87 gt help

[Doddly5687]

I bought an 87 gt fiero from a buddy of mine. There's a lot wrong, and I'll probably be asking for help a lot on here but as of now when I brake, the pedal goes almost all the way to the floor before catching at all, and then it's very delayed braking. To me, and keep in mind I don't really know a whole lot, it seems the ebrake was used and is now locked. And if I were to move the ebrake handle it moves up and down easily as if not connected to much of anything. I don't really need the ebrake, so if there's anyway to disengage it, or even cut it and disable it completely, please let me know. Thank you

[ctwright]

As for the pedal not going all the way to the floor, I would check the brake fluid level, you may need to bleed the brakes also, you may have air in the lines. You will need a helper to do that. As far as the ebrake, see if you can take the console apart around it and look for a lever or cable you can push in on to get it to disengage. I've never owned one of these vehicles so I'm not sure exactly what it's going to look like but I'm sure if you get to taking stuff loose you will see how it's supposed to work and be able to disengage the ebrake.

[Ragtop_Renegade]

You are probably correct in thinking that your parking brake is at least part of the problem. Unfortunately, you will need to repair the parking brake, disconnecting it will not solve anything.

The 4 wheel disc brake system on Fieros depends on a working parking brake to maintain peak stopping performance. The screw-type rear brake calipers on a Fiero (also GM "w" body cars and several other with all wheel disc brakes) do not self-adjust for pad wear. Rather, a ratchet mechanism adjusts caliper width (if needed) each time the parking brake is used.

Failure to use the parking brake periodically allows the rear pads to wear to a point where the calipers can no longer clamp the rotors tightly, rendering the rear brakes useless and transferring 100% of the burden on to the front brakes. This not only decreases braking power by roughly 30%, but it can easily cause premature wear on the front pads. It may, in certain conditions, contribute to "brake fade". Brake fade is an overheating condition that reduces the friction between pad and rotor, sometimes nearing complete failure.

Luckily, the parking brake system is rather simple. The majority of problems are solved by replacing the cables. There are 3 cables total. One cable from each wheel is connected by an adjuster which joins to the 3rd cable, connected to the brake lever.
Sometimes, taking up the slack using the adjuster is all that's needed.

As of a few years ago, all 3 cables, the adjuster, and almost every other component in the parking brake system was still available from Pontiac dealers. They certainly aren't cheap, my 86 Fiero had cost me near $300 to replace the 3 cables and adjuster. There may be aftermarket sources, and while I'm personally a very strict follower of the church of original factory service parts, you may find aftermarket items more within budget.

The parking brake doesn't have to be used all the time, or for any real length of time. A good way to keep your rear brakes adjusted is each time you drive the car, get in and apply the parking brake. Fasten your seat belt, adjust the mirrors, start the engine, and so forth according to your normal routine. Disengage the parking brake, and go. This doesn't need to be done more then once per day.

My Fiero was a 5 speed, and therefore I always used the parking brake. I did use the above method on my Regal, and my wife's Grand Prix. Both cars started stopping a lot better and front brake pad life more then doubled.

I'm not promising this is the complete source of your braking problems. I can say that it's probably contributing, defiantly isn't helping, and will certainly make it worse before it gets any better. Once the parking brake is in good working order, if you still have a unusually large amount of pedal travel the next step is to check the following :

1. The master cylinder may be failing
3. You have a leaking line/hose
4. Pads are severely worn