I'm in the process of getting my 86GT street ready after it set for years. The brakes were all dragging and the driver side e-brake wasnt working. I got the driver side working but I took the passenger side off and I cant get the piston to compress at all. I've used c-claps and all kinds of things to compress/pry it in. Are there any reasons why it wouldn't compress? Do the rears have to be twisted in because of the E-Brake?
[This message has been edited by B3mith (edited 02-21-2015).]
Very good info on Ogre's Caves, but now I have another question. I was able to compress the drivers side without removing the e-brake lever. And when working the lever through its motion it barley moved the cylinder and the retracted it back when returned to starting position. But on the passenger side the piston moved quite a bit more, but did not retract itself. I'm learning as I go and havent worked much with brakes. So any help is appreciated.
It's been more than 15 years since I've done rear brakes, but I believe that if you pressed the piston in, you may have damaged the adjustment screw. Personally, I'd just go to PartsGeek.Com and grab a rebuilt one with all hardware, ready to install. Usually they have free shipping.
Um, are you sure you wouldn't rather just install new calipers? Neither of those sound right. There are some recent threads about rear brake calipers and adjusting the e-brake and lots of Ogre posts about no good pistons, but if it were me I would just get new calipers. The front brakes do most of the work, but it's nice to have a working e-brake and no fun to have brakes that lock up or drag.
That was my thoughts, just getting re-manufactured calipers just to be safe. But I figured I would come here to the experts first. The car set for a few years undriven and who knows what it went though before that. Any experiences with the calipers from TheFieroStore? Any other sources?
First some "new" data in my cave passed few days... likely more rear brake updates too. See my Cave, Brake Recall Notes
If the piston(s) retract w/o removing lever then the piston(s) is(are) toast. Likely blew out the back cover on the piston. You need new/rebuilt ones. I would get them locally because shipping cost etc for the cores. More cost and time if you need to deal w/ whatever warranty.
before you just get new rear calipers.... likely need wheel cables of P-brake, maybe all 3 likely need 4 new hoses too. SAE J1401 rubber are much better w/o issues using SS hoses. See my Cave, 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)
I've now bought three rear calipers from Advance. They have the lowest core charge. I have had to return at least one after inspecting it at the store. Definitely do this, because no two have been alike. Especially the rears have a number of "extra" parts that may or may not be there. The brackets and springs for the e-brake to name two. Also check the pins to see what drive you need for them. Yes, they actually had more than one size on one I sent back. When remanufacturing the seller may or may not resurface the connection point for the hoses. If it's too rough (and maybe if it's too smooth) you will likely have trouble getting a good seal.
You can get hoses at Advance also, but don't get excited about avoiding Chinese merchandise. In my experience the only thing you'll accomplish by insisting on made-in-USA brake hoses is paying more and waiting longer. You'll still end up with Dorman or repackaged Dorman.
You may need to pick up some c-clips because the original style clips don't seem to work with today's hoses. Not using the original clips may mean not using the original routing either, because the old clips attached to the mounts on the body. The best hose hanger clips seem to be rubber covered clips from a hardware store.
The things that hold the hoses in position on the strut have been known to create problems by rusting. The rust squeezes the hose, sometimes to the point that the calipers don't work. When you replace the calipers you find they won't release.
The best caliper pins/sliders you're likely to find are the ones on your car. You can find new ones many places, but they will be hex-socket drive and lower strength rated than the originals.
The "stainless" hoses are not matched to the vehicle. You just get four short lines with flimsy connecting rings instead of the big blocks that come with the hoses.
Hoses usually come with the copper washers you need to attach them. You do need a torque wrench for this step, but the rated torque may not be enough to stop all leaks.
You might want to check the hard lines now. Most northern cars have new hard lines, or need them.
You might also want to check to see if you can open the bleeders without breaking them. You might end up needing new front calipers. If that's the case, you should also get new rotors and install new bearings at the same time.
If its sounds like you should plan on replacing every last part of the braking system, well, that's about right. Welcome to the forum!
How about Fiero Store? Anyone had any experience with their calipers? I want to make sure its done right the first time, even if it means it costs more and takes longer.
I recently purchased 2 rebuilt rear calipers for my 88 form the Fiero Store and wouldn't you know it, the passengers side caliper would drag no matter how many times I reset the piston caliper. The Fiero Store paid for the return freight and got me a new one ASAP though, so I am happy with their service.
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Originallyposted by B3mith:
How about Fiero Store? Anyone had any experience with their calipers? I want to make sure its done right the first time, even if it means it costs more and takes longer.
The rebuilt dragging caliper mad me nervous, so I would go for a short drive and then shoot the rotors with one of those laser temperature meters, to make sure my rotors weren't overheating. I still haven't hooked up my ebrake, because I'm worried it will cause a drag problem without me knowing it. Is that an unfounded worry, I don't know,
Before you hook up your E-brake, you can set up a test. Find a very small grade and stop on it then put the vehicle out of gear and see if it will roll. Find the shallowest slope that will cause the car to roll. After hooking up the E-brake, set it a couple of times, then go do the same test on the same grade. It should roll. Harbor Freight sells the infrared thermometers and they come in handy for checking lots of other things like equal temps on each cylinder or comparing the temp of the gauge sending unit against the reading on the gauge.
I've been successful in releasing a dragging E-brake by going to the rear and reaching under and pulling on the cable adjuster and letting it snap back. That's the little barrel shaped thing at the center of the cross member. I think it might be a little harder to do on the 88 than on the earlier models.
Hoses... If a vendor can tell you hose is SAE J1401 then go elsewhere. Many "Pro grade" hoses uses newer hose. Bendix PG Plus is 1 I know uses J1401.
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Originally posted by fierofool: I've been successful in releasing a dragging E-brake by going to the rear and reaching under and pulling on the cable adjuster and letting it snap back. That's the little barrel shaped thing at the center of the cross member. I think it might be a little harder to do on the 88 than on the earlier models.
Pulling cables to release = bad cables, hand lever, or calipers w/ problem. Binding/freezing cables can... Simple things like rusted caliper springs making them weak can to this.
People overthink the ebrake. I finally got around to it this fall.
I attached the old cable to the new using the attachment thing that comes with it, then pulled them both through the grommet. That saves taking the interior apart.
It was confusing figuring out how to connect the adjuster. It turns out it works very much like the brake sliders in the way you can pull from one side and have both sides clamp.
It took a little finagling to get the electrical connector to stay tight under the carpet. I used a vice grip braced against a floor jack to hold the adjuster, then turned the nut using one of those new-fangled open-end ratcheting wrenches. Then it took just a few tries to get it to hold and release both sides at the same time.
At first the light was unreliable, but somehow it sorted itself out. It often takes a couple tries to get the handle all the way down so the light stays off, but otherwise the e-brake holds the car and the light warns me to release it before driving away.
The e-brake is probably not going to cause a problem with good calipers. The hydraulic system applies a lot more force than the mechanical parking brake. If it drags after releasing the parking brake it won't move at all after releasing the hydraulic brakes.
I'm in the process of getting my 86GT street ready after it set for years. The brakes were all dragging and the driver side e-brake wasnt working. I got the driver side working but I took the passenger side off and I cant get the piston to compress at all. I've used c-claps and all kinds of things to compress/pry it in. Are there any reasons why it wouldn't compress? Do the rears have to be twisted in because of the E-Brake?
quote
Originally posted by B3mith:
Very good info on Ogre's Caves, but now I have another question. I was able to compress the drivers side without removing the e-brake lever. And when working the lever through its motion it barley moved the cylinder and the retracted it back when returned to starting position. But on the passenger side the piston moved quite a bit more, but did not retract itself. I'm learning as I go and havent worked much with brakes. So any help is appreciated.
Your driver side is bad, your passenger side is working perfectly and is good.
Originally posted by 85 SE VIN 9: At first the light was unreliable, but somehow it sorted itself out. It often takes a couple tries to get the handle all the way down so the light stays off, but otherwise the e-brake holds the car and the light warns me to release it before driving away.
If cables and springs are returning caliper levers to their stops... Switch or hand lever problems or didn't adjust cables cables tight enough.
Full text for 87FSM for adjusting cables are now in my cave. (rear brakes)
