i just installed my new master cylinder booster and cables. the problem i still have is when i pull the e-brake cable the rear calipers wont adjust up.
when i press the pedal the pads grab and when i get it go they back all the way off. i thoughti saw somewhere they they had a recall for the manual trans 4 wheel disk cars for this same problem. anyway i think my calipers are junk. and am i right on the e-brake adjusting thing?

One of the several advantages of disc brakes,
is that they don't need adjusting.
So negative on the e-brake adjusting the caliper.
This is how GM claims to accomplish self-adjusting
DRUM brakes, which is a myth I can de-bunk with
several vehicles.

So if the rear brakes provide correct stopping with
the pedal, I'm not sure what the problem is. I don't
think e-brakes in general are very effective, and
discs are even less so than drum. If there is too
much travel in the e-brake, try adjusting the cable.

Hope that helps,
kk

Yes, there was a recall. Yes, the e-brake does the adjusting. Check post #5 in the following link:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/brak...7-e-brake.html

Here's the recall:

http://members.shaw.ca/crussel/recalls/86c28/86c28.html

BTW, these calipers have a bad reputation here on the board, but I never experienced any problems with them, and I thought they performed well enough.

JamesC

i thought the only self adjusters were on drum brakes. never heard of an ebrake adjusting disks but i did get a 4.00 gpa in brakes class.

and I bet your brake class never showed you how the insides of the Saginaw self adjusting Steel calipers work, they are self adjusting with the E-brake, maybe one day you'll get the chance to rebuild one and you'll learn something new.

yes, 82 to 86 cars with 4 wheel disc brakes came with j65 rear iron calipers which apparently can seize up if the e brake cable isnt used enough, or sometimes the e brake stops adjusting the rear brakes, theres a member on here who still has the recall kits, post a wanted thread and he might pop up.

82-88 were equipped with the J65 Delco-Moraine calipers.

JamesC

ah, yes till 88. my mistake. good catch james

On paper those calipers work great, but in the real world things were different.The E-brake was suppose to re-adjust EVERYTIME you parked the car, but they seldom worked the way.Since owners would sometimes not use the e-brake.In the service manual it even said you "may have to apply/reaplly the e-brake up to 100 times" to re-set the pads against the rotor.Even the service techs complained to GM about this.Which is partly the reason GM switch to the PBR caliper after 88.These are much easier to service than the ol delco/moraine units.

After installing new brake pads in the rear, you're supposed to pull the e-brake up about 8 times to seat the pads.

i just installed new calipers on my rear since my old ones seized up. do i have to pull the ebrake until the pads seat against the rotor?

Should'nt have to if you've got new calipers.Especially if the pads are new too.
I never used that method.I would leave the E-brk lever on the back of the caliper off.Then just pump the brake til the pads re-seated.

Copper grease the pins and bushings, if the caliper doesn't slide it'll bend the bracket and the brakes will work reasonably (not 100%) but the parking brake won't work at all because when the bracket bends back into position the pads will be loose in the calipers.

I had to do this on my 88, car has 50k miles and had been standing a lot

how do the pads reseat if you need the ebrake to set them and dont use it? hydrolic pressure is forcing the screw in,out piston, to come out squeezing the pads?