parking brake problems

[Soma576@xxxx]

Hey guys,

ever since i took ownership of my DeLorean, the parking brake has never 
worked. the previous owner said that it was always catching on one of the 
wheels and since he only drove his a few times (it was not a daily driver) he 
just disconnected the lines at the handle.

well i want a parking brake! it's really crappy driving a manual 
transmission without a parking brake. so today i decided to have a look. i 
connected the cables again at the release handle (which was a 2 hour job by 
itself), and i removed both rear wheels. yes, the cable is not disengaging 
on the passenger side. what is actually happening is that it is catching and 
hanging up somewhere back there. i lifted the handle again and the passenger 
side cable fell out of the mechanism. dang it!!!! but that just goes to show 
that the passenger side cable or caliper is hanging up. the driver's side 
seems to work just fine.

if you push the parking brake caliper apart, as in, push the inside half 
towards the car, you can feel it grinding. i lubed up the hinge really good 
and moved it around a bit, but i think the grinding is coming from the cable 
itself or one of the pieces it passes through. 

finally, should the rear wheels be very hard to turn? i don't have the tires 
on, but there is noticeable resistance when i turn the discs. should they be 
totally free moving, or should it be somewhat tough to turn? the car is in 
neutral. 

thanks to all the brake gurus out there

andy



Soma576@xxxx
1982 DeLorean DMC-12 VIN#11596
Fargo, ND 58102


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