Re: Fuel and brake lines [desperate]

[VWMikeLVW@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/13/01 8:36:02 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
bppelzer@midway.uchicago.edu writes:


> Okay, a month ago I bought my first car, an 87 16v with 60000 miles. I was
> told that the passenger side e-brake cable was bad, so I took it in and
> was informed that he didn't want to touch the ebrake unless I wanted all
> the brake lines replaced as both they and the fuel lines were too fragile
> with rust to be played with. As this was some crazy old mercedes shop,
> this would be too expensive a procedure for me right now. So here are my
> questions.
>
> 1. How soon does this need to be done? There are no leaks at present.
>
> 2. Obviously the cost here is in the labor, so its clearly time consuming,
> but is it possible for a totally ignorant person to even think of
> attempting it?


It really isn't a difficult job replacing the cable. If you pull the boot off 
at the e-brake you would see where the 2 cables come up to the handle and 
there are nuts holding them. Undo the nuts on the side that is broken. 
Working from underneath the car with the wheel removed you can then just pull 
on the cable and it should pop right out of the little tube. There is a 
little ball on the end, at the caliper...that just slides off. A new cable is 
about $17 retail. Take the new cable and push it back up into the tube. Make 
sure it makes it all the way to the hand brake. Thread one of the nuts onto 
it a little just to hold it in place. The other end of the cable should go 
through the eyelets on the control arm and then through the loop on the 
caliper where the sheilding rests. Then just pull the ball around the lever 
thing on the caliper. After that you just need to adjust the cable at the 
brake...try and get it about like the other one is. Verify that the wheel 
stops....put everything back together, you're done!

Mike
http://www.geocities.com/vwmikel
'84-Arkay Turbo Rabbit GTI
'84-Rabbit GTI - uh.....
'77-Rabbit - project
'80-Scirocco S - (um... to be:1.9L crossflow, turbo, 6 speed, widebody?)