okay so not even 2yrs ago my right rear caliper was hanging up so i figure i will do new rear pads and a new caliper. well i did the pads and then right after the left one started to hang up. so i replaced it also. everything is handy dandy untill recently my e-brake dont work. well i can see when the e-brake is applied that the cables are pulling the caliper swivel so i know there is something wrong w/ the calipers again! now i live 350 miles from where i bought the calipers and am therefore efed! WTF!!!!!! :

 

I agree 10 times

 

Sounds like there is somthing wrong with the E-brake Cable for sure...nothing wrong with the calipers you JUST replaced

-matt

 

i have the same problem with the rebuild i bought from autozone. the caliper works fine but the brake wont tighten it 100%. its like the lever the cable is connected to is not adjusted correctly and the sping will not relase it. i have another caliper to install but i really dont want to lose my ebrake 100%.

 

adjust it inside of the cabin...your just not getting enouhg pull on the cable..there sould be an adjustment just like the throttle body calbe, underneath the leather e-brake boot

-matt

 

there should be? do you not know for sure...i can tell you one thing and that is my cables are fine because i see the caliper swivel pulled the whole way back. i work on cars for a living so i know its the calipers. still suks

 

I just pulled my rotors and pads for a reutine brake change today. I absolutely hate these brakes. Just the mear fact that you have to buy a tool to do it sucks.

 

Dude, its not that bad...were not the only make and model car that has that problem....alot of cars have that sytle rotor in the rear...

Not a big deal

-matt

 

Wow you guys are whining like little girls.... Ever try replacing shoes on a drum brake?! Be glad you have rotors on the back. And about the rears failing, thats usually caused from the insides getting rust, which can be prevented by regularly changing out the brake fluid. When's the last time any of you did a brake fluid flush?

It was easy as hell to replace the rear rotors and pads when I did it a month ago. Took me only 45 mins for doing it my first time. Rear calipers still working perfectly @ 72k miles.

 

............... THANK YOU .........

You guys whine soo much sometimes....

-matt

 

you don't even need the tool, mi padre did it with nothin but some c-clamps

 

Oh ****, c-clamp = no no for the rear ... needle nose pliers maybe.

for the whiners to be hush hush.

 

flushed the brake fluid last year when i put new calipers on...and i could care less about the time it takes to do. i have a garage w/ every possible tool you could ever want so i dont care about that but i have to BUY calipers again! thats why i am so pissed.

 

There is an adjustment for the ebrake. Your cables might be fine, but the caliper piston might not be moving enough.

 

Well, a couple of things. Many of the mass-produced non-premium cars have the one-piston calipers, so Maxima is not alone. If you want 2-4-6 piston calipers, you would have to buy a BMW/Audi/etc. or something "high-performance" in the Japanese world like a 350 Track/Evo/STi.

Maybe I was lucky, I think my rear pads were changed by me at 89k and they are fine, just had to use the rear tool properly. I'm curious how many rears are actually not seized but are not retracted with the right tool, because I thought mine was seized too until I put the tool on correctly.

All-in-all, I think what I'm saying is Maxima rear brakes are nothing better or worse than most cars with rear discs that don't have a 2-piston setup.

 

there is something wrong w/ the calipers...the cable is pulled as far as it will go for sure. i pulled the wheels off and checked everything yesterday and the caliper pivot is in the whole way. it cant go any farther...plus they are not hanging up. they work fine its just the e-brake doesnt work!

 

MOST older maximas have f__ked up e-brakes! It's a chronic problem. Mine has been fused/rusted stiff for 2 years. The only reason I can afford to ignore it is because I have an automatic.

It might come back to haunt me if I park on a REALLY steep hill! But I just can't justify the expense of fixing it.

Are you sure that your cable isn't seized? That would explain why nothing moves when you pull the cable (aside from the calipers being dead, like you suspect.)

 

i had an ebrake/caliper problem too :\
when i took off my ebrake, the right rear caliper wouldnt come all the way open so it would rub on the brake disc and moan when i was going slow.
i let my cousin drive my car for half a minute and without me knowing he yanked the ebrake up so tight when he parked it, it was at almost a 90 degree angle and was so hard to get released. but now the problem is gone...
i guess somehting stretched out a bit, but the ebrake and my brakes work perfect

 

The rusted part has a little something to do with your area, I'm in NM, and have no problems with rust .. pretty cool for a 10 year old car.

 

I have the exact same problem on the passanger side and i bought the caliper a year ago. I would really like to replace the caliper with something with a better e- brake design. Buying rebuilt calipers every year is terrible! The Blemco kit seems to be the only other option, but $800 does not seem worth it. upgradeing to 2004 rear calipers may be a possiability; however this has not been attempted ,to my knowledge, by anyone.

 

been there done that, lost the t shirt.

The original caliper was sticking slightly but the Ebrake function was 100% perfect. I tightened the adjustment nut under the handle, which helped a minor amount. It still will not pull the lever far enough to compleatly squeeze the rotor, even though the cable has pulled the lever aa far as its susposed to.

 

hmm i just replaced all brakes and rotors and the mechanic just re-lubed my calipers and changed all my hardware. He also use a steel wire brush to scrape and clean calipers to look new. He said the rear caliper piston was a lil stiff but had no trouble. 124k on origianl calipers but all new brakes/rotors/hardware..

 

maybe it's an up-North thing with the road salts during winter i guess..