djipka

iTrader: (9)

I read and read and read on this but I have no idea what it is.

handbrake pulls all the way up and it barely keeps the car steady on flat ground.

The handbrake worked perfectly before the new rotors and pads were installed. I did the pull-and-release multiple time and for 2 days of driving now still no effect.

what could be wrong? Did I do something wrong with the installation?

Also another question i have after all the reading I did on here. Is the caliper piston supposed to be lined up in a way that the little nipple on the pads will fit in the grooves that are used to retract the piston back?

98MaximaDriver

iTrader: (8)

There is a clip that holds the parking brake cable! When doing youre rear brake you forget to put it back on?

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Yes.

djipka

iTrader: (9)

no

djipka

iTrader: (9)

Dang! I gotta get down there to see if we put it no right then.


What about the loose handbrake? would the misaligned nipple thing cause that?

98MaximaDriver

iTrader: (8)

Did you look to see if the clip and cable are still on there.. you could of put the clip on wrong or ..


Remove your center console or you ebrake boot and see if you can adjust the tightness there on the adjuster nut!

@ 0:42 of this video he pulls the clip out and detaches the cable!

look on yours and see if the clip and cable are attached!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVpCs..._order&list=UL

djipka

iTrader: (9)

I've got all that down dude. I already said the clip and cable are where they need to be and where they were with the old pads and rotors. Tell me something I don't already know please

cashoit

ur gonna hafta see if the cable is actuating the brakes or not. Get the car on a lift, see if u can have someone else apply the handbrake and see if the calipers move.

Do u feel any tension in the wire? If not, then either something snapped or u didnt connect something properly.

How is the fluid level? maybe u need to bleed the rears

djipka

iTrader: (9)

cable is good and checked. it was working PERFECT before new pads and rotors were installed. the handbrake holds the car barely with the lever pulled all the way up inside the car.

So far the only things that I see may be wrong is the pads not being aligned with the piston (the nipple thing on the pad) or I need bleeding which I will have the whole system flushed these days when I have time.

98MaximaDriver

iTrader: (8)

Dude, You know sometimes it good to entertain people as well as yourself especially when your asking for help! The clip/cable could have fell off or was not put on correctly!! Popping off the wheel to check is not the end of the world. ( All in all im just making sure we are on the same page!)

Also, i dont know what you know!! So saying "tell me something i dont know" is well.. Ill let you figure that one out!

*********

Back to actually trying to help your situation out!! Did you take the center console or your ebrake boot off and use the adjuster nut!

(how much slack is on the cable)!!!!!!!
Cashoit asked as well "Do u feel any tension in the wire?" But you didnt answer!

Yank on the ebrake about half way and use the adjuster nut to tighten!

Then recheck it.. Set the ebrake down and recheck by pulling it back up! if its still loose then repeat the steps. Yank on the ebrake about half way and adjust the 10 mil nut i think it is again!

Then recheck!! Repeat!!!

If the cable has not snapped like you say it hasnt since you checked!!!

It should tighten up..

djipka

iTrader: (9)

Thanks for the info but I will agree we are not on the same page.

I know what you are saying and all but you have to understand that everything is where it needs to be and has been checked. I have 3 maximas to look at and compare with and all look the same. My handbrake was able to hold the whole car on a big hill even when the car was in neutral. I have not messed with anything that i didn't put back where it goes. The only difference now is the new pads and rotors. So if we think logically here the handbrake should work the same as before if not even better.

Am I not being clear enough here? New pads and rotors and everything else is the exact same way. Also just for being safe I did all that with a friend so 4 eyes were looking at it and checked it all.

So again, would the pad to piston alignment (the nipple thing) and/or I need to bleed the brakes to fix this?

98MaximaDriver

iTrader: (8)

Well if "everything is where it needs to be and has been checked" we wouldnt be having this conversation so there is a problem with your logic but anyways .. yes you are being clear!

Tho not a requirement, bleeding your brakes after a brake job is a good idea! As for the pad to piston alignment i dont know if that would fix your problem but im no brake expert!

At the same time ive done my brakes and rotors on my cars for quite some time and never had issues! (hope i just didnt jinx myself .. i just bought rotors and pads!! haha)

Anyway maybe someone else with more expertise can help you out here but i would bleed the brakes and i would use the adjuster nut to tighten the cable like i said in the previous post!

djipka

iTrader: (9)

I hope you didn't get me wrong bro. I really appreciate your input and opinion. I will go down and look at them pads and how they are seated against the piston. And I have been planning to do a brake flush since I bought the car 3 years ago. I've done all other maintenance by the book. Flushed all other fluids and I change and top off on regular basis.

Anyway, I will check the pads, do the flush and see what happens then. Adjusting the 10mm nut inside is easy so I'll leave it for last in case all else doesn't fix the problem. Dirty jobs first cause they need to be done for sure. My brakes are quite a bit softer than my friend's so bleeding is needed for sure I think.

thanks again

asand1

iTrader: (1)

The link between caliper levers and pistons uses BBs and ramps. If the piston and pad arent locked together the piston will just rock back and forth and no outward movement will happen.

djipka

iTrader: (9)

are you saying that if the nipple aint where it needs to be my rear brakes don't work? Cause if you're right that would be why my handbrake dont work

98MaximaDriver

iTrader: (8)

no problem bro, i wish i could help more.. Im glad asand1 is chiming in im sure he is more knowledgeable than i.

Hope it all works out! Ill be doing my brakes and rotors all around soon in about a week or so and ill take an extra close look and see what i can see! But hopefully you have it resolved by then.

adroitcaptor

I rarely disagree with asand1. However it is my understanding that the nipple on the pads are to help align and keep the pad shim. Where it is intended to fit into the piston notch, the absence of this will not relegate the system useless as you describe. I reserve the right to be wrong.

As far as trouble shooting this issue:
Do the rear brakes work in conjunction with the brake pedal?
If you take the wheel off and turn the rotor manually can you see or feel the brake lever apply pressure via the caliper?
Observe the 'rear assembly brake cable' where it attaches to the caliper assembly at the lever/cam. Can you see the cable pull the 'brake lever plate'? (If so, put a wood block in the caliper and spam the lever while observing the caliper piston.)
Follow the rear brake cable up to the front[single] to rear[dual] cable splitter. See if the front cable is pulling the rear assembly.
Check the front cable is connected to hand brake lever.

djipka

iTrader: (9)

The cable is pulling everything and the brake is engaging but the lever pulls all the way up and the brake is weak. the pistons work on both sides because I know they moved in and filled the gap that was there when we pushed them in for the install of the pads and rotors. I can also see the lines on the rotor from the pad friction.

I'm quite sure I need bleeding but today after work i will take the wheels off and start with making sure the nipple fits the piston groove right.

my old pads didn't have shims neither do the new ones.

cashoit

I never done breaks before so i aint no expert here....

But lookin at FSM schematic, the brake hose and rear cable assmebly are separate. That means the two dont work together. IMO, bleeding the line wont do anything for the handbreak.

The cable attaches to a pin/bolt and spring. But u saying the piston moves when pullin on the cable. Either the coil spring is broke (but to be broke on both sides seems very unlikely) OR u got the wrong pads and rotors. So ima ask the obvious, where u get them pads and rotors from bro and do they meet spec????

adroitcaptor

You are not understanding how this brake system works bro.

IF the calipers work WITHOUT the handbrake, the handbrake should work. Now admittedly, perhaps not to an optimal state, no one should argue that. But what we need to figure out is what works, so we can figure out why.

To say that the calipers work, the linkage is intact and working, and the problem is cause by lack of system bleeding is incongruent.

Most likely you have (1 of) 2 or [far fetched but] 3 problems. Linkage side and/or caliper side issue.
BOTH handbrake assemblies on the caliper, through PFM, malfunctioning at the same time just isn't going to happen. More than likely you are not observing the functions I am trying to point out. However, either the linkage is bad or the caliper level assembly is jacked. Figuring this out is the first step. Just understand, if you tell me the issue is the caliper, both going bad is real hard for me to swallow.
The third possibility - the brakes do not work for crap and you just think they are working. The evidence you gave of the brakes functioning properly is completely subjective. We are looking for conclusive data here. At any rate, the third possibility is the lack of bleeding has exasperated the problem so much that the handbrake function is not noticeably working.

I told you to TS the steps in the manner I did for a reason. Your word, at this point in the process, is not enough if you want me to continue to help. There are too many things to miss, confuse, or simply interpret the wrong way. (That sounds really rude, I mean to say that your responses are not congruent so at this point we need to TS some solid data.)

Bottom line, trouble shoot this issue in the manner and process in which I told you. If you need clarification or would appreciate a walk-through, do not hesitate to ask. If you want me to explain my above reasoning, again, feel free to ask.

GL

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Think of a nut and bolt. You try to remove the bolt, but the nut spins. The nut does not move any further from the head of the bolt.

The parking break actuator works on the same principal. If the nipples on tha pad don't engage the piston, the piston will spin WITH the actuator, rather than work against it and force the piston out. Think about it, you need to turn the pistin in to replace bads. inversly you need to turn the lever to push it back out.

You are overanlyzing rather than trouble shooting, and doing. take everything apart and figure it out rather than dismising everyone elses suggestions.

I learned all this in tech school trying to earn an associate of science in automotive technology. I got an A in brakes ans suspension. Ive also worked in an audi/vw dealer that also dealt subaru and GM. I dont mean to toot my own horn but I do have first hand experience with this.

Check that your pads are ingaging your pistons and then double check everything else.

Augustus Maximus

iTrader: (6)

Rear pistons screws in, not push in. System only need bleeding if you pulled the brake line. My guess is you and your friend focked up the calipers. Looking at friction lines is not how you check if the calipers are apply proper pressure on the pad.

djipka

iTrader: (9)

I guess I am having trouble communicating here

But what you just told me is what I've been wanting to know since my first post. I will align the nipple to the piston today. Thanks

djipka

iTrader: (9)

I know all that. We didn't mess anything up trust me.
And please keep the colorful language for other occasions

djipka

iTrader: (9)

handbrake fixed! I aligned the nipples to the pistons and everything is back to perfect. Tomorrow I'm having a fluid flush and everything will be at 100%.

thanks for all the input and help!

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Glad I could help.

djipka

iTrader: (9)

Brake fluid flush today.

Last Saturday put my Tokico HPs on and with the 99 SE steering rack and all... WOW! this car feels like never before. It handles, turns, stops etc. so fast its amazing! And when we put the Potenza's in the count the car is just awesome.

98MaximaDriver

iTrader: (8)

Sweet !! You got it all worked out!!

cashoit

Glad everythin working man. I knew all u had to do is look at the calipers and u find the solution.

THe blues are quite nice. I got them too with the H&R springs. Today around this two-lane bend, i took this truck on the outside lane. Car held steady the whole time. I love it