If you're lucky those parking brake cables will just pull out of the rear tubes and hubs without problems or with a small amount of channel lock / self grip brute force to twist them out.
No such luck with my 88iX, I couldn't shift the damn things by conventional means so extreme ways were needed here without setting fire to the car or resorting to high explosives.
Both of those cable ends are in a very tight spot particularly where they exit the body and there's very little material to get hold of and twist out when they get rusted in place, firing PB Blaster from the outside doesn't do much since the cable ends butt tightly against the tubes and hubs, the penetrant has a hard time getting in to the rusted surface.
So without further ado, here's how I removed mine without causing major damage to other stuff. These steps are for the rear body cable exit tubes but the same process can be used for the hub ends.
0) Do not use heat before step 4, if you do it will just melt the nylon cable sleeve which will stick in the tube and will be a PIA to remove.
1) Cut the cable off at the ferrule with a Dremel and cutting disc (there's no going back from this point). The cable is just in the way anyway - better still cut both ends so you don't have it flopping around in your way.
2) Pull the forward end of the inner steel cable forward but not completely out from inside the car. Push it back in a few times until you can see the nylon cable sleeve protruding from the rear exit tube.
3) Pull out the nylon cable sleeve from the rear tube and remove the inner steel cable from inside the car.
4) Fire PB Blaster into the cable tunnel through now empty ferrule it will run back down into the tube/ferrule joint and has a better chance of getting into the rusted surfaces, you can also apply heat at this point and try to twist out the ferrule.
If this fails and you still can't move the ferrule:
5) Drill out the ferrule to 7/64" - I couldn't get a drill in there but I used a drill snake to reach over the rear suspension arm.
6) Carefully tap an M8 x 1 thread into the ferrule. You will need a taper tap to get the thread cut started. I used a 7mm OE wrench on the tap that worked fine. Take your time with this, 1 cutting rotation forward then 1/2 turn back to clear the tool cutting edges. The metal ferrules in my car were some type of stainless that isn't particularly free cutting so I completely unscrewed the tap every 4 or 5 cuts to clean the swarf off.
7) Insert M8 x 1 x 35 bolt with a couple of washers to spread the load on the ferrule edge - otherwise it might collapse. Now you have something you can hang on to shift it.
8) Steady the cable tunnel with channel locks to prevent bending or other damage.
9) Fit socket & ratchet on inserted bolt.
10) Heave.
11) Fire more PB Blaster into the cable tunnel and keep rotating the now freed ferrule.
12) Pull the bastard out.
Go and make a cuppa or pour yourself a glass of plonk depending on time of day.
- Now do the other side.
This sounds painful but it works without damaging anything. One of the tube end ferrules in my iX needed a 2 foot breaker bar to move it, I doubt I could have exerted that type of force with channel locks without breaking something. You can substitute SAE hole size/and thread but it needs to be about that size.
If this doesn't work you probably need some C4.
No such luck with my 88iX, I couldn't shift the damn things by conventional means so extreme ways were needed here without setting fire to the car or resorting to high explosives.
Both of those cable ends are in a very tight spot particularly where they exit the body and there's very little material to get hold of and twist out when they get rusted in place, firing PB Blaster from the outside doesn't do much since the cable ends butt tightly against the tubes and hubs, the penetrant has a hard time getting in to the rusted surface.
So without further ado, here's how I removed mine without causing major damage to other stuff. These steps are for the rear body cable exit tubes but the same process can be used for the hub ends.
0) Do not use heat before step 4, if you do it will just melt the nylon cable sleeve which will stick in the tube and will be a PIA to remove.
1) Cut the cable off at the ferrule with a Dremel and cutting disc (there's no going back from this point). The cable is just in the way anyway - better still cut both ends so you don't have it flopping around in your way.
2) Pull the forward end of the inner steel cable forward but not completely out from inside the car. Push it back in a few times until you can see the nylon cable sleeve protruding from the rear exit tube.
3) Pull out the nylon cable sleeve from the rear tube and remove the inner steel cable from inside the car.
4) Fire PB Blaster into the cable tunnel through now empty ferrule it will run back down into the tube/ferrule joint and has a better chance of getting into the rusted surfaces, you can also apply heat at this point and try to twist out the ferrule.
If this fails and you still can't move the ferrule:
5) Drill out the ferrule to 7/64" - I couldn't get a drill in there but I used a drill snake to reach over the rear suspension arm.
6) Carefully tap an M8 x 1 thread into the ferrule. You will need a taper tap to get the thread cut started. I used a 7mm OE wrench on the tap that worked fine. Take your time with this, 1 cutting rotation forward then 1/2 turn back to clear the tool cutting edges. The metal ferrules in my car were some type of stainless that isn't particularly free cutting so I completely unscrewed the tap every 4 or 5 cuts to clean the swarf off.
7) Insert M8 x 1 x 35 bolt with a couple of washers to spread the load on the ferrule edge - otherwise it might collapse. Now you have something you can hang on to shift it.
8) Steady the cable tunnel with channel locks to prevent bending or other damage.
9) Fit socket & ratchet on inserted bolt.
10) Heave.
11) Fire more PB Blaster into the cable tunnel and keep rotating the now freed ferrule.
12) Pull the bastard out.
Go and make a cuppa or pour yourself a glass of plonk depending on time of day.
- Now do the other side.
This sounds painful but it works without damaging anything. One of the tube end ferrules in my iX needed a 2 foot breaker bar to move it, I doubt I could have exerted that type of force with channel locks without breaking something. You can substitute SAE hole size/and thread but it needs to be about that size.
If this doesn't work you probably need some C4.
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