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Discovery:
I finally found the smoking (soaking) evidence I expected. I sliced open my parking brake cables that are working fine. Surprise, surprise, water came pouring out! I can't recall the last time I drove this car in any rain. It has been kept in a dry garage...forever. I believe the water got in past the rubber bellows at the calipers. Mine are split.
There are two plastic covers on the brake cables. They serve to trap and retain every single drop of water that gets past the 50 cent rubber bellows at the brake caliper. The water gathers inside the brake cables in the low spot (loop) just in front of the brakes. When I sliced open the coatings, the water started pouring out.
The steel cable housing is made from bare steel. WHEN it rusts, the byproducts of corrosion build up on the inside of the spiral cable and seize the inner cable. I cut apart a completely seized set of cables from my other spyder last summer and found the spiral steel cable housing packed with red rust.
Suggestion:
For preventive maintenance, I suggest you should inspect the tiny bellows. If they are split, you should slice open the two heavy rubber/plastic layers, and drain the water out. Blow compressed air all through the spiral cable. Split both coatings. Cut and discard the inner cable coating (hard plastic), and retain the outer rubber coating (soft rubber). Then FILL the split outer coating with some good rust preventive/water displacing compound and tie wrap it back into place. Finally snap on a piece of split wire loom to help keep dirt and crap out.
I cut my outer coating on the upper side to help make a pocket that would keep the spiral cable soaked in corrosion preventive fluid. I reattached the aft end of the outer coating with a little tie wrap. I installed the split loom with the open seam downwards (opposite the split I made in the rubber coating). I plan to peel off the split wire-wrap and split rubber housing once a year or so and blow out any accumulated water, and reapply more corrosion preventive compound.
I like a marine product called "Corrosion Block" for this purpose. I'm am confident it will not degrade the plastic coating on the inner brake cable, and it will displace water and protect the bare steel.
Pictures and video in the next post.
I finally found the smoking (soaking) evidence I expected. I sliced open my parking brake cables that are working fine. Surprise, surprise, water came pouring out! I can't recall the last time I drove this car in any rain. It has been kept in a dry garage...forever. I believe the water got in past the rubber bellows at the calipers. Mine are split.
There are two plastic covers on the brake cables. They serve to trap and retain every single drop of water that gets past the 50 cent rubber bellows at the brake caliper. The water gathers inside the brake cables in the low spot (loop) just in front of the brakes. When I sliced open the coatings, the water started pouring out.
The steel cable housing is made from bare steel. WHEN it rusts, the byproducts of corrosion build up on the inside of the spiral cable and seize the inner cable. I cut apart a completely seized set of cables from my other spyder last summer and found the spiral steel cable housing packed with red rust.
Suggestion:
For preventive maintenance, I suggest you should inspect the tiny bellows. If they are split, you should slice open the two heavy rubber/plastic layers, and drain the water out. Blow compressed air all through the spiral cable. Split both coatings. Cut and discard the inner cable coating (hard plastic), and retain the outer rubber coating (soft rubber). Then FILL the split outer coating with some good rust preventive/water displacing compound and tie wrap it back into place. Finally snap on a piece of split wire loom to help keep dirt and crap out.
I cut my outer coating on the upper side to help make a pocket that would keep the spiral cable soaked in corrosion preventive fluid. I reattached the aft end of the outer coating with a little tie wrap. I installed the split loom with the open seam downwards (opposite the split I made in the rubber coating). I plan to peel off the split wire-wrap and split rubber housing once a year or so and blow out any accumulated water, and reapply more corrosion preventive compound.
I like a marine product called "Corrosion Block" for this purpose. I'm am confident it will not degrade the plastic coating on the inner brake cable, and it will displace water and protect the bare steel.
Pictures and video in the next post.
