Nate, don't cheap out on brakes. They tend to come in handy when you don't feel like dying or killing those in the vicinity of the car. I had brake failure on a car once, and use of the e-brake is the reason that I'm not in a wheelchair or a casket.

Want to save money? Buy cheaper beer instead.

That was uncalled for:fork_off:

A mechanic at work said he's not familer with Escorts, but the basic idea's the same. The cables usually rust by the ends of the housing where they get exposed to the elements... He said soak the outside connections with PB blaster, pull the drums off, and then soak the inside ones...
Do that multipul times over the course of a day.
He said I should make sure that the springs arent broken, or else I might be in for a world of trouble, then pull the e-brake hard. soak the newly exposed connections with PB blaster again, and then releice the brake... If it doesnt releice, hit the shoes with a hammer (i'm getting new shoes guys ) and it should unstick then... then keep working it, and spray white lithium grease on the cables.

Good idea, bad idea? Any better ideas?

This car just got new frount flex hoses, calipers, pads, and rotors, The back flex hoses looked good, the outside of the drums are rusty, but they do work (put it on a lift and had a friend hit the brakes)

Tks alot
~Nate

__________________
95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

You can probably get some lubrication in there, but if the cables are split be sure to not use that brake for parking if the car is wet and it's going to freeze.

What I asked about the rear brake adjustment above is not a joke. It's something that you should know about every car you drive (the answer for Mercedes is an obvious no).

You didn't say what year Escort, but if it's a mid '90s model, the handbrake also keeps the rear shoes adjusted, so the cables need to operate perfectly.
It may be a long, time-consuming ordeal to try and get the cables working smoothly. If rust has eaten into the cables, they may never work easily. And if you get them free, if the rubber boots at the leading ends of the cable housings are rotten, water will get in and eventually rust them again.
Since you're going to redo the rear brakes anyway, (and the car only cost $75) it may be worth it to just go ahead and replace the cables. And be sure to clean up & lube the adjusters while you're in there.

Happy Motoring, Mark

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DrDKW

I had this happen once on a Diplomat years ago. I was able to grab some exposed cable near where it enters the back of the drum with vice grips, and then hit the vice grips to force the cable back into the hole. Lube the cable best you can.
You can use a dab of bearing grease to lube the inside (moving) part of the adjuster.
I was told that the front 2/3's is mostly Mazda, and the rear 1/3 is Ford. (Ford wanted to be in charge of the rear end because of the Pinto deal years prior).
I had a '93 up until 97k miles and never had one bit of trouble except for a blown speaker, and some sensor that went at 12k and was covered under warranty.

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It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D

Crap, forgot to mention it's a '95 Escort

Rear brakes work fine, I conned a friend into sitting in it when I put it on the lift, and had him hit the brakes. all 4 tires lock up when the brakes are pressed...

there's 11" of snow ready to fall, so I can talk about working on this car all day long, but, aint nothing gonna happen till the snow's gone...

I'll fix the control arm, and axle first... Fixing the e-brake's gonna cost around $60... Almost what I paid for the damn car...
We'll see

~Nate

__________________
95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

A couple of my buddies got me an "Escort" on my birthday, also.
I think she cost them a total of like $800.00 but she stayed the whole night, and came right to my house..She was really pretty.
Where's the "ANY" key on this damned keyboard, by the way?