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 post is part of a series of threads in which I attempt to stumble my way through an (unintentional) complete brake overhaul on my 1985 Fiero. Check out the other episodes, if you're having a brake problem, chances are I've had it too!

Episode I - Rear Brake Blues (You are here)
Episode II - Destroying My Brand New Caliper
Episode III - The Parking Brake
Spinoff Episode - At wits end (started by my partner)
Episode IV - Out of Ideas

[This message has been edited by Doggo (edited 03-27-2025).]

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).]

When it comes to brakes i like to take the easy way out. The easiest (but probably not cheapest) thing to do is order new rear calipers from Rock Auto, they come with the ebrake lever and springs attached. I did this for my 87 GT, not sure if your car is the same.

As i remember i got some money back when i returned the original units.

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

Get new from Rock Auto, E-bay or Amazon. With the new units on E-bay or Amazon you will have a choice of lenght of warranty at an extra charge. Yes they are made in China but so are the calipers from most major supplies like A-1 Cardone. Be aware that the drivers side caliper is easy to push/rotate back to install the pads. The passenger side is a different story! I destroyed a professional quality caliper tool trying to move the piston back far enough to mount the pads and have enough room to slide over the rotor. I ended up taking the caliper, pads and an old rotor to my friendly auto repair shop. It took two of us holding the caliper in position while the biggest mechanic in the shop pushed the piston in with a truck sized caliper tool and yes the brake hose port was open. Once mounted and bled the caliper(s) work as they should and the e-brake is functional again.

quote Originally posted by gregr75: new rear calipers from Rock Auto,

Which ones did you get? None of these look like the stock calipers to me. Does that matter?

Fierostore sells them rebuilt but they are a little higher in price.
https://www.fierostore.com/...rowse.aspx?d=376&p=1

i got cardone a1 18-4237 for left and a1 18-4238 for right. for all i know these were made in china, all i know it fits and works.. again, for an 87gt.

use the dropdowns for your model year and trim and youll find several options on rockauto.

Where's the ogre? I can't tell you the last time I noticed he posted something, this is exactly the kind of thread he'd jump right in on.