parking brake pedal not fully releasing - pedal assembly?

[XR4Ti]

Hey guys,

2016 Navigator, 130k kms (80kmi) with a parking brake issue. When releasing, the pedal no longer returns all the way back (I have to manually lift it say, with my foot to activate the switch get the parking brake light off and to get the pedal to move the last little bit up). Parking brake still seems to work when I engage it. BTW, it turns out the "brake control assembly" is the same p/n for 2002-2017 Expedition/Navigator.

I use my parking brake religiously, and keep the cables lubricated since I live in a snow/salt region. The other day, when releasing it, it almost felt like a spring snapped at the pedal.

I pulled the pedal assembly today and inspected it and didn't find any obvious broken parts. Can't move any mechanisms though since I inserted the 4mm rod that holds the cable take-up in a rotated position.

I thought for sure it was the assembly, but what creates that last little bit of tension to fully rotate the pedal back into its fully disengaged position? Is it some tension from the cables/brakes themselves (I didn't think there would be enough to pull on the assembly cable). I'm about to inspect the cables at the wheels (they seem ok at the cable union where 1 goes to the 2) but figured I'd toss out this problem in case anyone has run into it before.

Many thanks for any help/advice.

 

[XR4Ti]

Hmm... after reading what I wrote, I guess the opposite is true in that I want as little tension as possible on the cable to fully release the pedal - duh.

I have some visible cable sag along the frame, and first cable that runs from the pedal can be easily pulled in the sheath, so I'm pointing more at the pedal assembly itself. Can't think of anything else. Any takers?

 

[AWAR]

We have had the most trouble with the passenger side cable and keeping the parking brake shoes adjusted. It seems the passenger cable has the plastic cover crack over time and lets moisture in. The moisture can freeze this time of year and not release that brake. That is also where the cable will break, a few strands at a time making that cable longer. The parking brake shoe assembly is what returns the whole thing. We had a fleet of Ford F550s and had to set the parking brake to make the man lift boom work. The Expedition is the same setup only on a half ton scale.

 

[XR4Ti]

Thanks for the info AWAR. Here's an update...

Convinced it was the pedal assembly, despite not seeing anything wrong with it, but not willing to pay $500CDN for a new one, I pulled one from the junkyard (for $30). It was from a 2008 Expedition and the only difference I could find is mine had a little tang that went over the cable near where it hooks into the assembly, to keep it from potentially unhooking.

I put it in and, while it performed better, probably due to really reefing on it to test it out, it still would not release fully all the time. Argh. So I put mine back in, now convinced there was indeed nothing wrong with the original. The front cable portion moves easily, so for now I'm going to go with what AWAR said above and suspect the cables (or mechanism) all along. It does move better after having lubricated the exposed cables near the calipers. I will wait 'til the snow is gone (and temps are way warmer) to pull the rotors off and have a look at the brake.

BTW, for anyone removing the assembly and/or disconnecting the cable at the assembly,, make sure to RTFM and install the 4mm rod to hold the cable take-up in its rotated position.