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  1. #1
    Established Member Two Rings nota_towel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 26 2013
    AZ Member #
    119699
    Location
    central mn

    Ebrake not working. Is my caliper seized

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    I'm having trouble adjusting my ebrake cable. I feel like it's not doing anything and I think I'm either doing it wrong or somethings messed up. Here are a few photos

    As of now even after adjusting the ebrake I can crank it until the cable is very tight and the car still rolls back when parked on a hill. Is my caliper seized? I don't really notice any difference on my rear pads and they seem to have a lot left of them. I'm stuck, please help!!

  2. #2
    Veteran Member Four Rings walky_talky20's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 30 2008
    AZ Member #
    30427
    Location
    Erie, Pennsylvania

    The e-brake mechanism on the caliper is stuck on. This is an exceedingly common problem on all Audi models with rear disc brakes and a cable-driven e-brake (meaning: all of them) - especially in areas where road salt is used. It is plainly visible that the rear caliper e-brake mechanism has not released. This is what it should look like:



    Officially, the caliper needs to be replaced or rebuilt. The problem is most likely the seal for the e-brake lever arm pivot has failed, allowing moisture and contamination (read: rust) to "jam up the works". It no longer moves freely enough to release by the spring pressure, so it stays stuck on forever.

    That said, in most cases you can try some "first aid" before diving into a full repair or replacement. Get joe-self under the car and work the lever arm back and forth manually, directly at the caliper. You can use a 13mm wrench, or a pair of pliers if it won't move that easy. You can also give it a squirt of lubricant at the seal/pivot location to help get things moving. Exercise the lever arm and see if you can get it moving freely enough to release on it's own (without help). This exercise can be made easier/more effective by having a helper in the car to work the brake handle up and down. You can take it one step further (Stage 2!) by disconnecting the e-brake cable from the caliper to really focus in on the lever motion, unhindered by pesky cable friction. A little bit of grease or spray lube at the cable end to reduce said friction wouldn't hurt anything, either.

    Many times, a little attention and "exercise" of the moving parts on the caliper can get things working 'good enough' again. I would suggest you try the above. Once it is working again, you will be able to tell immediately if it ever sticks on again. When releasing the e-brake handle (inside the car), if it feels loose and floppy - and pulling it up again does not give the normal resistance - one or the other (or both) calipers has stuck on again. Sometimes a bit of jiggling the handle will get it to snap back. Depends. In the case it sticks on, the pads will wear quickly as you are basically driving with the e-brake on. This should probably be avoided. Personally, I make it a habit to always pull the e-brake again whenever disengaging it (ie: OFF-ON-OFF) to make sure it didn't stick. Also, I make sure the car coasts properly (ie: will roll back on a hill, will not come to a stop on it's own when I clutch-in, etc). Basically, I stay "casually alert" for this potential issue - as you would for a coolant temp gauge, for example. You expect it to be fine most of the time, but still keep an eye on things.
    Last edited by walky_talky20; 11-25-2015 at 02:13 PM.
    ^Don't listen to this guy, he's not even a mechanic.
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  3. #3
    Established Member Two Rings nota_towel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 26 2013
    AZ Member #
    119699
    Location
    central mn

    Thanks a lot! I will try this when I have time! Hopefully I can get it working again without buying new calipers that would be awesome

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