SteveG75

Well, the transport company finally delivered my car. However...

BRAKE light is coming on intermittently and the brake pedal is very soft. Also the parking brake is loose now. After getting the car home safely (and slowly), I did some inspection.

Master cylinder is full.
Front brakes look good.
Rear brake rotors still have surface rust from sitting over a month.
Left rear caliper seems to be leaking fluid from where the two halves meet.

Questions:
Could one bad caliper cause the whole circuit to have problems and illuminate the light?
Could the transport company have done some damage to the rear suspension causing damage to the caliper and parking brake cable?
Calipers are already SS sleeved. Should I just rebuild this one or go for the whole O-ring setup on all four corners?

Why me? Why now?

comp

i'd try a bleed on the system, before i got to upset

SteveG75

Definitely leaking from the left rear caliper. Got to fix that before I bleed. Just pumping it in the driveway makes for fresh fluid.

JB

I'd replace the caliper and bleed the system. One leaky caliper won't make your brakes non-functional, but it could make them soft, as air is probably gettin pumped into that circut every time you let the pedal back up. The light is activated by the "proportioning valve" (which I'm told isn't really a proportioning valve), and a leak in one caliper would definitely cause the kind of imbalance that would set it off.

Corvette parking brakes just suck. I'd try adjusting the cable (you can do that underneath at the fitting where the cable from the handle meets the cable from the brakes) and adjusting the shoes (see you manual) before I started digging into the brakes, as the parking brakes are rather a PITA to deal with. My guess is, you got brake fluid on the parking brake shoes is why is won't hold, which may mean you're in for a rebuild.

JB

Jasonty

The brake line on my R/R caliper was leaking, and I had almost no pedal, and the brake light would come on intermittently. The "proportioning valve" will trigger the brake light when it senses a loss in brake pressure. I don't think it's a proportioning valve though, I've been told it's just there to turn that brake light on when pressure is low. But there are 2 different versions for early and late C3's, so I dunno. Anyways, I tightened up the brake line, bled the rear brakes and she was good to go. If the car's been sitting for a while, you might have leaky lip seals on your rear calipers. Since they're already S/S sleeved, go ahead, buy the kit, and rebuild the calipers. The leaking brake fluid could have leaked onto your parking brake shoes, ruining their ability to satisfactorily hold the car. How many miles did you drive the car home? If you see surface rust on the rear rotors, that tells me that the calipers aren't engaging enough/at all. When you rebuild the calipers, pull off the rear rotors, spray the parking brake pads down with brake cleaner, let it dry, then use about a 600-700 grit sandpaper and give them a quick buffing. Nice late model C3 rear end on your Vette by the way. Looks good...

Eddie 70

I had a leaky caliper. I went ahead and sprung for the O-ring kit and rebuilt all 4 calipers at the same time. Not a bad job. At least when you get done, you know the calipers are done right.

Got the same combo, Avalanche and a vette. Love em both.

SteveG75

Seems like an O-ring kit is the way to go. Just dreading getting the calipers unbolted.

Anyone have a good source for the O-ring kits?

Eddie 70

Vette Brakes is where I got my kit. Get in touch with Tony and tell him you came from the forum and he may give a discount on the O-ring kit. His email and phone number.
tony@vbandp.com
800-237-9991

Jasonty

Rebuilding the calipers isn't a bad job at all. The best prices I could find for the O-Ring kit were from Precision Engineering. http://www.fixvetteparts.com/ I bought 4 O-Ring calipers, S/S braided brake lines, and all new hardware for $320. Never had a problem with them. I had to buy the new calipers since my old ones were the originals and not S/S sleeved.

glen242

Excellent products and service from Precision. Mine are 2 1/2 years old.

Rockn-Roll

Woo Hoo! Beeeer....er, I mean Vette!

uh oh.

It takes more than a month for those to rust, unless the owner was spraying them with water every day, or the humidity is at 100%...basically the same thing. I have had my vette parked for over 7 months now, and just for you I went out and looked at the rotors...they have a very light coating on them...but the shiny steel can be seen through it. You should not see any rust after a month.

Bingo! Just replace this caliper. I recommend Autozone or Kragen for a stock replacement...it's much quicker to get that fixed when it's just a removal and install operation. That way you can move on to more things. For example, you should jack the entire rear up and remove the wheels and inspect the parking brake system as much as possible. When you are dealing with brake problems, then that parking brake could save your life as well as your pocket book.

Yes, in fact the system works best when it's just one caliper cause it creates a difference in pressure between the front and rear systems...which is what triggers the light to come on.

I doubt it. It sounds like the vette has done a lot of just sitting for months if not years.

I'd just go for a rebuilt unit and fix the problem at hand. Later you can upgrade.

Ah...don't show any fear, the vette will sense it and you will be doomed. Just fix the brakes and drive it like you stole it!

VBP

Steve,
If in fact you do want to rebuild your C-3 calipers to the O-rings I will help you out.

You will need 2 of each, (11309 & 11310 ) to complete all 4 of your calipers.

Using your forum discount the price will be $100.00

discount code : 20460

Tony
VBP

SteveG75

Rockn-Roll,

Should have been more specific. Light rust. Wore right off the fronts but not the rears. No pressure.

This is my car. I have had it for 11 years. It has only been sitting for a month waiting for the transport company to get their act together. I just got transferred across the country, hence the shipping.

Tony,
I'll consider your offer. I may just put one caliper on for now and then do the o-ring conversion this winter.

Rockn-Roll

Doh! I should have looked closer...it's been awhile Steve, so I'd have to look back through the archives to see where you were at. Looks like you have installed your rear bumper...were you doing front too? I'd say it's time to paint it!

From what I've seen in the past, O-Rings all around would be the best solution cause if one of the calipers is leaking then it may not be long before another one follows.