Tuesday morning I hit a snow median, ripping the long line to the rear brakes loose. It dragged on the pavement for the next twenty miles and somehow developed a leak. Forgive me, it was four in the morning and about zero farenheit. I did stop, but all I could see underneath was snow. Even after discovering there were no brakes and the snow had fallen off I couldn't see the line until the tow truck driver knocked it loose putting the hooks on. I could have saved fifteen hundred dollars by going home and tying the line back up or better yet I could have done that Sunday instead of taking a nap and watching TV. But I didn't...

So as long as it was in the shop I rented a car and brought the shop all the parts I had accumulated. These included the long line in question and the Fierostore drilled rotor/Carbomet pads package, plus three of four calipers and numerous small parts such as hangers and pins. Most of these are now installed plus the missing caliper.

The problem is the pedal is very soft, although it works. The car dives pretty hard when it finally starts braking. One other thing I noticed: pressing the trunk release switch lights the brake warning light.

I still don't have ebrakes. My first thought was the pads aren't close enough to the rotors, but after all they're brand new and so are the rotors. Even if they weren't adjusted there can't be that much room left over.

Now I'm wondering if the switch was not reset right. I know on my Volvo the switch was triggered by an imbalance between the two brake circuits. If you lost pressure in one you still had pressure in the other which pushed the switch. Maybe the switch is not entirely reset and I'm only getting front braking.

this is a typical Fiero problem . the rear brakes are a pain in the butt to bleed
I think you have been here before !!sorry for your pain
there is no problem with any switch no problem with the combination valve ,prop valve.
just went thru this
you need to buy a one way bleeder valve(solo bleeder valve) ,they cost from $8 apair to $12 for one
just follow the haynes or chilton manual direction for bleeding
or read the many,many post in the search feature of this torum at the top right of the page
first ajust the E brake ..loosen the inside cabin lever handle ajustment then ajust the cable that runs along the axle,spray it with penetrant & let it soak
if you do not have penetrant use automatic transmission fluid(a good penetrant) to soak the cable ajuster
If the mechanic has failed you,, common with fiero brakes ,if you have never bled the brakes on a car get a local gearhead YOU KNOW to help ,, the one way bleeder valves make this SO MUCH EASIER
THE e BRAKE MUST BE AJUSTED BEFORE YOU BLEED THE BRAKES , you may have to remove the e brake cable & lever,not difficult just a pain ,if so move the ajuster slowly, so you do not damage the ebrake ajuster seals
a powerful squirt should shoot out from both bleeder valves ,,both rear wheels should turn with the same resistance
Im a bettin that 25% of Fiero,s have improperly bled brakes ,even some that have been serviced at a brake shop.
use the search feature in this forum

enter ""bleed rear brakes""
click on= bleeding rear brakes, any special technique needed

[This message has been edited by uhlanstan (edited 01-24-2014).]

I'm familiar with the threads on brake bleeding and adjusting the ebrakes, just don't have much first hand experience. While I do have the cables and other parts for the ebrakes, they're in boxes, not on the car. Hopefully I can try bleeding Sunday. If I can resist sleeping after a week of very late nights I might just install the ebrakes. That would be a new thing after five years of owning Fieros.

quote Originally posted by uhlanstan: this is a typical Fiero problem . the rear brakes are a pain in the butt to bleed I think you have been here before !!sorry for your pain there is no problem with any switch no problem with the combination valve ,prop valve. just went thru this you need to buy a one way bleeder valve(solo bleeder valve) ,they cost from $8 apair to $12 for one just follow the haynes or chilton manual direction for bleeding or read the many,many post in the search feature of this torum at the top right of the page first ajust the E brake ..loosen the inside cabin lever handle ajustment then ajust the cable that runs along the axle,spray it with penetrant & let it soak if you do not have penetrant use automatic transmission fluid(a good penetrant) to soak the cable ajuster If the mechanic has failed you,, common with fiero brakes ,if you have never bled the brakes on a car get a local gearhead YOU KNOW to help ,, the one way bleeder valves make this SO MUCH EASIER THE e BRAKE MUST BE AJUSTED BEFORE YOU BLEED THE BRAKES , you may have to remove the e brake cable & lever,not difficult just a pain ,if so move the ajuster slowly, so you do not damage the ebrake ajuster seals a powerful squirt should shoot out from both bleeder valves ,,both rear wheels should turn with the same resistance Im a bettin that 25% of Fiero,s have improperly bled brakes ,even some that have been serviced at a brake shop. use the search feature in this forum

1. NEVER use any oil near brake parts. Oil will damage the rubber parts.
Oil might work on Park brake cable adjuster, might need a wire brush to clean out the threads. Dremel w/ wire bushes are good here.
Most times have bad cable(s) and adjustment is a bandaid at best.

2. Adjust E/parking brakes before you bleed is bull. Manually Adjusting parking brake, including pulling hand brake, means problem now or very soon.

3. "Bleeder valves" are junk. Many will quickly have rust, often dirt, inside. Gravity, vacuum, or power bleeding better. If your love pedal bleeding then just crack open a bleeder and use plastic tube to control wast. I've been doing that for 30+ years. Cracked bleeder leaks fluid out but won't suck anything back. If needed... remove bleeder, grease threads w/ brake grease, then reinstall.

See my Cave, Rear Brakes and Brake Service

------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top and bottom of every forum page...)

I think I have speed bleeders left over from other brake job.

They did say I should break in the brakes by stopping hard about thirty times. Hasn't done much beyond convince me the brakes work. It looks like it's also shaking the radiator loose. It was rusty around it before being crammed by the snow. Now I think one corner is hanging.

I'm going to try putting the cables on tomorrow. I'll check the clearance and adjust by taking the lever off if I can't get the cables installed.

BTW, where do you get a stock height right spindle or spindle set? The right one has stripped threads. So far I haven't found even a used one. TFS has the left, but I don't see any others. Is there an aftermarket in stock height?

Believe it or not it seems to be getting better. They said it would take awhile to break in the pads and rotors. It's already not all that noticeable. Keep in mind that it's freakin cold here these days, as in we're not expected to break zero for another day or so. Hard to heat up the brakes under these conditions, lol.