Fiero parking brake (Page 2/3)
wftb DEC 06, 11:11 AM
http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum3/HTML/000121.html

The brake mods are in the last three pages. He works on a lot of stuff all at once so you just have to wade through it.

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86 GT built 2.2 ecotec turbo
rear SLA suspension
QA1 coilovers on tube arms

4thfiero DEC 06, 11:13 AM
Thanks man, ill look
olejoedad DEC 06, 12:21 PM

quote
Originally posted by 4thfiero:

Unfortunately this is just not true, i used the parking brake ALL the time, (i prefer to use it over leaving a car in gear)
...as i mentioned previously in my post, i had the parking brake replaced, maintained and repaired multiple times with new components...from cables to calipers...and eventually within a year the thing would start to stick, drag, and seize....it got to the point where everyday no matter what i did, i would have to battle with the Parking brake every morning to get it to release properly...until it just wouldnt anymore and i had to manually force the caliper to let go and stop using the parking brake all together.

This brake design absolutely needs a fix


I've driven Fieros since the mid-90's, salty Midwest year-round, several hundreds of thousands of miles on three cars.
My experience has been different than yours.

A line lock hydraulic e-brake is not legal in most locations, and wouldn't function in the case of loss of hydraulic pressue.
There are some designs that incorporate a shoe on the inside of the rotor hat, perhaps that could be an approach.
4thfiero DEC 06, 12:42 PM

quote
Originally posted by olejoedad:

I've driven Fieros since the mid-90's, salty Midwest year-round, several hundreds of thousands of miles on three cars.
My experience has been different than yours.

A line lock hydraulic e-brake is not legal in most locations, and wouldn't function in the case of loss of hydraulic pressue.
There are some designs that incorporate a shoe on the inside of the rotor hat, perhaps that could be an approach.



Maybe thats the difference right there, i live in Winnipeg Manitoba....its gets as cold as Mars here in the winter time. Where i have most of my issues. Winter destroys my parking brake. Which is why mine only lasts about a year. Im so sick of it.

Honestly i just need the stupid thing to work so i can get my command start hooked up legally...again, bcc its colder than space here in Canada lol...

I saw Wills posts, i see what he's trying to do with that shoe verient u mentioned. ive pm'd him. Fingers crossed.

Guys im looking at WCF's 12'' Brembo brake kit for the 88 Fiero with the spot type parking brake caliper....Would this system function better than the stock one???

[This message has been edited by 4thfiero (edited 12-06-2019).]

wftb DEC 06, 01:12 PM
I believe it would. A spot caliper is a pretty simple device and it would be independant of the main caliper so I doubt that you would have any trouble with it.

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86 GT built 2.2 ecotec turbo
rear SLA suspension
QA1 coilovers on tube arms

theogre DEC 07, 02:16 AM

quote
Originally posted by 4thfiero:
I hear you Ogre, it’s just I’ve had different professional shops attempt to fix this issue using brand new parts and still the ebrake seizes and gets stuck.

I also must add I drive my car in the winter, so snow, salt and sand don’t help the cables or Callipers.

I tried regularly spraying the cables with weasel piss and anti seize spray one time. And again...issues with the parking brake getting stuck and not disengaging.

The design is so poor...I know it’s not a fair comparison but my wife’s Honda Civic? Not one single ebrake issue, never gets stuck....in my mind there HAS to be a way to change or redesign this system so we can have a reliable parking brake like more modern cars.

Far to many "Pro's" including "Factory Trained" and ASE have no clue and install nearly everything right out of the box and often don't lube brake parts when required. That is not just for Fiero either.

Cables can Freeze in Winter on Most cars. This is Part of Why many newer cables are "Redesign" but Still happens to people pull Parking brakes then leave it for hours or overnight. Many owner books even warn of this problem. If you get new cables of a Fiero... many are the newer "better" cable but others are NOS w/ old type cable. Can't remember exact brand and # I have but you see changes and jackets have plastic over the entire piece now to reduce "water" soaking thru them.

Then add Many Fiero's are missing the "Dirt Shield" on rear inner fender allowing a lot of crap in the cradle where cables go thru in 84-87. (Not sure 88 has same issue.) The junk and "water" will attack the "Frame" end and wick in the cable attacking the whole cable inside.
If you grab the jacket and pull... Many times the jacket has broken at either or both end. I mean the end metal will stay in their holes and separate at the crimp to the jacket. You need a new cable when that happens because will bind the centers all the time, worse in winter.

If you have OE Fiero lever springs... If rusty can means is weaker too. Springs don't "wear out" normally but Rust can change wire size, cause stress risers, etc. making them weak or fail.

Do Not compare Fiero rears to other cars.
  • Many are Drum Brakes for Entire Rear axle or Only for Parking brake w/ Drum inside of Rotor And Even they have cables freezing in Winter.
  • New "Electric" PB will likely have problems after years of Driving too but most won't know because like even best cable setups most are on Auto trans cars or many are lease or otherwise sold/traded after ~ 3 to 6 years.
  • Other Rear Disk setups have/had Unified SB/PB sim to Fiero 6000 etc. but have problems too. They often required different caliper designs just to get around Patents, Licensing of Patents, and try to have a "Better Mouse Trap" and they all have problems. Some likely froze in winter easier then others because of different spring setup etc. FMVSS CMVSS and Most Other Standards around the world doesn't test for Winter Freezing anything not just the PB.
    • 4thfiero DEC 07, 03:28 PM
    I hear you Ogre, but i'm having a really hard time accepting that basically unless you have rear drum brakes...your parking brake is gonna suck on all other cars cable or electronic...


    I'm seeing both mechanical cable operated parking brake caliper options on Wilwoods site, as well as an electronic parking brake caliper as well. Either of these options i feel would be better than the stock Fiero setup with better quality cables.
    Ive never owned an electronic parking brake myself? So i think getting one of their parking brake cable calipers would be ideal. Ill try and install it in a way that's "best" and see if that fixes the problem, or at LEAST makes it a lot more reliable then having to fix it every year. ill let u guys know how it goes.
    4thfiero DEC 07, 03:36 PM
    ...

    [This message has been edited by 4thfiero (edited 12-07-2019).]

    Tempus_Fugit DEC 07, 05:28 PM
    I was a tech at a dealer "back in the day".

    One thing we did as part of an oil change was to lube the brake cables (and door hinges). Not sprayng on that white crap, but squirting them with a lot of motor oil from a pump can so it soaks in, also flexing them a bit to work it in when necessary. Not only will this free up cables a bit, it creates an oily shield to shed water.

    Also, it is so important to make sure the pistons are ratcheted up to decrease pad/rotor clearance, and make sure that springs are completely returning the levers. Only then can you adjust the cable.

    This is a finicky system, but once adjusted properly and working it's not that bad.

    Also, the more you use it, the better it gets.

    If you want to see a wretched system, check out 65-82 Corvettes with the drum inside the disc. Even at its best new, it was poor.

    [This message has been edited by Tempus_Fugit (edited 12-07-2019).]

    4thfiero DEC 08, 11:36 AM
    Yeah we tried everything...lube...oil, weasel piss...just kept freezing and seizing...soooo annoying

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    88 GT Built 2.4 Ecotec Turbo
    Custom JRZ Suspension