Lucky me this startred happening in slow traffic, if I was going down the hwy at 70mph might have been killed.


Well when I hit the brakes in drive my back passenger tire locks, it you tap the brakes quickly you hear a !bam! but it doesnt lock, put the car in reverse and it unlocks (brakes work fine in reverse)...There is also a bump, bump bump noise almost like you ahve a flat tire when you are in drive without hiting the brakes. What is it and what all do I need to replace since im stuck. Thanks in advance trusty pff friends.

[This message has been edited by synapse (edited 09-09-2006).]

is the wheel hot after driving?

edit. this sounds like a caliper/brake line problem until you mention the bump, bump. not sure about that...

[This message has been edited by sostock (edited 09-09-2006).]

I would pull off the wheel and see if one of the caliper mounting bolts is gone, allowing the caliper to pivot out and dig into the rim when breaking going forward. Going in reverse then pulls the caliper back into place.

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1988 Fiero GT

http://www3.telus.net/1988_Fiero_GT/1988_FIERO_GT.html

sounds like it could be a caliper sticking. It could be as simple as the caliper bolts freezing up from rust, or it could lead to the piston in the caliper itself freezing up. By the way you described the banging sound, it almost sounds like on of those caliper bolts could be loose or even missing, its hard to tell without looking at it. Also, check to make sure that your parking brake disengages fully, which is adjustable on the rear calipers. To check your overall problem, just put the wheel up on a jack and try to spin it freely.

[This message has been edited by Sparx (edited 09-09-2006).]

quote Originally posted by Daniel: I would pull off the wheel and see if one of the caliper mounting bolts is gone, allowing the caliper to pivot out and dig into the rim when breaking going forward. Going in reverse then pulls the caliper back into place.

Bingo!!! This is an especially common problem on '88s, but it has been reported for other year Fieros as well. For some reason, the problem appears to be more common on the rear calipers than the fronts. Use search to find other threads on this subject, complete with pictures.

It's easy to check. Just remove the rear wheel and see if the caliper will rotate slightly around one of its attach bolts and/or if one of the caliper attach bolts is missing completely.

Please ... do not drive your car until you get this fixed!

[This message has been edited by Marvin McInnis (edited 09-10-2006).]

Do you have the link, I keep pulling up crap about brake upgrades when i put "caliper mounting bolt" or frozen wheel. Edit: It is a 88

[This message has been edited by synapse (edited 09-09-2006).]

try the Ogre's cave. i can't access it at work but he's got a ton of info. the link is at the top of screen.

Please don't drive that car until you get it fixed.
Don

quote Originally posted by synapse: Do you have the link....

Here's a good link from the PFF archives. I searched on "McInnis + caliper + bolt." The URL is the first one returned by the search.

A quote from my post in the earlier thread:

"If nothing has broken yet, the fix is pretty simple. If the attach bolt is missing, you need to get the correct replacement from GM. (They are still available.) Install it using a drop of thread locker (e.g. blue Lock-Tite). Remove the other attach bolt, inspect it for wear or damage, replace it if it isn't still perfect, and re-install it using thread locker. It is very important that you torque both bolts to the GM spec (74 ft-lbs) using the proper wrench (Torx T-55). It should go without saying that you need to carefully inspect the caliper, wheel, and brake hose for cracks or other damage while you're in there."

For an example of what can happen if this problem isn't fixed in time, see this thread ... broken rotor, broken wheel, broken caliper, and broken knuckle:



Photo courtesy of JazzMan.

[This message has been edited by Marvin McInnis (edited 09-10-2006).]