Thaik

Hey guys,

I just did a drum to rear disc conversion last summer, and now in the winter, after a cold night with the e-brake engaged, the rear brakes get stuck in the morning partially. By that I mean, after disengaging the hand brake, there'll be some slack and play in the e-brake and depending on how strong I pulled it last night and how cold the weather is, it will stick harder in the morning. But as I drove, the caliper would heat up and it would unstuck.

I have just replaced the rear caliper pin boots and greased the pins with Sil-Glyde silicon grease. Before that, it would permanently get stuck even after several kilometers of driving.

One thing I have to mention is that I had a hard time fitting the boot into the caliper (actually not the caliper, but the part that has the slider pins) because I couldn't get it to be air tight, by pulling and pushing the boot back and forth, the air would always escape. I couldn't get a good seal because of the corrosion around the hole on which the boot is supposed to rest on. Thankfully I had another spare around with less corrosion. But still, the pins didn't have that spring-like behavior, not sure how it is supposed to behave either.

Now it is a bit warmer, the e-brake doesn't get stuck at all, but I'd like to know where to investigate, is it the e-brake cable, the brake caliper piston or the brake caliper slider pins?

Did anyone have any problem after doing a drum to rear disc conversion and living in cold climate?

Thank you

Thaik

Alright, here's an update.

It only does it in very cold weather. It's not summer and I'm not having any issue even after letting the parking brake engaged for days.

Could it have something to do with the silicone grease itself even though it's a very well known and considered excellent.

Or is it actually the sleeves that doesn't have enough vacuum therefore suction since it's an old part (rusted and corroded casing).

Thaik

bump anyone?

ezone

You gotta figure out what part(s) are sticking.

Slide pins and boots should have nothing to do with how the hand brake acts. It's a totally separate system.


Handbrake lever tension after release is completely reliant on free moving cables and the spring tension on the levers at the calipers. If any part is less than perfect and drags too much you'll get that 'nothing there' feeling on the handle.
(I haven't seen any problems with the hand lever inside the car, but I wouldn't rule it out especially if drinks have been spilled in the console.)

If the cables are sticking, replace? If the rubber boots at the ends of the handbrake cables have worn or got holes it could let water in and it will freeze in the cold. Same thing if the outer sheath or housing of the cables has cracked open. Dirt getting in makes them rough and difficult to pull easily, and may not retract by spring tension alone.
If you buy new cables just install as received, do not open or add extra lube inside them.

If the levers on the calipers are sticking, you may need new calipers.

You'll probably have to experiment in the cold if there's nothing obvious right away.





If the pads are sticking to the brake rotors, that might be expected in some conditions.