Time for e brake cables

PD Rig

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
2004, 2015 Golf TDI
Hey gents,

Passenger parking brake cable on the mushroom (2004 bew golf) has started to hang up. Any preference of gemo over febi or febi over gemo for cable replacement. I think both are used as or suppliers. I like to keep her as German and original as possible. Also wanted to see if someone can confirm if correct size on the mk4 golf is the 1698mm cables.
 

JB05

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
Il.USA
TDI
Golf,2005,anthracite blue
I replaced mine with the robust cables from idparts. They are thicker and supposedly won't rust out as fast.
 

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
There is a 1691mm also. You don't want to mix them together. The 1698's will work fine.
 

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
I replaced mine with the robust cables from idparts. They are thicker and supposedly won't rust out as fast.
Did the thicker ones fit in the tubes ok?
 

csstevej

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 12, 2004
Location
north nj
TDI
2001 golf tdi 4 door auto now a manual, mine, 2000 golf 2 door M/T son's,daughters 98 NB non-TDI 2.0, 2003 TDI NB for next daughter, head repaired and on road,gluten for punishment got another tdi 2001NB,another yellow tdi NB
Yes that end fits fine, you would need the larger clamps and massage the hook to hold the thicker cable sheathing that hangs out the bottom of the rear beam.
 

Zak99b5

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Location
Albany NY
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
Yes that end fits fine, you would need the larger clamps and massage the hook to hold the thicker cable sheathing that hangs out the bottom of the rear beam.
We just used zip ties on my sons golf along the trailing arm of the rear axle since we didn’t have the bigger clips handy.
 

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
We just used zip ties on my sons golf along the trailing arm of the rear axle since we didn’t have the bigger clips handy.
I did the same with a rubber hose guarding the sheathing at the axle beam
 

Fahrvegnugen

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2017
Location
Burlington Vt
TDI
01 golf 1.9 alh gls silver
I zip tied them also. Even with the bigger clips the sheathing tends to pop out of its grip and rub the inside of wheel.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Nothing like wanting to keep your Brazilian Golf with its Polish engine and Argentine (manual) or Japanese (automatic) transmission as "German" as possible, LOL....

Sorry, got a chuckle out of that. Those Brazilians screwed my 2000 Golf together pretty well, must have, it is still rolling along at 603k miles.

All of the A4 platform FWD cars save for the TT use the same cables from middle-2000-on. And I upgrade the earlier ones when the time comes (most already have been by now).
 

snakeye

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Location
Montreal, Canada
TDI
2003 Jetta and Wagon, GLS 5sp
I replaced mine with the robust cables from idparts. They are thicker and supposedly won't rust out as fast.
The "upgraded" cable is literally the regular cable with some extra tubing slid over it for extra protection at double the cost. The tube isn't sealed on both ends, and due to the cable end being pointed upwards on the mk4 Golf/Jetta, that's just an extra place for water to get in sit, freeze and expand and damage the actual cable. Hardly an upgrade. If I knew this I wouldn't have bought them in the first place. We'll see how long they last on my car...
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I agree. I made a thread over a decade ago on the upgraded cables, and I don't bother with them anymore because they are not *that* much better and are still quite pricey, especially considering you need to also replace the hardware to make them secured right.

 

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI
TDI
2001 alh Jetta, RC2 w/.205's 5speed daily summer commuter and 2000 alh Jetta 5spd swap, 2" lift, hitch, stage 3 TDtuning w/.216's winter cruiser, 1996 Tacoma ALh
Good to hear all this, thanks for the updates, Oilhammer and Snakeye. I'm just about ready to order some parking brake cables. I read where someone soaked theirs in fluid film before installing. I suppose it wouldn't hurt as long as it doesn't make it to the brakes. I don't know if it would make a difference as far as water/freeze/expansion damage goes. But I guess I will stick to standards due to hardware compatibility.
 

JB05

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 20, 2005
Location
Il.USA
TDI
Golf,2005,anthracite blue
Unlocking the retainer clips can be rather difficult; it was for me.
 

Rrusse11

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2014
Location
PA Deutsch Country
TDI
2002 Golf, 5spd; 05 Jeep CRD
The stars must be aligning, my e-brake is getting a little high on the lever. Said something this morning to my guru while he
did a PA safety inspection; "Have we done the cables yet?".
Nope.
Aaaah, now the question is whether or not to mess with larger clips, or just stick with OEM size and figger that after 200k and
20yrs, the original size will do just fine for the next 20yrs.
 

wonneber

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 12, 2011
Location
Monroe, NY, USA
TDI
2014 Jetta Sportwagon,2003 Jetta 261K Sold but not forgotten
I dd the HD cables from ID Parts on my 03 JSW.
Was the best and easiest upgrade I did. :)
I think I had to bend the cables a bit but it worked great.
 

PakProtector

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Location
AnnArbor, MI
TDI
Mk.4's and the Cummins
Too bad we can't get the Goretex ones like the bicycles have. Slick as greased teflon... :) I have a pair of the fat ones ready. The '04 is for sure original, and the '02 likely, and the '00 near certainly.

Douglas
 

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
The "upgraded" cable is literally the regular cable with some extra tubing slid over it for extra protection at double the cost. The tube isn't sealed on both ends, and due to the cable end being pointed upwards on the mk4 Golf/Jetta, that's just an extra place for water to get in sit, freeze and expand and damage the actual cable. Hardly an upgrade. If I knew this I wouldn't have bought them in the first place. We'll see how long they last on my car...
They fail in the same manner (water intrusion induced corrosion at the low point) as the standard cables. They didn't last near as long as the originals on my car.
 

Zak99b5

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2021
Location
Albany NY
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI
Maybe a boot on the end filled with Marine or white grease would help keep out (most of the) water?

And before installing hang them up and fill with 3 in1 oil?
 

PD Rig

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
2004, 2015 Golf TDI
Okay. Passenger side rubber snapped off in tube. I pulled the tube out so I can drill out the rubber. Now can’t seem to get the tube back into the hole up under e brake handle. Off to thanksgiving dinners. Any tips to get the tube back in? Tried fishing a weed wackier string down in, but it doesn’t seem to be doing the trick.

Any pics of what it looks like under the muffler heat shield so I know what I’m aiming for. Looks like I can see the start of a plastic tunnel but not quite sure.
 
Last edited:

jimbote

Certified Volkswagen Nut
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Location
spiral arm, milky way (aka central NC)
TDI
Tacoma 4x4 converted to TDI
Okay. Passenger side rubber snapped off in tube. I pulled the tube out so I can drill out the rubber. Now can’t seem to get the tube back into the hole up under e brake handle. Off to thanksgiving dinners. Any tips to get the tube back in? Tried fishing a weed wackier string down in, but it doesn’t seem to be doing the trick.

Any pics of what it looks like under the muffler heat shield so I know what I’m aiming for. Looks like I can see the start of a plastic tunnel but not quite sure.
It is just a rubber grommet. Aim for that and push it forward. Not sure if this has been covered but you can open up the rear stainless clips to accommodate the larger diameter housing.
 

PD Rig

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
2004, 2015 Golf TDI
It is just a rubber grommet. Aim for that and push it forward. Not sure if this has been covered but you can open up the rear stainless clips to accommodate the larger diameter housing.
There looks like there is a plastic cross cut tube up there. Is the rubber grommet at the end of it? Do I just line it up with that and push hard? Heat shield is in the way so flying in the dark.
 

jimbote

Certified Volkswagen Nut
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Location
spiral arm, milky way (aka central NC)
TDI
Tacoma 4x4 converted to TDI
There looks like there is a plastic cross cut tube up there. Is the rubber grommet at the end of it? Do I just line it up with that and push hard? Heat shield is in the way so flying in the dark.
Only about 6-8" in. Put a flashlight in the cabin facing rearward to give you light source to aim at.
 

PD Rig

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
2004, 2015 Golf TDI
Only about 6-8" in. Put a flashlight in the cabin facing rearward to give you light source to aim at.
Got it in and done tonight. Used the flashlight like you suggested. I used some suspension seal grease on the end of the tube. Slipped right in. Thanks for your help.
 

sisyphus

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2008
Location
Appleton, Maine
TDI
99.5, '01 A4 Jetta sedans, 5 sp box, Hamman mod, Joey mod, Bilsteins, 2.00" lift
Make sure it’s the cable and not the screw mechanism in the caliper. Reman calipers are garbage for this.
 

PD Rig

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Location
Pennsylvania
TDI
2004, 2015 Golf TDI
Make sure it’s the cable and not the screw mechanism in the caliper. Reman calipers are garbage for this.
It was definitely the cable. Had a ding in the bottom of the passenger side cable. I pulled the cable off to watch the caliper return just fine. Once I got the cable off it had a tight spot in it. Boot was torn in that side for a long while too. Surprised it lasted this long.
 
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