me jobber price because he knows i have already looked up the parts and price. If i order them online via fordparts.com at the online price they are shipped to the dealership i select anyway so he also knows its pointless to try and charge me full retail price. The only catch is that the vehicle i spend all my money on is not my daily driver so i can let it sit for however long i need to in order to save up more money. That said its not like im in ford dropping three grand on parts every month.

Just a tidbit that could help save you some money on ford parts..

I have been working on this same project now for what seems forever because i got really sick in september of 2021 and was sick literally every single day for just over a year, at which point i finally felt well enough to start tinkering with it again as i slowly got better. I think most of the old heads on this forum realize how long i have been tinkering with this thing. But i keep plugging away at it because i want to travel the country in it with my dog before we both take the final dirt nap.

Yes it has cost me a mountain of money in ford parts to build and i probably could have saved a few dollars buying some parts at autozone or NAPA, but i want the peace of mind knowing i put on quality parts if and when i reach that goal and we hit the road for our final venture.

[Ramjet]

Originally Posted by ScrapIron

...What i do is research what parts i need each month on the internet. I then write down part numbers and what price i can order them for on fordparts.com or ford parts giant.

Ford Parts Giant-added that one (new to me) Good stuff ScrapIron and hey, stay well.