On my 1998 Audi A8, the emergency/parking brake works by a lever which presses against the back of the caliper (not with separate brake shores). I pulled the calipers, and both the parking brake levers are jammed in place and can barely be moved with whacks from a mallet. IIRC these are supposed to pivot freely. Does anyone have tips about how to unjam or disassemble these? New ones cost $260 each, so I’d really like to rebuild these first.
-Zumkopf
P.S. the brake calipers are labeled “Lucas, Germany” I knew Lucas made spotty electricals, but apparently they can screw up brakes too…
I’ve never been into an A8 caliper but the levers should not move much, at least on the vehicles I’ve worked with. The caliper piston is on a threaded shaft that unscrews itself to maintain adjustment and the lever is connected to this.
Have you removed the caliper pistons yet?
What were the brake symptoms prior to disassembly?
i am not familiar with audi brakes, but i have never heard about emergency brakes which use the primary pads. are you SURE these use the pads, and dont have a second set of e brake pads inside the hub of the rotor?
as a point, you mention you pulled the calipers. does this mean you removed the calipers already?
if you have removed them, then you do have another set of ebrake shoes inside the drum.
have you gotten the rotors off?
what does IIRC mean?
what does you repair manual say about this? did you buy one?
Right! What were you having trouble with?.. On the rear calipers, you need a special brake tool which turns the caliper piston while it pushes in at the same time. Only the rears work this way and its’ a real pain in the butt.
Actually, many cars use the primary pads as the holding mechanism. My Lincoln Mark does this and even SAABs and older Subarus, with a twist to the last 2.
SAABs and older Subarus use the front calipers as the park brake mechanism.
IIRC = If I Recall Correctly
Old porsche rear disc brakes also used the pads for the parking brakes, I don’t know about the new ones. Personally, I prefer the designs that use separate drums for the parking brakes.
You can get remanufactured here for $103.99 plus core charge:
Yep. Have the brake tool, unscrewed the piston without any problem. But the rear e-brake adjuster is frozen, and it has been pushing the piston into the rotor, causing premature wear. If I could free it up, all would be well, but I can’t see how it comes apart.
and yes, as noted, there are quite a few cars that use this “main brake” setup rather than a secondary drum and shoes for the e-brake.