I HAVE AN 82 T/A WITH FACTORY 4 WHEEL DISC I REPLACED THE CALIPERS FRONT AND BACK THE BACK CALIPERS I BOUGHT ALREADY LOADED SO I WOULDNT NEED TO CHANGE ANY OF THE E-BRAKE LEVERS OVER TO THE NEW CLAIPERS ALSO I PUT ON NEW FLEXIBLE LINES FRONT AND BACK AND BLED ALL THE AIR OUT AND ADJUSTED THE E-BRAKE. I EVEN PUT ON NEW E-BRAKE CABLES I PUT THE LEVER BACK HALF WAY AND THATS ALL IT WILL GO AND ITS TIGHT BUT THE BRAKES BARELY HOLD EVEN ON FLAT GROUND I CAN PUT MY FOOT ON THE GROUND AND PUSH THE CAR I THOUGHNI GOT ALL THE AIR OUT DO I STILL HAVE AIR IN THE LINES ? AFTER ALL THE WORK I HOPED TO HAVE EMERGENCY BRAKES. CAN ANYONE HELP?

 

KILL THE CAPS LOCK. It makes your post extremely difficult to read; and comes across AS IF YOU ARE SCREAMING AT US ALL.

First, you don't have an "emergency brake", you have a "parking brake". Second, you have the old cast-iron calipers, that are notorious for not working, in a number of ways. There is a "recall kit" that GM produced for those, which usually does not come in the ones you buy over the counter. Get the recall kit and install it, see if that helps.

The parking brake is also the adjuster. Unlike front brakes, where it doesn't matter how worn the pads are because the hydraulic system can just let in more fluid as the pads move closer to the rotor, the parking brake requires that as the pads get thinner, the piston get thicker. The recall kit has to do with that. Using the parking brake every single time you get out of the car, and twice on Sundays, helps keep it adjusted.

The newer rear disc system is far better. It has aluminum calipers rather than cast iron and is made by PBR out of Australia. It came on 89-up cars. It does not suffer from the same design malfunctions as the old Saginaw system you have.

 

Thanks i will look into that.

 

Roger, I feel your pain. I have exactly the same problem with my '84. I have even put the recall kit in mine and with everything adjusted the parking brake still won't hold the car. I hope you have better luck than I. I am at a real loss as to know what to do next. Here in New Zealand we have vehicle tests every 6 months and my car can't pass the handbrake test and so I can't drive it.

If you have any luck fixing yours please let me know.

 

my park brake also doesn't hold on my gta. I even installed the recall kit also but still doesn't work

 

I also have the 4 wheel discs with iron calipers (1985 IROC) and had the same problem you guys have. I found an adjustment procedure a few years ago that works quite well. You don't have to remove the calipers and I have done this so many times that it only takes 10-15 minutes per wheel. Here it is:

Rear Disc Brake Adjustment Procedure

· Jack up rear of car and remove rear tires. Release hand brake. Remove E brake cable and return spring.

· Remove E brake lever (11/16” wrench), rubber washer, and mylar washer.

· Use clamps (I use the quick grip bar clamps by Vise Grip with the rubber pads removed) to compress the brake pad ears against the caliper bracket to compress caliper piston into the caliper. Continue compressing piston until resistance is noted.

· Turn hex nut (where e brake lever is normally mounted) with 14mm wrench in opposite direction of normal E brake application rotation. The hex nut and shaft will retract slightly into the caliper then "bottom out" and continue to rotate with some resistance. If nut retracts into caliper so much that your wrench cannot turn the nut anymore, compress brake pads further. The amount to turn the nut is learned by trial and error.

· Remove quick clamps and use 14mm wrench to turn hex nut in the direction E brake lever normally turns it. The piston will extend and press the brake pads against the rotor. Reinstall E brake lever on hex nut (no need to user the washers and lock nut at this point). Turn lever by hand to apply E brake. If lever is more than 1/4” from stop, repeat adjustment procedure.

· Remove E brake lever, reinstall mylar and rubber rings, E brake lever, and lock nut.

 

How often do you have to do this? I recently picked up an 88 BW 9 bolt with the iron calipers and had convinced myself after reading several posts on making them work that I'd stick with them for now with the recall kit and 1LE prop valve. Now I'm reading that the kit is somewhat useless and I'm back at square one on the brakes. I'd love the PBRs but my budget won't allow them right now.

 

I can only estimate how often you would need to adjust your brakes. It would depend on how much you drive your car. The problem comes from the brake pads wearing and the caliper piston failing to adjust. The more your pads wear, the more you will have to adjust them. My car is mostly driven on road race tracks. I have to adjust mine after every day on the track. But after one day at the track my front brake pads wear as much as 50%. So on the street, I would imagine you would only need to adjust the rear calipers every 10,000 miles or so.

I also have an adjustable proportioning valve on my car. This has allowed me to make the rear brakes actually work. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to wake up their rear brakes. The factory proportioning valve in my car left me with practically no rear brakes. I took the internals out of the stock proportining valve so the full fluid pressure goes to the rear brakes then use my adjustable valve to set the rear brake bias where I want it.