I was walking uphill to my Screw after my son's football scrimmage yesterday, and noticed a cable (or hose) hanging down across the rear axle near the left shock mount. It's enclosed in corrugated split-loom tubing (thats usually used to protect wiring under the hood). It looks like the parking brake cable that runs transversely across the axle (connecting the right and left rear brakes). I didn't get a close look because I still had my dress pants on and didn't want to crawl under the truck.

I only used the parking brake once (I think a couple of days ago). I must have broke the first time I used it! Go figure!

 

O.K. I went out at lunch today and took a closer look. My parking brake cables are fine. It appears to be a rubber hose (possibly a drain, vent or vacuum) covered with split-loom tubing. One end is dangling below the left rear shock mount, and the other end is attached to the truck bed crossmember (running transverse directly above the axle. When looking inboard just above the left rear tire, and viewing the (hat shaped) crossmember on edge, you can see the tubing stop at the crossmember. The tube end has a plastic barbed fitting which snaps into the bed crossmember. This appears to be the end of a vent line.

Then I took a flashlight out and checked out a Supercab nearby on the parking lot (same chassis). I discovered a lot more when looking at the right side. The differential vent has a tube starting just above the pinion (and looping back on the right side) till it meets a fitting attached to the parking brake housing (just above the axle). The tube then goes from the fitting (looping behind the differential housing) to the bed frame crossmember (above the left side axle).

I am unable to tell if the vent line is one single tube (that just happened to break at the midpoint fitting, or if it is two tubes with the second becoming disconnected.

 

Hello Noah'sDad,

I can only guess but it sounds like the hose must have come loose. I wouldn't think it broke since usually rubber hoses are very flexible for several years. However, not fully pushing a hose onto a barbed fitting would be a common mistake that could be made installing a hose, especially if the individual doing the installation is fairly new at the job. In addition, if the plastic tubing you described was extended beyond the hose end when it was installed the it may have appeared to be installed completely in error. Let us know when you uncover this mystery.

LOL
DaveMan