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Cadillac Calipers

BlazaBlazeII

BlazaBlazeII

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Hey Guys,

Is anyone familiar with the 14 bolt Disc Brake Set-up that uses the Caddy Calipers? I have the set-up on my rig. My problem is that the bolt on the caliper where the e brake line bolts on is leaking fluid? It almost acts like it is a caliper piston that is pushing itself out. I am spraying fluid out of the fitting... Can anyone tell me how that works, or what I can do to keep it from leaking? I am not going to buy another one from Advance for $70/each....:doah:

Thanks,

Bill
 
Napa sells rebuild kits for like $15 a side that will have the appropriate seals
 
Do you have the levers attached to the caliper? If not they will leak.
 
Mine leak and the ebrake doesnt adjust...so basically it works worth a crap right now. Are these things the only ones we can use with an ebrake?
 
If you have the lever attached and it's a new caliper it shouldn't leak. Can you get it swapped out?

Mine works pretty good. If you're in San Jose, I might be able to look at it or show you how mine is hooked up pretty easy.
 
Yes I am in San Jose...Campbell to more specific. Would love to check out your setup. Mine worked great when I first set it up but after a little wear on the pads the ebrake wouldnt adjust and now the brakes just dont work too well.
 
One thing that's not obvious is that you have to bleed the rear calipers while they are off the bracket since the bleeder screw needs to point upwards to bleed all the air out. This might be causing you some pressure loss.
 
bp71k5 said:
One thing that's not obvious is that you have to bleed the rear calipers while they are off the bracket since the bleeder screw needs to point upwards to bleed all the air out. This might be causing you some pressure loss.
Click to expand...

Eh? What brackets are you using that the bleeder screw goes down? Maybe I reversed mine left-to-right, but on both of mine (one Blackbird, one home-made weld-on) the caliper points up. Running the p-brake cables was a PITA, but it's doable...

-- A
 
I have the TSM brackets and the bleeder screw points to the rear of the truck. You don't actually have to remove it, you just need to remove one screw and rotate the caliper up to get the last bit of air out. Or park on a steep downhill ramp.:D

The black widow brackets are the same way I think. (Note: I'm using the 79-85 eldorado calipers)
 
When I first bled the brakes (new prop valve and brakes all around..axle swaps) they bled great and everything was nice and firm. Then a few months ago I swapped the rear pads and couldnt get the ghetto ass calipers to compress right even with the rotation bracket thingy and now pedal is mushy and still have no ebrake.
 
I'm not sure but I thought there was a way to reset the lever after installing new pads?

I know I had a real hard time bleeding the rear due to the prop valve. I spent hours doing it. I wish I knew more to help.
 
You're supposed to rotate the pistons back in when you change pads.

That said, this never ever worked on my set (76-78 Eldorado calipers). If there's a specific tool for these, I haven't found it.

However, if you unbolt the p-brake lever, you can simply press the piston back in - you'll see the stud (that normally holds the lever) will rotate. Then you can bolt the lever back on. Expect a little brake fluid to leak while the lever's off.

With this method, it is easy to change pads, even while on the road (I had a pad break, and changed rear pads next to the side of the road in Blanding, UT...). It is not easy, however, to get both sides in register, i.e. get the advance mechanism for the p-brake to work in sync on both sides. This means you'll have to pay more attention to the p-brake cable (I've since installed a pulley system to always equalize left vs. right side pulling force, no matter what the status of each ratchet mechanism is).

As for bleeding the prop valve: the only thing that helped was a tip from GrimReaper - unbolt the prop valve from the crossmember so that it is hanging on the brake lines, put pressure on the system, and tap on it with a small hammer or a wrench to dislodge any trapped air, then bleed, either at a rear caliper (which I did) or at the line at the valve. All this, and a lot of patience...

But I don't think the prop valve is the issue. If there's brake fluid spraying from the rear caliper, that's where the problem is. My guess is that the p-brake ratchet mechanism is either jammed or damaged, and that's why there's a leak. I'd take the caliper off the bracket, remove the pads, and see if the p-brake lever moves the piston out at all. If that is still working, I'd unbolt the lever, push the piston in, reinstall the lever, check the mechanism again, and then check whether you have a good hydraulic seal. As mentioned before, rebuild kits for those calipers have all the seals, including those around the p-brake stud.
 
Pully kit for the e-brake? I have been looking for a solution for that for ages...can you hook me up with your setup? a pic and a simple parts list
thanks dude!
 
It's not a kit. It's a one-off hack job...

ahem, I meant to say, custom fabrication :D.

Picture is kind of difficult right now as the truck is currently in AZ, and I'm three states away...
 
So your ah...custom fab... did you scrap in some other car/truck stuff? Or was it some full good 'ol backyard fun?
 
Frame bracket for the cable and a pulley, all hacked from a piece of 3/16" stainless (because I had that...). Still need to make a better coupler for the short cable.

I'll have visitation rights with my truck in a few weeks... I'll try and remember to snap a pic then.
 
chev4life said:
Awesome dude...Im looking foward to seeing them.
Click to expand...
Here's the picture of the pulley in the e-brake cable... and of my bling new exhaust...
All the cables are parts store replacements for an '85 Jimmy. The pulley is whittled from 3/16" stainless; lubrication is anti-seize. Ran out of time, patience, and drill bits to make a coupler for the short cable that enables a perpendicular pull w/o twisting. Maybe some other time. First I gotta fix the leaky hub seal next time I see the truck.
 
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