3rd gen: ebrake cable snapped..

[RyanKay]

My 4runner is being real amazing to me right now, This evening I went out for some AYCE Sushi with some buddies of mine, upon parking the 4runner, I lifted up the hand brake cable and it suddenly snapped on me. Now my rear brakes is binding pretty loud in the cabin.
3 months ago I purchase the vehicle with a snapped ebrake cable and had it replaced and now it is back with the binding rear brakes. Not too sure if it's the quality of cheap replacement it got or if it was the -10 degree weather.

any tips of how to solve the problem? I was thinking maybe the pin holding the cable just broken off.

 

[TheDurk]

Well, if your cable is snapped AND your rear brakes are bound up, then one or both of your bellcranks are seized. (This is the lever with the rubber boot that sticks out the back of the brake drum that the e-brake cables attach to.) I just had to deal with this on my '99.

Best thing is to do a clean, lube and adjust on both drums--and replace any drums or shoes that are below spec. You pretty much have to take the brake apart to get the bellcrank off, so you might as well leave it so you don't have to eff around with it for a few years.

Those bellcranks can be so seized up they have to be replaced. I got mine apart, wirebrushed the corrosion, and slathered it with anti-seize before I put the boot back on. Getting the brakes adjusted helped the regular brakes, too.

While we are having fun--how dark is that brake fluid? A fluid flush and bleed every two years is a real good idea.