This article is intended to supplement this excellent article from 4x4Wire.com's tech area regarding installing a set of YJ e-brake cables on a XJ. By using two YJ passenger e-brake cables, you are able to overcome the limitations of the stock cables and the emergency brake cables can droop with the axle. I'll leave it to you to read their article which covers the proper cables to get and covers the general installation.
What the article didn't cover was the threaded rod &
coupling union that your hardware store may, or may not carry! Yup, most places
will have threaded rod, also called 'All-Thread', but 99% of what you'll find
is SAE and not metric! Guess what? The rod on your XJ's e-brake is metric. This
of course meant that of all the places in town I checked locally... only one
(out of about a dozen places!) had both the metric threaded rod AND the coupler
union! Now imagine doing this on a weekend when the specialty fastener shops
are closed and ya get the picture.
| (2) YJ - '91 & up
passenger side e-brake cables OEM # 52007522 (I got mine at
NAPA) Approximately 7" of 8 x 1.25MM threaded rod ("All-Thread") (2) 8 x 1.25mm jam nuts (1) 8 x 1.25mm coupling nut / union Lock-tite |
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 Picture showing 8 x 1.25mm threaded rod, jam nuts & coupling nuts. You do NOT need to buy all this. It only cost me a few $ more to get enough for several XJ's in case someone else needed this stuff too... Ya only need the parts listed in the box above to do one XJ. |
 You need to cut off 1 1/2" from your XJ's oem e-brake rod. Thread on a spare nut BEFORE you cut in order to chase off any burrs from the rod. Have a friend hold the outer most end being removed (shown) with a pair of vice grips to keep it steady. A sawzall easily reaches up in there... a hacksaw will do it too but ya probably will want to remove the driveshaft to get to it. |
 Picture of installed rod extension and new e brake cables. You'll have to tighten the new cables up a bit more than expected to take up the slack the YJ cables have in the drums. |
 Cable routing showing left cable from e-brake handle going to right side & vs versa. This is to keep excess cable from hanging down w/ my current 3" of lift. |
 Another routing shot that also shows relocated hard line and YJ 4" lift braided hose running down to pumpkin. |
 Another shot of the cable cross-over & relocated YJ line. |
 When relocating hard line, make sure it's well clear of any area the axle or cables will slam into! I located mine just forward of & slightly off center from the pumpkin. |
 New hard lines on my D44 moved the axle hookup up to the pumpkin's top. Again, make sure the area isn't where the axle can slam it into the body, etc! |
If you have pics of your own repairs or can suggest other methods - please contribute your ideas (and pictures) to this article!
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Revised on:
November 19, 2006 |
