Hyundai Repair: Frozen Parking Brake (Ice in cable), parking brake cable, elantra gt

Question
Hello,

I have a 2002 Elantra GT, and have recently had a problem with my parking brake.  After sitting in the driveway all night in below-freezing temperatures with the parking brake on, I attempted to back out, but found that the parking brake had not released.  The handle was floppy, which indicated to me that something was jammed, and wouldn't allow the cable to retract.  After messing around for a while, I placed a radiant heater under the lowest-hanging section of the parking brake cable (on each side of the car) which thawed out the line, allowing the cable to release.  Obviously I don't want to do this every morning, so for now I am just leaving the car in gear when I park it (manual tranny).  Is there a quick and effective way to get moisture out of the line - I'm not sure if there is a lot in there and whether or not it will run out if I simply disconnect the cable and bend it down.  I assume there is only a small amount of water, and I will have a hard time getting it out.

What is the best way to remedy this situation?  Better yet - how do I prevent moisture from getting in there in the first place?  From what I can see, the rubber boots on the end of the tubes are in good shape

Thanks in advance for your help!

-Frozen in Canada

Answer
It sounds like you've already checked the things I would have recommended.  If the rubber boots are not cracked, they should prevent water from getting inside the cables.  Most likely, the issue is that the water freezes after you've parked the car.  

You're probably okay to set the parking brake when you're out of the car for a short period of time, but parking overnight may result in the cables being frozen in place.  In my vicinity, this isn't a large issue because it doesn't stay cold enough long enough or often enough to cause a major problem.  For now, you might continue to jsut park with the car in reverse as long as you're not on too steep a hill.

But if you've only made a cursory inspection of the cable boots, you should examine them and the condition of the cables carefully.  You may need to replace your brake cables.