fixing the hand brake at the rear calipers

[minimike]

Hi. I've put a new cable in and can not get the rear calipers to activate when I lift the hand brake lever. Anyone done this
before and have an easy explanation of how I free up the rear caliper levers or adjust the pistons?

[124JOE]

tighten up the adjuster
from under the car pull the cable on one side and see if that caliper i working
then go to the other side and pull it
if there NOT stuck then more adjusting is needed

inside theres a 13mm nut below the hand brake leaver for adjustment
it should be at 4 clicks

[124ADDHE]

before you install cable, lube with lithium, it may save some troubleshooting in future! please follow above advice, if this does not work then it may be time to rebuild the rear calipers or purchase rebuilds as the boot does not seal well and this boot should be topped-off with lithium or wheel-bearing grease every year or so to keep the inevitable moisture from rusting out the handbrake mechanism component of the caliper. I literally had no brake on drivers side and very little on passanger due to this and a sticky cable- Fuel economy went up without the very slight brake drag.

[TX82FIAT]

If adjustment does not work i agree you will need to look at the rear caliper piston function. I had the same thing when the passenger side rear brake would stick a little. On one of these threads they talk about emmergency brake use. IMHO the emmergency brakes on these cars are not designed in a way that complements there use every time you park. The cables streatch over time requiring adjustment. Further, you have a potentially sensitive piston engaging the rotor/disc the entire time the emmergency brake is used. Less problems if you park in gear and use the emmergency brake when parking on a hill or true emmergencies. It extends the life of your cable and IMO your rear braking system. Consider parking your car for five months... do you have the emmergency brake applied during that time?

Sorry for the FIAT diversion. Should be a pretty easy adjustment of the cable. If the Calipers were working fine before taking the cable off they should still be fine. Could any air have entered the braking system or could you have any restrictions of the brake lines.

[minimike]

Ok. First. The hand brake lever is adjusted fine and the cable is lubed and moves freely. The issue is with the rear calipers and that's what I need to know. BTW, I am parking the car in gear which is not a great idea if someone bumps the car. To TX88, The cable is a cheap wear item compared to rebuilding a crashed gearbox. I'd never leave my car in gear when parked if the cable worked, Unless is was on a hill with no curbs. Otherwise, I'd turn the wheels into the curb and leave it like that.

Question here is, Do any of you guys know what sticks, and what to free up in the rear calipers to let the cable actuate the
rear brakes? I've not found an exploded view of the rear calipers in any books, and that would surely get me closer to the repair.

[coise]

Here is a link to the best exploded view I have found.
http://www.mirafiori.com/faq/content/re ... lipers.htm

Also do not forget to put the line on the piston itself, upward.
Hope that help.

[dantye]

My experience was that a LOT of Blaster was needed to get the hand brake lever pivot on the caliper assembly to pivot freely. Then it was OK. (Brakes had been rebuild recently otherwise.)

[124ADDHE]

The pistons can seize like any caliper. time to pull and rebuild or replace. they are cheap and a rebuild is not so easy on the rears, unlike the fronts. Parking in gear is required by law in Canada and a bump wont harm anything, your engine will take the load and move a bit.

[minimike]

living in NY where lots of idiots park by EAR!, you see lots of cars take a good shot.

anyone have a link to an exploded view of the rear caliper?

Thanks all.

[124JOE]

coise posted a link from mirafiori above

[minimike]

thanks. I had missed that link previously. Looks straight forward.
Mirafiore- It's all good, but I suggest that next time you have a caliper stripped, you take a wire brush in a drill, or better
drill press, and clean the caliper up. Then paint it. I'm near the ocean where all aluminum bits get chalky. Besides, it's
part of the process when you do any part repair. Clean it and paint it if necessary.
Thanks again guys for the help.I've got a pair of rears off another car which I'll free up and put new seals in and swap them
out with the stuck ones.
m

[124JOE]

then rebuild them"the stuck ones"

[minimike]

that's the plan. Thanks.