75 Rear brakes, dramas aplenty!!

[Luckyphil]

Hi all, we are now the proud owners of an 87 2.5L 75. The car was picked up for a song as there were a few minor issues with it. I have sorted out most of them but the biggest headache is the rear brakes.

First up the car had been sitting a while prior to arriving on our doorstep, more than likely with the hand brake on. When we got the car running I took it for a drive, it felt like the hand brake was on full. No problem I thought the callipers have probably locked up due to lack of use and the hand brake being left on....... easy to fix.........How wrong was I??

I have done all the research into them and how to adjust them. But even after doing all that nada.
I have wound out (as per instructions) the pistons to try and remove the pads but nothing seems to be happening, as in, they have no moved so much as a thousand's of an inch.

So I thought lets remove the disk and callipers and overhaul them. But it looks like a catch 22 here, as if I drop the drive shafts and remove the bolts holding the disks on I will still not be able to remove the disk to get to the calliper bolts..........well that's how it looks to me.

Any pointers would be gratefully received. I am quite handy on the spanners and know my way around a car (use to work as a motor mechanic) but this one has me stumped. I guess the main thing here is I am looking for the easiest way out of the situation without having to resort to dropping the whole transaxle.

Just on the side here too, the car is being done up as a dirt rally car and as such the is a fair amount of stripping of unwanted/ needed parts such as door glass if anyone is interested.

Cheers
Phil

[Evan Bottcher]

I'm no expert (bwahahaha not even close) but sometimes the handbrake mechanism freezes on, you can spray the handbrake lever (on the inner side of the caliper where the cable hooks on) with some WD-40 and leave to soak, then apply some violence and it should release.

Used to happen occasionally on the Sud when it had the inboard calipers (on the front same-ish as an Alfetta/75 rear), and has happened on my Giulietta too.

[Luckyphil]

have tried the WD40 and violence....................nothing 
we bled the system and got new fluid through the bleed nipples there is a good "feel" the the brake peddle.
and the fronts are working well, just not a lot happening out the back, was hopping that driving around for a little bit would generate some heat and free things up but that did not work either, boo!   

[Alan Hopla]

Phil,
With the pads out and the axels dropped you should be able to remove the disks.
On a V6 you might also have to remove the 'top hats' that I think hold the disks to the diff output shaft.
Then you should be able to get to the calliper mounting bolts.
Alan.

[Evan Bottcher]

Sounds like Phil is having trouble with step 1 (pads out). Pistons frozen in caliper bores?

[Evan Bottcher]

I know you said you wound out the adjusters as per instructions, but just in case...  On each caliper there's an inner and an outer adjuster.  The inner adjuster you need a small socket (5mm or 6mm?) on an extension and it just winds back.  The outer adjuster has a lock nut and a hex key bolt, you have to unlock the lock nut and hold it in place while you wind the adjuster with the hex key.  From memory the hex key turns the opposite way than you'd expect - e.g. clockwise will back the adjuster off, loosening the pads so they can be removed.

The special tool for operating the outer lock nut while you adjust the hex key is just a socket welded to a handle...

[Luckyphil]

yep did all the adjusters the correct way, the hex bolts are 7mm and to back them off you turn counter clockwise for the left inner calliper and clockwise for the right inner calliper.
regarding the outer calliper both locking nuts are 17mm and you undo them counter clockwise a max of one turn and the allan key turns clockwise.

So yes as I have no movement I am stuck at even removing the pads................ 

[dehne]

Hi there
What I have fone in the past is take the lock pins out that hold the pads in then I have use a screwdriver and hammer and force the pads out.

[Luckyphil]

Cheers for that, I was thinking along those lines myself but there is not much room to move

[Sheldon McIntosh]

So the handbrake cable is disconnected, and the arms don't move at all? 

[Luckyphil]

cable disconnected and the arms do move, but there is no movement of the pads when I try to wind them back.
I have had a good look and I think there is probably a millimetre (or less) of pad material left but its hard to tell.   

[dehne]

I would say the piston has seized, so muscle will be the only winner

[Luckyphil]

that's what I am thinking.....

[Mick A]

+ 1 on using some sort of persuading device.

A pry bar will usually solve this problem. Also, you can use the disc itself as a pry bar/lever if all driveshaft bolts are undone and the disc is ready to be removed.


Cheers.

[Luckyphil]

ok thanks for the info and suggestions will try removing all the bolts and using the disk, will let you know how I go