Guest rationull Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 I just got a 1983 280zx, and the parking brake isn't really working. The handle is attached to the cable and pulls it correctly. When I first got the car the handle clicked about 9 or 10 times before being fully engaged, and I've just adjusted it so that it fully engages in 6 clicks. But in both cases, by "fully engaged" I mean I can't pull it up any further, not that it actually stops the car from moving. It'll keep it still on a flat surface, but if I park with even a slight grade the car rolls back. I could keep adjusting it, but it seems strange to me that when it's pulled tight it doesn't really engage the wheels fully. What could be going on here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaime240z Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 Have you checked the rear shoes/pads? It could be they are completely gone and you can't tell because the front brakes are doing all the work under normal braking.....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rationull Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 I haven't actually taken the wheels off to check, but the pads look OK to me through the rims (they're disc brakes). I assume that if this were the case the wear indicators would be squeaking whenever the brakes were applied though, wouldn't they? When I had the car jacked up earlier, spinning the back wheels by hand I could definitely tell that the brake pads were contacting as I could feel their resistence in the spinning. I may try tightening it more later.. it could be that the pads are just a little too low. If they are then maybe adjusting the e-brake cable will push them a little tighter on the rotors.. but shouldn't they take care of that themselves without need for adjustment? (I'm pretty new at this). I'd also think that if this were the case the handle wouldn't be so tight after 6 clicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleachZee Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 Check the cable adjustment. Between the two calipers there is a cable that goes accross the car. In the middle a 2nd cable goes forward to the handle. Where the two cables meet there is a bolt with a nut that can adjust how soon the handle applies pulling pressure to the calipers. Tighten it up a bit. My guess is that one of your calipers is broken. I had one where even when the lever was pulled on the caliper, the piston was not moving in so my parking brake was only holding on one side. Without the other side working correctly, that side was taking up all the slack and so the side that did pull only pulled at about 50% force... so really 25% parking brake power overall. Even with your pads worn out, the auto adjusters should work and they will push the bare pads right to the rotor if they are working fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rationull Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 There's no cable going directly across between the calipers, but there is a cable going from each caliper to where the two meet a little bit forward, where the parking brake handle's cable joins them. This is the nut I've already adjusted. The "hinges" at the wheels these cables attach to have full movement, and are fully engaged when the brake handle is pulled up all the way, so the problem must be in the calipers like you said. I think you're right. I just got the car so I don't know how it's supposed to be, but it seems to me that it doesn't brake as hard as it should given that it has 4 wheel discs and a decent sized booster. Hopefully one of the calipers is bad and fixing it will fix both problems. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rationull Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 Bleach, When you had this happen, were you able to fix the broken caliper or did it have to be replaced? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleachZee Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 The caliper had to be replaced. Some shaft was sheared off inside. The handles on the calipers should only move about half way before they will be fully engauged when already adjusted properly. Yes, when you get the parking brake fixed in back then your rear pads will self-adjust as they are supposed to. This firms up the brake pressure all around. Remove each rear caliper. See that no anti-squeal compound is keeping the piston from turning. Move the brake lever by hand and see that the piston moves slightly. If so, turn the piston out a half turn on each side and re-install. Hook everything up and pull the parking bake handle a few times. You might hear the calipers click as the pads settle. That's all I had to do for a recent fix for my calipers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nienberg.11 Posted May 15, 2006 Share Posted May 15, 2006 Mine was loose and it was due to the pivot rod in the tranny tunnel coming out of its place. I popped it back in and it works well enough now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 The ZX rear calipers commonly fail at the ebrake mechanism. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=82790 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleachZee Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 One of mine that started leaking from the lower e-brake pivot I took apart. It appeared that the insides were dry and the metal was wearing away. Pulling them apart and putting some grease in there probably would have added 20 years to the life of the caliper. I got it from a wrecking yard so it sat for who knows how long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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