stuck caliper...

i know - should have been more specific. i was referring to the fact
that the adjuster in drums seems to need a little coaxing sometimes. my
point is that i wouldn't be surprised if the same principle applied to
the disk mechanisms occasionally as well. no /direct/ comparison
intended however.

 

The cable and boot are fine. It moves perfectly smoothly. It ratchets
the arm from a retracted position exactly similar to the right side,
when the p-brake handle is fully released, all the way to the stop pin
that looks like a little mushroom.

This clearly indicates that there is a problem between the point at
which the arm is attached to the cam shaft and the piston. If I read the
diagram right it could possibly be simply that the parking nut and lever
are loose, so I'll definitely check those. Thanks for the push.

 

Good. I was indeed referring to the dust boot, and it was pretty obvious
when I had the piston halfway out and the dust boot pulled back that
something else was holding the hydraulic seal--I wrongly assumed that it
was the incredibly close fit between the piston and the bore that did
the trick, but it does make sense that a rubber seal would be back there
too. Thanks for the info.

 

The plot thickens... I disassembled the parking arm assembly. The cam is
fine (no rust), the cam boot is supple, the parking nut, washer, and arm
were correctly seated, if very rusty. The cam rotates, and in fact does
move the piston a bit--looked like ~1/8", but that required full
movement of the arm. I was unable to compare the movement on the other
side today due to rain that started earlier than hoped (damn!). Anyone
know offhand just how far the p-brake arm is supposed to move the piston?

I'm wondering whether merely screwing the piston in and out during the
last examination reset things, and I just didn't give it enough time to
self-adjust. How long/how many pedal pushes is that supposed to take,
anyway? I've only driven ~10 miles since I rotated the piston, but we've
got a nice long trip coming up over the weekend that will surely adjust
it, unless part of the adjusting mechanism behind the piston is somehow
damaged or insufficiently lubricated.

I suppose it's also possible that the p-brake cable on the left side is
stretched out too much to be acceptable. Guess I'll have to disassemble
both sides at my next opportunity, to compare the mechanisms more closely.

Grrrr.

 

Abeness <> floridly penned in

One thing I suggested was to disconnect both cables at the calipers and
push/pull them with your fingers to see if there's a diffrence in effort.

The parking brake will adjust pretty quickly even with the piston all the
way in, as in a few pedal pushes.

When you step on the pedal, the piston will move out about 1/16". The
parking brake should do the same. And whren you let off the pedal, the
piston should move back IN again a bit.

 

Thanks yet again, Tegger. Will report back when I can check further
(probably not for a week or two).