Ruud Posted July 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 right...after fiddling with it all afternoon I'm about to bin it I have it set so that both levers on the caliper require minimum travel to properly bite....Also adjusted the cable so all slack is gone..tried to test it and now the manual release stays 'on'. I can push the pedal as much as I want, it doesn't lock anymore....I'm about to rip that P O S out and fit a proper HAND brake lever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted July 29, 2009 Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Sorry I can't be of any more help. It's been a loooooooong time since I've been under an '86. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruud Posted July 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2009 Sorry I can't be of any more help. It's been a loooooooong time since I've been under an '86. No worries Ranger I think I've found part of the problem. I was told on the phone earlier by the nice gentleman who imported the Caddy into the UK that the P.brake on a '86 a pumping action requires, about 3.(can anyone confirm that). I presumed it had to be a 1 stroke action and therefore adjusted the lever on the calipers accordingly. If it indeed is a pumping mechanism, I can set the levers with a little more play and will probably be able to fit the cables back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 I have driven Cadillacs for the last 35 years and have yet to see a generic "Service Soon" message. Usually it is Service Engine Soon. Not sure what to make of this. The old RWD Devilles and Fleetwood Broughams with the 4100 engines had SERVICE SOON and SERVICE NOW lights on the dash above the speedometer. They meant service engine soon and service engine now respectively. Not sure if the car in this thread has an information center or lights. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 You know, now that you mention that, it does ring a bell. I humbly stand corrected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruud Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 I have driven Cadillacs for the last 35 years and have yet to see a generic "Service Soon" message. Usually it is Service Engine Soon. Not sure what to make of this. The old RWD Devilles and Fleetwood Broughams with the 4100 engines had SERVICE SOON and SERVICE NOW lights on the dash above the speedometer. They meant service engine soon and service engine now respectively. Not sure if the car in this thread has an information center or lights. Hi KHE, my car has the information center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 Sorry I can't be of any more help. It's been a loooooooong time since I've been under an '86. No worries Ranger I think I've found part of the problem. I was told on the phone earlier by the nice gentleman who imported the Caddy into the UK that the P.brake on a '86 a pumping action requires, about 3.(can anyone confirm that). I presumed it had to be a 1 stroke action and therefore adjusted the lever on the calipers accordingly. If it indeed is a pumping mechanism, I can set the levers with a little more play and will probably be able to fit the cables back on. Yep. 2-3 times to apply the brakes. Be aware of that applying the brake and selecting a gear should make the e-brake disengage. Otherwise something is wrong. Seems like you figured out the manual release handle anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 I know that the rear brakes looks completely different from any other setup on a European car for instance and know that many people think this is a bad design. On the contrary I would say that this system (still in use with small design changes on my 2002 STS) is far superior in almost every way! 1) Lesser parts 2) Extremely reliable 3) Almost never needs adjustment (except from when changing parts like calipers) 4) Very powerful! This is not just an ordinary "handbrake" it is also an emergency brake. You can park in a 45° decline and still hold the car without getting the transmission torque locked (torque applied on the mechanical lock making it hard/impossible to shift out of park). The "downsides" is that the e-brake must be used regularly to make the rear caliphers adjust. Otherwise you risk long pedal travel, lesser brake force and a stuck e-brake system. This is the 3rd car that I've had with this setup and compared to any other car I've had and experienced I think this is by far the best! The only time I have to do anything with the rear brakes is when I have to change the rear pads. If you use the e-brake you'll never need to bother with it again The handbrake on an older (comparable vintage Volvo 240/340/740 is a waste of space). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruud Posted July 31, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 I know that the rear brakes looks completely different from any other setup on a European car for instance and know that many people think this is a bad design. On the contrary I would say that this system (still in use with small design changes on my 2002 STS) is far superior in almost every way! 1) Lesser parts 2) Extremely reliable 3) Almost never needs adjustment (except from when changing parts like calipers) 4) Very powerful! This is not just an ordinary "handbrake" it is also an emergency brake. You can park in a 45° decline and still hold the car without getting the transmission torque locked (torque applied on the mechanical lock making it hard/impossible to shift out of park). The "downsides" is that the e-brake must be used regularly to make the rear caliphers adjust. Otherwise you risk long pedal travel, lesser brake force and a stuck e-brake system. This is the 3rd car that I've had with this setup and compared to any other car I've had and experienced I think this is by far the best! The only time I have to do anything with the rear brakes is when I have to change the rear pads. If you use the e-brake you'll never need to bother with it again The handbrake on an older (comparable vintage Volvo 240/340/740 is a waste of space). Hi Jan, I do not think it is a bad design, it's just different. I've had more trouble with a Porsche 924 handbrake last year than I've had with this one The only thing I'm experiencing is as mine is a 'Pump to set' P.brake...the 3rd and 4th pump action almost requires an athlete's leg I am pretty sure the Mrs will not be able to fully set the P.brake. Let's just hope my annual tester doesn't see this as a problem Hi Jan, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted July 31, 2009 Report Share Posted July 31, 2009 I know that the rear brakes looks completely different from any other setup on a European car for instance and know that many people think this is a bad design. On the contrary I would say that this system (still in use with small design changes on my 2002 STS) is far superior in almost every way! 1) Lesser parts 2) Extremely reliable 3) Almost never needs adjustment (except from when changing parts like calipers) 4) Very powerful! This is not just an ordinary "handbrake" it is also an emergency brake. You can park in a 45° decline and still hold the car without getting the transmission torque locked (torque applied on the mechanical lock making it hard/impossible to shift out of park). The "downsides" is that the e-brake must be used regularly to make the rear caliphers adjust. Otherwise you risk long pedal travel, lesser brake force and a stuck e-brake system. This is the 3rd car that I've had with this setup and compared to any other car I've had and experienced I think this is by far the best! The only time I have to do anything with the rear brakes is when I have to change the rear pads. If you use the e-brake you'll never need to bother with it again The handbrake on an older (comparable vintage Volvo 240/340/740 is a waste of space). Hi Jan, I do not think it is a bad design, it's just different. I've had more trouble with a Porsche 924 handbrake last year than I've had with this one The only thing I'm experiencing is as mine is a 'Pump to set' P.brake...the 3rd and 4th pump action almost requires an athlete's leg I am pretty sure the Mrs will not be able to fully set the P.brake. Let's just hope my annual tester doesn't see this as a problem Hi Jan, You just need to pump until you get a fair amount of resistance, no need for the last stroke to be a full stroke. It will be enough force to hold the car even if the Mrs is parking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted August 4, 2009 Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Any luck with the e-brake? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruud Posted August 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2009 Any luck with the e-brake? Bad news I'm afraid I took it for an MOT (Annual test) and it failed on the P. brake, service break and emissions (CO) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Any luck with the e-brake? Bad news I'm afraid I took it for an MOT (Annual test) and it failed on the P. brake, service break and emissions (CO) Sorry to hear about that If your e-brake system was adjusted properly (2-3 strokes) then it shouldn't be a problem unless the tester checked it the wrong way. You can never set the e-brake when your car is in a gear. If he pumped once when in gear they should fail.. Put the lever in neutral and let him pump..the car should jump away from the brake test rolls Hows you average mpg? Any codes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruud Posted August 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Any luck with the e-brake? Bad news I'm afraid I took it for an MOT (Annual test) and it failed on the P. brake, service break and emissions (CO) Sorry to hear about that If your e-brake system was adjusted properly (2-3 strokes) then it shouldn't be a problem unless the tester checked it the wrong way. You can never set the e-brake when your car is in a gear. If he pumped once when in gear they should fail.. Put the lever in neutral and let him pump..the car should jump away from the brake test rolls Hows you average mpg? Any codes? I think the e-brake is set properly it just doesn't have enough grip, same as the normal rear brake. The only ECM code I get is E026 which is idle speed motor related according to most ppl. Average MPG? Not a clue..lol Seeing as the car is not legal to take on the road without a test certificate I haven't been able to find out yet I've managed to get the numbers for the CO test: 0.45 is the limit the caddy had 3.2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Any luck with the e-brake? Bad news I'm afraid I took it for an MOT (Annual test) and it failed on the P. brake, service break and emissions (CO) Sorry to hear about that If your e-brake system was adjusted properly (2-3 strokes) then it shouldn't be a problem unless the tester checked it the wrong way. You can never set the e-brake when your car is in a gear. If he pumped once when in gear they should fail.. Put the lever in neutral and let him pump..the car should jump away from the brake test rolls Hows you average mpg? Any codes? I think the e-brake is set properly it just doesn't have enough grip, same as the normal rear brake. The only ECM code I get is E026 which is idle speed motor related according to most ppl. Average MPG? Not a clue..lol Seeing as the car is not legal to take on the road without a test certificate I haven't been able to find out yet I've managed to get the numbers for the CO test: 0.45 is the limit the caddy had 3.2 I believe you have to make about 60 strokes or so to make sure that the e-brake (and rear brakes) are properly adjusted. Im sorry to say that I don't have the repair manual for my 1988 Eldorado anymore but I'll see if I can find some information for the 2002 STS I have. The rear brakes should look just about the same. I remember that once the adjustment is off on the rear caliphers it can be quite a bit challenging to make things right again The idle speed motor (ISM) is a stepper motor with a plunger that acts on a throttle lever. The ISM unit also contains a switch that feels if you've eased of the throttle. Usual error conditions are erratic idle (too low, too high, unstable idle) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruud Posted August 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 Any luck with the e-brake? Bad news I'm afraid I took it for an MOT (Annual test) and it failed on the P. brake, service break and emissions (CO) Sorry to hear about that If your e-brake system was adjusted properly (2-3 strokes) then it shouldn't be a problem unless the tester checked it the wrong way. You can never set the e-brake when your car is in a gear. If he pumped once when in gear they should fail.. Put the lever in neutral and let him pump..the car should jump away from the brake test rolls Hows you average mpg? Any codes? I think the e-brake is set properly it just doesn't have enough grip, same as the normal rear brake. The only ECM code I get is E026 which is idle speed motor related according to most ppl. Average MPG? Not a clue..lol Seeing as the car is not legal to take on the road without a test certificate I haven't been able to find out yet I've managed to get the numbers for the CO test: 0.45 is the limit the caddy had 3.2 I believe you have to make about 60 strokes or so to make sure that the e-brake (and rear brakes) are properly adjusted. Im sorry to say that I don't have the repair manual for my 1988 Eldorado anymore but I'll see if I can find some information for the 2002 STS I have. The rear brakes should look just about the same. I remember that once the adjustment is off on the rear caliphers it can be quite a bit challenging to make things right again The idle speed motor (ISM) is a stepper motor with a plunger that acts on a throttle lever. The ISM unit also contains a switch that feels if you've eased of the throttle. Usual error conditions are erratic idle (too low, too high, unstable idle) Took the car for a retest after fiddling with it some more and she PASSED Thanks everyone for your great help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan Olsson Posted August 9, 2009 Report Share Posted August 9, 2009 Any luck with the e-brake? Bad news I'm afraid I took it for an MOT (Annual test) and it failed on the P. brake, service break and emissions (CO) Sorry to hear about that If your e-brake system was adjusted properly (2-3 strokes) then it shouldn't be a problem unless the tester checked it the wrong way. You can never set the e-brake when your car is in a gear. If he pumped once when in gear they should fail.. Put the lever in neutral and let him pump..the car should jump away from the brake test rolls Hows you average mpg? Any codes? I think the e-brake is set properly it just doesn't have enough grip, same as the normal rear brake. The only ECM code I get is E026 which is idle speed motor related according to most ppl. Average MPG? Not a clue..lol Seeing as the car is not legal to take on the road without a test certificate I haven't been able to find out yet I've managed to get the numbers for the CO test: 0.45 is the limit the caddy had 3.2 I believe you have to make about 60 strokes or so to make sure that the e-brake (and rear brakes) are properly adjusted. Im sorry to say that I don't have the repair manual for my 1988 Eldorado anymore but I'll see if I can find some information for the 2002 STS I have. The rear brakes should look just about the same. I remember that once the adjustment is off on the rear caliphers it can be quite a bit challenging to make things right again The idle speed motor (ISM) is a stepper motor with a plunger that acts on a throttle lever. The ISM unit also contains a switch that feels if you've eased of the throttle. Usual error conditions are erratic idle (too low, too high, unstable idle) Took the car for a retest after fiddling with it some more and she PASSED Thanks everyone for your great help YES! Remember to use the e- brake regularly How was the CO-levels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruud Posted August 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2009 CO level was 0.00 this time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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