Before I begin, I would like to forewarn you of my lack of knowledge about anything regarding this car and its systems. My fiero is my first ever project car, and I'm just trying to learn as much as possible while getting her back in working order. So, I may ask stupid questions at times, just bear with me.

So, a few months ago I made the rookie mistake of engaging the e brake in my '85 for probably the first time in god knows how long. After this I noticed a decrease in stopping power and a sizeable increase in brake pedal travel. After ignoring it for some time I've finally got around to looking at things (my summer college class is finally over). With her rear in the air her back two wheels don't spin nearly as freely as they should, unlike the fronts that spin buttery smooth. Upon taking the driver side wheel off, I noticed that the e brake spring was tensioned to all hell, bending in a way it shouldn't even bend. After turning the actuator nut thingy that holds the lever on and putting the lever back against the stop on the caliper there was a noticeable increase in free spin, but still not where it should be. So I started monkeying with the e brake a little. What I found was that engaging the e brake would tension the spring, but letting off of it would only barely move the spring back to its resting position. On the passenger side, the assembly seemed to be working fine, tightening and retracting appropriately. I decided to remove the caliper, suspecting a frozen piston or guide pins. What I found was the bottom rubber pin boot totally missing, and the pins holding the caliper on were bone dry (they should have silicone lube on them, right?) However, pumping the brake moved the piston out, so that means the piston at least is working as intended, right? Anyway, with the caliper totally off both sides seem to spin a lot better. I also noticed that the outer pad (one not touching piston) was significantly more worn than the inner one. That's about where I am now, one caliper disconnected completely. My questions are:

- What do I do with the caliper? If I send it in for reman, will a new dust boot be installed?
- Does the dust boot even matter or am I missing something else entirely?
- Even though the wheels are spinning better now, do I still take off the passenger side caliper and send both in for reman?
- What all do I send back in for reman? The pins? What about the e brake lever and spring?
- What about the e brake? Is there still a probable fault there that is contributing to the whole situation?
- When both calipers are back on, do I bother with trying to get the e brake to work? Or would that require replacing the cables?
- Do I need the e brake for my rear brakes to function properly? I know I need the spring and all that, but if I just don't use the e brake, is there any point in reinstalling/adjusting it?

This whole thing probably reads like a schizo post, but any guidance/ direction to guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to indulge me on my problems


EDIT: I forgot to mention, the driver's side e brake spring appeared to be seated incorrectly on the lever, If I remember correctly, the top side of the lever was outside of the spring? Maybe? I just remember that it looked different from both the passenger side spring and the assembly in my manuals. I should have taken a picture. Hindsight's 20/20 huh?

[This message has been edited by Doggo (edited 08-11-2024).]

Nothing is stupid about your question. The rear brakes are a complete pain in the ass to learn BUT once you understand how they work, it's fairly easy to work on them. The expert on them is the Ogre who will probably chime in soon. There is also a link to the Ogre's Cave on the very top of the webpage which contains a ton of information on the rear brakes. Literally it is directly under your search bar.

[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 08-11-2024).]

[This message has been edited by gregr75 (edited 08-12-2024).]