HELP!!! Rear brakes

[DrummerJim50]

I just installed some Brembo drilled and slotted rotors yesterday with some Hawk HPS pads and Corksport SS lines. We weren't sure how to deal with the actuated calipers in the rear so I looked in my manual and saw that there is an allen screw in the back that pushes the caliper piston back in. I just compressed it so it would clear the new brake pads without a problem. Now the rear brakes grind a little bit when my foot is not on the brake and my parking brake doesn't work at all.

I didn't notice this until today, but in my shop manual it says to turn this "manual adjustment gear" with an allen wrench counterclockwise until the piston goes in all the way, then put the new pads on and turn it clockwise so the pad barely touches the rotor, then turn it counterclockwise 1/3 a turn. I didn't pay as much attention to this procedure - I just turned it enough so there was room for the new pads........do you think this is my problem?? Any suggestions??

[roni]

My suggestion:

With the car in gear (and the ignition off), engage the parking brake about 1/2-2/3 of the way. Wheel chocks are a good idea for safety.

Be careful, do not attempt this if your brakes are hot unless you are wearing THICK gloves. Go to the rear and reach around to the back of the tire and loosen the allen screw slightly (try not to let it fall out) and hand tighten it as much as you can. (You can jack up the rear of your car slightly to reach around the tire to get to the allen screw, just not too high).

That should make it tight when your ebrake is fully engaged.

[zumi]

any news on this, drummer? I just did my rear brakes also, with hawk hps and brembo blanks.

on the hawk hps rear pads, there is a little rubbery strip glued on the back, is this to replace our OEM metal shims? Or do we put our shims over it?

my piston never retracted far enough to "easily" slip the caliper over the pads, so I think i'm slightly dragging the brakes, but i can still rotate the wheel fairly easily. i think it will go away soon when after the pads wear out a bit. I also don't have much ebrake power yet either.

[DrummerJim50]

Turns out everything about my brakes were fine. I don't completely remember, but I'm pretty sure that I didn't reuse the metal shims, but I did reuse the "guide plates" (lingo from the shop manual) that go at the edge of the pads. But, if you did put the shims back in and it works, I would just go with it.

The fit was a little tight, but I didn't have a problem getting the calipers over my pads. As long as you got it to fit, I wouldn't worry about it. (The brakes should drag a little bit - it's no big deal - plus this will self adjust itself if it's wrong.)

After I put the brakes on I had some weird stuff going on - grinding, squeeking, some odd vibration. Turns out it was the zinc coating on my rotors. I had my rotors cryogenically treated (deep frozen to increase strength) and I think it also strengthened the coating, but the coating where the pad was contacting wore away completely within a week.

The e-brake is what got to me for a while. Turns out, it is self adjusting (which I found out by experience, plus I talked to one of my mechanic friends about it). Just make sure the pad is fairly close to the rotor - it's ok if there is some resistance when you're not braking. It took about two weeks in my car to work like normal again. The e-brake just got tighter and tighter until everything was fine. Someone told me to get some speed going reverse and hit the brakes fairly hard a few times, and this will adjust them. By the time I was told this my e-brake was working fine so I'm not sure if that works.

I've got the same pads and rotors as you - my rotors are drilled and slotted though. With the SS brake lines and the brakes broken in, my car stops like a race car. Good luck....let me know how it turns out.

[aftershock63]

I'm getting a squeek up front when i turn right. I'm sure i put everythign back right but it squeeks and grinds when turning. I don't have any problems in a straight line though not even when braking.

[SilverProtege5]

I had a similar experience to what you guys are talking about, I replaced my rotors, pads and lines with KVR pads, SR Drilled Rotors (great choice), and Corksport Stainless steel lines.

I had no e-brake and soft pedal feel (after bleeding several times). After a week or so of taking it easy on the brakes, the e-brake engages nicely and the pedal feel is hard. So I am right there with you on the self-adjusting setup its great.

[xswimordiex]

i'm pretty sure they will self adjust but you can do it yourself, i just did mine a couple days ago. at first the ebrake didn't work, so we tightened the allen a little more and drove the car around and now it works....not as good as it used to but every day it's getting better.