odd brake prob 94 cutlass

Hi. I have an odd problem in an Olds 94 Cierra. Rear brakes. Took over a year to find a mechanic who finally could find the noise was emanating from the rear (had the front torn apart too many times for too much money to think about). The spring for the emergency brake on both sides was slipping over a flange and the metal springs rubbing (a noise you won't soon forget) against the bolts for I believe it is the drum? (sorry, computer tech by trade and if it has moving parts, it goes to a mechanic :)

Solution at this point is to secure the springs away from these bolts with a nylon twist tie. Which renders emergency brake unusable. Anyone have any ideas? I couldn't find a service bulletin regarding this but it appears to be a design flaw, nothing is broken and all parts appeared OEM/ original.

PS> Everyone swore the noise was the front, apparently it would actually travel right up the cable.

Reply to
Sue
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"Sue" wrote

This is actually a fairly common problem....even with late model vehicles with drum brakes. Often....the fix is to properly adjust the e-brake cable outside the drum brakes. If the cable is not snug enough, it allows the cable and spring inside the drum brake to bow out towards the heads of the wheel studs.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

Precisely, Ian, it would just bow right out to the path of those heads and grind away as the wheels turned. I really wish my mech had given it a chance after proper adjustment before resorting to the ties. Not sure how best to approach now, will probably go back on my day off and ask if we can have a go without the ties and get my emergency brake back!. I know he did adjust it "outside" the brakes or such, some retainer or another had never been taken off before and he said they had just adjusted it from inside (no doubt you guys know what he is saying. But hey, if you need a motherboard or scsi drive or two swapped out :)

I just found it hard to believe the design/engineering of it that they didn't have a proper guide or retainer to keep such a thing from happening. The noise is was really something and was very worrisome, especially for somebody on the road 3 hours or more a day.

Thanks

Reply to
Sue

"Sue" wrote

Thank you...fortunately I know how to fool around with computers too.

Some drum brake designs do have a guide that the cable and spring part are retained by.

I've found that the best thing to do is to properly adjust "first" the brake shoes to the drum.....and then adjust the park brake cable after that adjustment. This will usually result in the cable and spring being taut enough so that they will not rub on the afore mentioned wheel stud heads.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

Forgive top-posting. I was going to have the nylon-tie job removed from the rear brakes/e-brake on my day off upcoming Friday, but leaving a store tonight the brake light didn't want to go off. I didn't on this particular parking do the e-brake out of habit (have been catching myself before fully depressing, but this time didn't even try). After several back and forths and pulling on the hand lever the light finally went out and I got home with a burning smell emenating from the rear.

My guess is somewhere >

Reply to
Sue

"Sue" wrote

I don't know what to tell you....other then to get the drums off and have a look see inside. It's possible that you may have smoked the rear shoes and drums. I'd either fix the cables properly....or take them right out altogether if you have some sort of budget restraints.

I never use the park brake on an auto trans car.

Ian

Reply to
shiden_kai

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