Hey guys, My misses has a fiat abarth 595. There is an abarth dedicated site which I thought would be really active with help but isn’t. Most posts go unanswered, I presume down to a lack of technical knowledge which is not the case here. So my brothers, any input greatly received. So, approx 300 miles ago I changed the rear pads and the handbrake’s weak. It fells tight as I pull it but doesn’t bite like it used to. There are tutorials on youtube which I watched and they say just to wind the piston all the way back then replace the pads and off you go. Now with Mk2 rear calipers we have to wind the piston back out to get a 1mm clearance between the new pads and disc which I didn’t do. Does anyone know if modern rear calipers just need to be wound all the way back in or whether you still should adjust for that Mk2 1mm clearance please?
I’d assume you just wind them all the way back. On another note, have you had the floppy handle yet? I fixed the mother in laws the other day
The fiat I had ate rear calipers for breakfast, especially if there was a hard frost, kept seizing. Can you work rear caliper lever and see pads moving?
if theres loads of play between caliper and pads and if its similar to design to ours where handbrake lever works internal screw on the piston then thats probably why the handbrake is poor. pumping the brakes/manually working the lever by hand on this style of caliper will gradually push the piston out but be quicker to just get wind tool on there and do it if your rear calipers are seized on a cold morning first thing to do is flick the cables off the lever and see if they release. if they do, you have water inside the cables which is freezing or they're just grotty and need replacing. often its the rubber boots on the end which have holed allowing moisture in, sometimes you can find replacements if flicking the cable off doesnt free off the caliper then waters probably got inside the caliper and rusted it up, or the carrier is heavily corroded where the pads slide and causing them to stick. had that on mine binned the carriers and fitted later mk3/polo type which take the stainless pad slider inserts problem solved
Gentlemen, thank you as always for you willingness to assist. Even for a fiat. Hope to meet some of you guys at an event this summer. Be good to put some faces to the avatars.
I do it every week, in work, for years. If it's new pads/discs, I'll bed them in first, then adjust them.
I’ll have to have a closer look but car is less than 3 years old. All seems fine and the lever moves nicely and rests on the stop that the spring is pushing it to. I’ve always been useless at these rear calipers and struggled for a good handbrake. I’ll have another fiddle with it soon and post results.
