Rear Brake adjustment 87 GT (Page 1/2)
jon m OCT 08, 12:15 PM
Hi - I decided to adjust my rear E Brake as it had start to stick on the passenger side - turned out that the cable was a little bit seized that has now been rectified.

I put a new Equaliser on as the Tang on my original one decided to give up the ghost and break off.

On tightening up the equaliser - I have found that the passenger side works good but the drivers side not so.

Both lever arms where on the stops.

quite a few years ago - I reconditioned my rear calipers - and the drivers side in my opinion has never been perfect - is it possible that the lever arm could be a quater turn out ??

Many thanks for any advice

Jon
82-T/A [At Work] OCT 08, 12:58 PM
When the emergency brake is totally disengaged, both arms (with the springs installed) should be touching the stops. If they are not, then the caliper might be getting stuck or something is preventing it from fully retracting.

The rear calipers are weird, and sometimes require that tool for you to spin the piston back into place. I'd consider maybe a rebuild kit or just replacing them if you can. I don't know what shipping is to the UK, but they have remanufactured ones on Rock Auto now!
jon m OCT 08, 01:02 PM
Hi - Many thanks for your reply - I do have some rebuild kits here fortunately - I have done probably done around 10k mile at best since I last rebuilt them.
But will go over them early next week.
Jon
olejoedad OCT 08, 02:05 PM
Can you measure how far the rear pads are off of the rotors with the parking brake disengaged?
jon m OCT 08, 02:13 PM
Off memory as I am away from the car till next week - I think they were more or less touching or just off

Jon
jon m OCT 09, 04:29 AM

quote
Originally posted by olejoedad:

Can you measure how far the rear pads are off of the rotors with the parking brake disengaged?



Just out of curiosity - what would be the likely problem if there is a gap ?
Jon
82-T/A [At Work] OCT 09, 07:40 AM

quote
Originally posted by jon m:

Just out of curiosity - what would be the likely problem if there is a gap ?
Jon



I know you asked Joe, but I wonder if you're able to move it to the stops with your hand? My first guess is either something's obstructing it (rust in the piston bore) or maybe even just a really weak spring that's not fully extending it. But just hypothesizing here...
Vintage-Nut OCT 09, 08:48 AM

quote
what would be the likely problem if there is a gap ?


Normally the Rear Brake Caliper Piston Actuator (a.k.a. the Parking Mechanism) will adjust the 'gap'.

The 'gap' is around the thickness of a playing card from the rear pads to the rotors with the parking brake disengaged.

--------------------------------------------

*If your 'gap' is too big, try is procedure:

Remove the rear brake pads; clean any 'dirt' around the outside diameter of the piston and the seal; then push the piston to the bottom of the bore in the caliper.

Reassemble, push the brake pedal until the rear pads hit the rotor {three times very hard} then apply the parking brake three times and release.

Check the 'gap'.

IF your gap didn't adjust properly, I bet your piston actuator(s) has issues...

PS - The parking mechanism can be one of the most neglected maintenances with moisture contamination in the brake fluid around the inner and outer pistons.

-------------------
Original Owner of a Silver '88 GT
Under 'Production Refurbishment' @ 136k Miles

[This message has been edited by Vintage-Nut (edited 10-09-2025).]

jon m OCT 18, 06:05 AM
Well as an update - I looked at the car on last Monday while the weather was still pretty good and found that the handbrake cables to both rear calipers had basically seized up.
So went and ordered from Rockauto a new set - I did'nt order the hand brake lever to the equaliser cable as I didnt think it needed replacing.
So by Thursday luchtime they arrived in the uk and received 2 new AC Delco Cables and the ones that I originally put on the car back in 2011 were from the Fierostore.
and fitted this morning and works a charm

There was a difference in that the hole that the wire cable that feeds into the outer sleeve of the cable at both ends (if this makes sense) was bigger than the fierostore's version.

So my conclusion is that any grime that could have gotten into the fieroistore's version could easily seize it up which judging by the rust marks on the plastic sheeve of the cable is evident where as the AC Delco may have a bigger hole any water ingress will pass it but there is enough clearance not to hinder the cable.

Many thanks to you all for your help in this

Jon
82-T/A [At Work] OCT 18, 07:11 AM

quote
Originally posted by jon m:

Well as an update - I looked at the car on last Monday while the weather was still pretty good and found that the handbrake cables to both rear calipers had basically seized up.
So went and ordered from Rockauto a new set - I did'nt order the hand brake lever to the equaliser cable as I didnt think it needed replacing.
So by Thursday luchtime they arrived in the uk and received 2 new AC Delco Cables and the ones that I originally put on the car back in 2011 were from the Fierostore.
and fitted this morning and works a charm

There was a difference in that the hole that the wire cable that feeds into the outer sleeve of the cable at both ends (if this makes sense) was bigger than the fierostore's version.

So my conclusion is that any grime that could have gotten into the fieroistore's version could easily seize it up which judging by the rust marks on the plastic sheeve of the cable is evident where as the AC Delco may have a bigger hole any water ingress will pass it but there is enough clearance not to hinder the cable.

Many thanks to you all for your help in this

Jon




I didn't even know you could get those cables from Rock Auto now... I'm glad that Rock Auto has better international shipping.

Hey, if you don't mind, I'm going to plug my daughter's channel, only because I see you're from the UK and my daughter was just there (who is restoring a Fiero) and just made a video for her trip to London: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_chq3jXAA0

Haha... hopefully she did it justice.


Also, I would have posted it, but this is her video of her restoring the emergency brake system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2RzZ4urhVQ