General Rear Disc Brakes

[Oletimer]

Hey all, something miraculous happened today.
Tanking round town and suddenly the shed felt completely different...
You know when you slap ya boot on the brake, you expect a certain feelin, well, when I did at about 30 mph, it (the shed) felt completely different.
Let me explain...

About 2 months ago I got a metal to metal grinding from the ar send, upon inspection found - actually DIDN'T, find any brake pads, only the steel bits. Being lightning quick, realised that something should be between the disc and the pad...
That's when the fun started...

If there are any of you that have NOT done the rear brake pad change op on a Multi, or maybe you are of a nervous disposition, best you hide under the blankets now, cos it really ain't a pretty sight.

Well, I DID the rear brake pad change op, still got all my fingers (I think), hair turned white and I took on the appearance of a maniacal zombie, half the tools in my garage got ground into weird looking bits to re-seat the pots and the wife left and took the dogs - left the bloody kids behind tho, wise things these wimin.

And after all the blood, sweat and tears, the handbrake didn't pull up squarely and the footbrake's got a mind of it's own. Many, many hours of messing later and I gave up, thinking, the brakes will never pull up square again.

Then, today they did! No good asking me what made them do it, cuz I ain't gotta clue. Now they work as they should, handbrake back to perfect. Footbrake spot on.
I have been doing the usual handbrake wrenches to help adjust the rear brakes but it didn't seem to be having any effect, until today, long after I had given up on them, they start to work properly. How weird is that. Only a few dozen other Fiat Invented problems to sort out and I'll be in heaven.
One very happy Oletimer
Cheers

 

[BikeDoc]

Rear (hand-brake) discs on any car are a complete pain in the a**e, and the Multi ones are particularly c**p

Glad I have Drums on my current one, I'll never go back to Discs on anything (unless I build it myself, in which case I'd use separate mechanical 'spot' calipers for the park-brake).

When you replaced the calipers, did you fit and adjust the handbrake cables before pumping the pedal to bleed them?
It might be the other way round, can't remember, but if you do it the 'wrong' way, your handbrake doesn't function.

 

[Oletimer]

B.Doc:
I can't remember if I refitted the handbrake cables first or not, either way, I had no handbrake worth talking about. It felt more responsive on the off side, but even that was poor.
You hit the nail on the 'ed there mate. The basic principle is actually a very poor engineering answer to a not very complicated question. Take a look a Merc's idea - disc foot brake and drum handbrake, which, on my 450 SEL, was brilliant. Not the most easiest of systems but it worked and was fixable by most competent spanner men.

Hence the reason why I'd like to swap my rear frame and brake set in one - the rear frame is looking worse-for-wear for the salt we love to use over here so it's gotta be changed sooner rather than later. My only real dread is how many of the bolts are going to shear in the process, either that or the captivated nuts ripping out. It's gonna be a pig any way you look at it. I was in Portugal a few weeks ago and their Multi's don't show the corrosion that ours do, might get a rear frame from over there.

I can't see life without my beloved Ugly Bug, theres something about the little brute that gets under ya skin, so whatever it needs I'm prepared to do, it's no good worrying about cost at this stage, it went past economical repair a couple of years ago , I just can't give it up.
Cheers
George

 

[BikeDoc]

Just re-read my old posts about this, and you have to pump the piston out before attaching the cables.
If you attach the cables first, that engages the H-B mechanism, then when you pump the piston out, it moves it away from the mechanism.

 

[widemouthfrog]

B.Doc:
I can't see life without my beloved Ugly Bug, theres something about the little brute that gets under ya skin, so whatever it needs I'm prepared to do, it's no good worrying about cost at this stage, it went past economical repair a couple of years ago , I just can't give it up.
Cheers
George

Spoken like a true addict :woot:

 

[BikeDoc]

Certainly is.
As I've said before, this is the only car that I've bought a second one of, after the previous one died, in over 34 years on the road.
I wouldn't hesitate to get another either.

Will get progressively harder of course as time goes on, to find a decent one, given that the 'youngest' ones are already 10 years old . . .

 

[Oletimer]

BikeDoc: Thanks mucka, Thankfully it has 'repaired' itself, cos after the delightful time I had I wasn't going to dive back in again. I can always 'log' it for future reference .
yeah, got to admit that the ole Bug has touched a spot, this is #3 and I'd still be on #2 if 'her in doors' hadn't moaned so much - after SHE hit the gates once too often (5 times!!! - poor lil bug didn't deserve that). That's always a problem mate, the ole girls get long in the tooth and good cars get rare.

WMF: Can't be helped - I'm a sucka for em.

Cheers
George