Need expert advice on finishing 94 Celica brake job Options

[Langing]

JULY 22 UPDATE: "BRAKE JOB" FINISHED. (See comment of today's date.)

JUNE 2 UPDATE: REAR BRAKES FINE NOW; FRONT RIGHT STEERING KNUCKLE DEFINITELY BENT (AT THE EARS); SEEKING ANOTHER KNUCKLE.

MAY 28 UPDATE: NOW WHAT? THE REAR WHEELS ARE LOCKED BUT THE PB IS DOWN! WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?

MAY 27 UPDATE: SATISFIED THAT THE REAR DRUM BRAKES ARE NOW FUNCTIONING PROPERLY; PROBLEM DEFINED DOES NOT AFFECT THE BRAKE AT ITS PROPER ADJUSTMENT OPERATING POINT; MOVING ON TO NEXT TASK

MAY 23 UPDATE: REAR DRUM BRAKE PROBLEM DEFINITION IS NARROWING SUCH THAT AN EXPERT MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP ME (SEE LAST POSTS)


This is my first experience doing such an extensive job on my Celica, and I have the Green Books (FSM). Everything looks beautiful (to me), have photos.

I have finished replacing/rebuilding all parts of the brake system -- meaning at all four wheels (including new hardware, hoses, wheel bearings, etc) and am ready to put her back on the road, but . . . with all new shoes, pads, drums and rotors, how can I know they are working properly? I’ve already discovered a couple of assembly mistakes I had to correct, which tells me there may be something else I am missing?

First known issue: because I don’t have a vernier caliper longer than 6”, an AMPRO T71558 Brake Drum Resetting Gauge will arrive on Friday so I can set the ‘clearance’ between the shoes and drums at the rear. Beyond that I have some confusion on how the parking brake works to maintain the proper clearance, given the initial setting of the rear brakes. I want to be totally clear about what I am doing so I am not making a stupid but costly mistake.

For example: the manual says to verify that the parking brake levers (on the rear shoes) turns the adjusters (they do) and then to minimize the length of the adjusters (I did), then install the drums and pull the parking brake lever (in the cabin) all the way up until a clicking sound can no longer be heard (did that as well). The very next procedure is to check shoe clearance, but the last step left the parking brake on? And I was thinking that engaging the parking brake and then releasing it was the cause of the adjuster turning, and that it turns only by just one gear tooth distance. All that said, the manual has me just setting the initial clearance, popping on the drums and tires I'm good to go. Is that really all I need to do to make sure the rear breaks are functioning properly?

Second issue: with new rotors and pads on the front disc brakes, there isn’t a lot of free space in the caliper bracket and there is a scraping sound when I turn the rotors by hand, so there is obvious interference. I don’t know whether the slide pins are not working well, since the calipers aren’t sliding in and out when hand manipulated, or are they just supposed to rub together until enough friction material wears off that they can begin to have enough space to work once the car is on the road? How do I check them BEFORE I put her on the road, so I can be certain they are working properly?

My inexperience has me ready to go, but dead in the water.

This post has been edited by Langing: Jul 22, 2014 - 11:06 AM

[Special_Edy]

Test the emergency brake and if it works go for a drive to make sure the brakes are working correctly. Unless youre riding the ass of the car in front of you, your emergency brake and engine can stop you quickly enough. In an emergency, you could turn the key to ACCESSORY (which kills the motor) and downshift to bring the car to a halt, while still having steering(if you turn it to OFF you lock the steering). The rear parking brake will hold the car at 4-7 clicks when properly adjusted. You can push the car by hand or use the running engine to test that it works. If its a manual all this is simpler, for an automatic the parking brake should prevent the car from rolling in drive without brake pedal depressed. There are adjustment nuts on the parking brake lever inside the center console for you to fine tune it.

The disc brakes are self adjusting but through the hydraulic system. When you press the brake pedal, the pads will fully contact the rotors, and when you let off the pedal the pads partially retract. The slides shouldnt be sticky (the grease is so thick they wont exactly be as smooth as butter though) or else you will experience uneven pad and rotor wear as well as noisy, squealing brakes.

Some drag on the brakes is okay, the pads need to bed into the rotors before they operate optimally. To bed the pads into the rotors you should get onto an uncrowded section of highway. From 60 mph, apply the brakes hard(like maybe 75% of their capacity) to bring the car down to around 5mph. Do not allow the car to stop moving or the pads will deposit an uneven layer of material onto the rotor. Accelerate back to 60mph and repeat the procedure 10 times in rapid succession or until you can smell the brakes cooking. You may experience some brake fade before you finish. Once you have done it 10 times or can smell the brakes overheating, continue driving for 10-20 minutes to give the brakes a chance to fully cool, without ever coming to a complete stop. Once the rotors have cooled you have finished bedding in the rotors. The rotor will now have a slight greyish coating on it, this is material from the pads which has transfered onto the rotor. The rotor will also have brown or blueish markings on it, this means the rotors have heated up significantly and tempered as they cooled down.

This post has been edited by Special_Edy: May 14, 2014 - 3:59 PM