Has anyone replaced the emergency brake cable on a MK 1 ?

[tberk at sbcglobal.net (T Berk)]

Dan Bubb wrote:
> to add onto what Mark has said, you will also need to remove the ebrake handle in order to pull the
> cables back out thru the chassis tubes. And last removing a front seat will make access to the
> handle and cable adjustment a lot easier.
> Dna


Wow, Marc (and this other guy) :]) have it pretty much nailed so lets 
see what value I can add:

- Don't replace just one side, if one is broken, spring for two cables 
and do them both. (Trust me.)

- Lube the cable(s) with something like stiff axle/bearing grease.

- When you pull the rear drum to R&R the end of the cable,
(and you are going to replace the springs,
<http://www.parts4vws.com/catalog/product_detail.asp?PartNumber=171698545>, 
Right?), be sure to fully disassemble only ONE side at a time. This will 
give you two drums pulled off but one side still assembled to reference 
how to & were to, place all those springs.

- There will come a time when you have the brake ends of the cable in 
place and you have the drums back on and you are trying to hook up the 
lever ends with the nasty balance beam (it's fine once it's all hooked 
up) and you will notice it doesn't seem like there is enough stretch in 
the cable and you can get a _little_ more length by verifying the cable 
sheath under the car is firmly seated in the end of the conduit and 
perhaps with the aid of an assistant holding the slack cable up under 
the car it *just* might allow enough length to get the second cable on. 
Run, run, run on sentences a specialty.

- This is a good time to put a _little_ drop of penetrating oil on the 
bleeder valve threads against the future date when you are going to want 
to avoid snapping the bugger off. The idea isn't to get it to loosen up 
now, it's to work against corrosion and muck that accumulate over time.
Just a 'tean-eye-chi' drop. (Say it real fast.) Teenichee. It means very 
little.

- Do both the cables at the same time.

- Do both the cables at the same time.

- Be careful when you are pulling the brake handle up as the latching 
ratcheting tooth inside can do a back flip once you clear the gear 
teeth, it'll make you feel like it's broken and won't hold at all.


Well, hth,
TBerk