SeanD

Hi,

I just got a call from a local shop that is doing my gears and they asked if I know why the rear wheels would not roate with the e-brake off. I noticed this awhile ago while doing other work on the car, but it seems that when the car starts the rear calipers release the rotors completely.
Is this normal? I have released the e-brake in my driveway and the car can be pushed, but should it move alot easier than they are saying? The guy I talked too said he could not roate the wheel at all. they were going to disconnect the drive shaft and see if it moves freely. I think it is the calipers acting up, as when I went to change the pads last year, i had a hell of a time compressing the calipers in. I had to release all pressure to the caliper at the banjo bolt and remove the bleeder for me to be able to compress the caliper.

Sean

slidejob

One reason you had a hard time with the rear pistons is they screw in Vs the fronts push in. You could have a caliper hanging up.

SeanD

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I compressed them using the screw in tool.

bob

Your wheels wont rotate freely with the trans engaged since you have a limited slip diff unlike an open diff which allows the wheels to counter rotate even with the trans engaged.

In neutral (or driveshaft unbolted), the wheels should rotate in the same direction.

Also when doing your brakes, it is best to open the bleeder screws when compressing the pistons in the caliper. Compressing the pistons without opening the bleeder screws can force debris in the system back toward the brake system controller (ABS/TCS unit) and clog it creating a costly repair.

mrv8outboard

There also could be a E-brake cable hanging up.

ford4v429

with limited slip, they wont rotate easily (have to override the clutch in the center section), BUT they should still rock a little bit thru the backlash in the gears...if they wont rock at all, somethings wrong.

I just redid the parking brakes on my grand marquis- was *****ing about the silly setup that rusts holding the shoes out to a dealer mechanic buddy of mine- he said ford still uses the same setup for the parking brakes...if youve never seen one, its a drum inside the tophat of the disk. my merc was same as another buddies merc at work- upon disassembly, there were no-none-nada-shoes on the parking brake linings...the steel wasnt scored, they didnt wear off- they obviously came unglued and ground to dust...theres a little scissor/cam thing the cables pull on, the pivot pin rusts so tight it becomes useless- getting it out is a bear. you must get it to free up before it can be removed (or pull the axle a little bit if you want to open the center/fight the spring out to pull the clips).

I'd suggest rocking both wheels on the lift, see if either has any lash, if only ones tight, pull it first...if its not a stuck disk caliper like already mentioned, pull the rotor and check your drum shoes...like yours, mines a stick, so I use mine often, no problems- often automatic tranny cars though never get used and quickly become useless.

on the park brake pivots, use the best never seize you can get...I tried something different this time- time will tell if it was stupid or not- but I tried teflon sealant pipe dope on it- it dries pretty hard, but leaves a pretty heavy residue...we'll see in a year or two if the park brake starts sticking again
I started using that stuff on gearbox covers and such on machines at work instead of permatex or rtv ( I hate rtv on machined mating parts...might as well superglue them), the teflon paste has never leaked, fills minor imperfections on sealing surfaces, and separates like butter even years later...cant tell you how many times Ive had to drill/tap jacking screws in machined plates sealed on with rtv...ive seen guys even bust castings trying to separate siliconed components...teflon paste works pretty darn well at work- will see how it works as neverseize