Sticking caliper

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Charles Quinn - 23 Apr 2005 03:08 GMT

I have an 86SE with 47k miles, I had to replace the right front rotor a couple
of years ago. Drove it today and I noticed that the left front is sticking
(smell and rim hot to the touch). Is this a common failure, or am I having a
problem because the car is not driven much?

Also, my parking brake is not holding well. Is there some sort of trick to get
them working properly.

Charles

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Charles
The significant problems we face cannot be solved
at the same level of thinking we were at when we
created them. Albert Einstein

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Mr Potatohead - 23 Apr 2005 04:12 GMT

> I have an 86SE with 47k miles, I had to replace the right front rotor a couple
> of years ago. Drove it today and I noticed that the left front is sticking
> (smell and rim hot to the touch). Is this a common failure, or am I having a
> problem because the car is not driven much?

It has been my experience that Fiero brakes will drag if the car is
parked for a long time. It is a constant problem with my cars. Long time
meaning months, of course. I presently have one that heats up. Right front.

> Also, my parking brake is not holding well. Is there some sort of trick to get
> them working properly.

I seem to recall that the parking brake must be used in order to keep
the rear brakes in adjustment. It would seem logical that if this is not
done, the brakes would get out of adjustment and the parking brake would
stop holding good. Seems to me I remember backing up and braking hard a
few times. Perhaps someone like Jazzman will further clarify this
because my memory is fading fast on such things. :-)

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John Craker - 23 Apr 2005 05:43 GMT

Nope - that's a rear drum brakes trick to get them to adjust.

Ours is 100% based in the E-brake being engaged... frequently...

> Seems to me I remember backing up and braking hard a few times.

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Mr Potatohead - 23 Apr 2005 12:50 GMT

> Nope - that's a rear drum brakes trick to get them to adjust.
>
> Ours is 100% based in the E-brake being engaged... frequently...

I guess that shows you how long I've been driving. :-)

>>Seems to me I remember backing up and braking hard a few times.

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R W Hughes - 23 Apr 2005 05:37 GMT

> Also, my parking brake is not holding well. Is there some sort of trick to get
> them working properly.

use it at least once a day...

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Robert W. Hughes (Bob)
BackYard Engineering
29:40.237N, 95:28.726W or perhaps 30:55.265N, 95:20.590W
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Execulink Newsgroups - 21 Jul 2005 08:05 GMT

Keep in mind that GM recalled manual tranny Fieros for a failure in the rear
brake that was related to this issue.

GM did not recall automatics as they fronted the recall as a "parking brake"
issue and, as automatics have tranny lock pins, automatics are safe in park
sans a parking brake fix. This seems to me to have been a way to cut down on
the cars they had to fix in total.

A NHTSA official once told me (I was one of a few owners who lodge formal
complaints in Washington) the failure that can occur in the rear brakes is
in the "piston actuator assembly," which appears to translate to the screw
mechanism that applies the piston/pads to the disc when the parking brake
lever is pulled. The screw assembly can stick, preventing the adjustment
that occurs when the parking brale is applied.

Moral of story: If the mechanism has siezed, as I was privately told years
ago by that NHTSA guy, it means ideally replacing the caliper assembly with
a new one, but a rebuilt one is also okay. Transport Canada was very big on
using only GM parts as replacements.

K.E.R.

> > Also, my parking brake is not holding well. Is there some sort of trick to get
> > them working properly.
>
> use it at least once a day...

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