1984 Audi 4000S Quattro, rear girling/parking brake adjustment

Hi all,

I have a slight problem with my brakes. I have an '84 Audi 4000S
Quattro and recently rebuilt both calipers on the right side. My
brakes are single piston Girling all around. The ones in the rear
however have some sort of threaded piece that I could only imagine was
related to the parking brake. I didn't put this back in all the way,
but I put it most of the way, so the piston would fit. Now the plate
on the bottom of the caliper that engages the parking brake will not
move more than a little bit.
I know that to retract the piston one has to push in and rotate at
the same time, I forget exactly which direction, but this threaded
piece was mostly smooth, so I'm not even sure how rotating the piston
can even rotate this secondary piece. I was hoping someone had a
procedure for adjusting this secondary piece. Or perhaps adjusting the
parking brakes with this rear style girling brake. There must be a
way. Even when the brakes worked the parking brake didn't hold very
well, it'd stop the car, but couldn't hold back the car if I put it in
gear.

Thanks for your help,
Chris

Its not really clear to me what you have done on the rear caliper but, the
threaded bit inside the caliper piston IS the E brake automatic adjustment. No
other adjustment is possible if it is the same as the four T44s that I have owned.

I would suggest that you check the E brake actuator on the inside of the
caliper. These tend to get corroded and gunked up. Clean, lub and work the part
with a lever of some kind and it may get better.

Another common problem with the E brakes is that the cable becomes corroded
where it leaves the cable just where it exits the interior and before it splits
to the two sides. With quattro it can be quite a PITA to get at that location as
it is above the rear half of the drive shaft.

One more thought is that you need to be sure that you got the caliper piston on
the threaded inner rod. There are several tools available to assist in this task
but a number of people make do with various common tools like needle nose
pliers, allen wrenches and add in at least two and probably three beers and a
lot of frustration. Still gratifying when you get it done.

TonyJ
98.5 A4 1.8TQM APR

wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have a slight problem with my brakes. I have an '84 Audi 4000S
> Quattro and recently rebuilt both calipers on the right side. My
> brakes are single piston Girling all around. The ones in the rear
> however have some sort of threaded piece that I could only imagine was
> related to the parking brake. I didn't put this back in all the way,
> but I put it most of the way, so the piston would fit. Now the plate
> on the bottom of the caliper that engages the parking brake will not
> move more than a little bit.
> I know that to retract the piston one has to push in and rotate at
> the same time, I forget exactly which direction, but this threaded
> piece was mostly smooth, so I'm not even sure how rotating the piston
> can even rotate this secondary piece. I was hoping someone had a
> procedure for adjusting this secondary piece. Or perhaps adjusting the
> parking brakes with this rear style girling brake. There must be a
> way. Even when the brakes worked the parking brake didn't hold very
> well, it'd stop the car, but couldn't hold back the car if I put it in
> gear.
>
> Thanks for your help,
> Chris
>

Thank you for the information, I had already decided I'll just try to
get some force on it somehow. I'm talking about the plate itself, I
can't get the cable attatched since I need to move this plate more than
it does currently.

About your final part, the piston wasn't threaded at all, so I'm
confused by this, unless that secondary part that is threaded is
supposed to 'hook in' to the piston somehow before I put it together?
Making one unit that's a treaded piston?

And yes the outter plate that engages my emergency brake is very gunked
up, I couldn't see how to remove it to properly clean it, but spraying
the shaft and working it back and forth have not freed it much. The
brake cable on the one side is bad and sticking, on this side the
cables good, but the parking brake stays engaged because the plate is
so gunked up the spring itself isn't strong enough to retract it.

Lastly I was curious how that second threaded piece self adjusts, when
I move the plate it seems to shrink the chamber size and therefore
exert pressure, I don't see any mechanically linkages or anything
involved.

Thanks again,
Chris

Tony wrote:
> Its not really clear to me what you have done on the rear caliper but, the
> threaded bit inside the caliper piston IS the E brake automatic adjustment. No
> other adjustment is possible if it is the same as the four T44s that I have owned.
>
> I would suggest that you check the E brake actuator on the inside of the
> caliper. These tend to get corroded and gunked up. Clean, lub and work the part
> with a lever of some kind and it may get better.
>
> Another common problem with the E brakes is that the cable becomes corroded
> where it leaves the cable just where it exits the interior and before it splits
> to the two sides. With quattro it can be quite a PITA to get at that location as
> it is above the rear half of the drive shaft.
>
> One more thought is that you need to be sure that you got the caliper piston on
> the threaded inner rod. There are several tools available to assist in this task
> but a number of people make do with various common tools like needle nose
> pliers, allen wrenches and add in at least two and probably three beers and a
> lot of frustration. Still gratifying when you get it done.
>
> TonyJ
> 98.5 A4 1.8TQM APR
>
> wrote:
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I have a slight problem with my brakes. I have an '84 Audi 4000S
> > Quattro and recently rebuilt both calipers on the right side. My
> > brakes are single piston Girling all around. The ones in the rear
> > however have some sort of threaded piece that I could only imagine was
> > related to the parking brake. I didn't put this back in all the way,
> > but I put it most of the way, so the piston would fit. Now the plate
> > on the bottom of the caliper that engages the parking brake will not
> > move more than a little bit.
> > I know that to retract the piston one has to push in and rotate at
> > the same time, I forget exactly which direction, but this threaded
> > piece was mostly smooth, so I'm not even sure how rotating the piston
> > can even rotate this secondary piece. I was hoping someone had a
> > procedure for adjusting this secondary piece. Or perhaps adjusting the
> > parking brakes with this rear style girling brake. There must be a
> > way. Even when the brakes worked the parking brake didn't hold very
> > well, it'd stop the car, but couldn't hold back the car if I put it in
> > gear.
> >
> > Thanks for your help,
> > Chris
> >

You should try to free up the sticking cable on the other side.

I am a bit confused with your terminology. Don't know what you mean by 'plate'.
I might guess that the plate you are referring to is the face of the piston in
the caliper. If so that, the piston, is a real PITA to get started back in to
its cylinder. There are several types that have either a couple of small holes
or an allen wrench hole in them to assist in turning them at the same time they
are being pushed in.

What needs to be done is to push the piston into the seals at the same time that
it is being turned to engage the inner threads onto the threaded rod inside the
cylinder. Car parts stores well a small cube that should fit which is then
turned with a socket wrench drive to get it done.

Once started you need to turn the piston in most of the way so that the caliper
will fit over the new brake pads.

Hope this helps.

wrote:
> Thank you for the information, I had already decided I'll just try to
> get some force on it somehow. I'm talking about the plate itself, I
> can't get the cable attatched since I need to move this plate more than
> it does currently.
>
> About your final part, the piston wasn't threaded at all, so I'm
> confused by this, unless that secondary part that is threaded is
> supposed to 'hook in' to the piston somehow before I put it together?
> Making one unit that's a treaded piston?
>
> And yes the outter plate that engages my emergency brake is very gunked
> up, I couldn't see how to remove it to properly clean it, but spraying
> the shaft and working it back and forth have not freed it much. The
> brake cable on the one side is bad and sticking, on this side the
> cables good, but the parking brake stays engaged because the plate is
> so gunked up the spring itself isn't strong enough to retract it.
>
> Lastly I was curious how that second threaded piece self adjusts, when
> I move the plate it seems to shrink the chamber size and therefore
> exert pressure, I don't see any mechanically linkages or anything
> involved.
>
> Thanks again,
> Chris
>
> Tony wrote:
>
>>Its not really clear to me what you have done on the rear caliper but, the
>>threaded bit inside the caliper piston IS the E brake automatic adjustment. No
>>other adjustment is possible if it is the same as the four T44s that I have owned.
>>
>>I would suggest that you check the E brake actuator on the inside of the
>>caliper. These tend to get corroded and gunked up. Clean, lub and work the part
>>with a lever of some kind and it may get better.
>>
>>Another common problem with the E brakes is that the cable becomes corroded
>>where it leaves the cable just where it exits the interior and before it splits
>>to the two sides. With quattro it can be quite a PITA to get at that location as
>>it is above the rear half of the drive shaft.
>>
>>One more thought is that you need to be sure that you got the caliper piston on
>>the threaded inner rod. There are several tools available to assist in this task
>>but a number of people make do with various common tools like needle nose
>>pliers, allen wrenches and add in at least two and probably three beers and a
>>lot of frustration. Still gratifying when you get it done.
>>
>>TonyJ
>>98.5 A4 1.8TQM APR
>>
wrote:
>>
>>>Hi all,
>>>
>>> I have a slight problem with my brakes. I have an '84 Audi 4000S
>>>Quattro and recently rebuilt both calipers on the right side. My
>>>brakes are single piston Girling all around. The ones in the rear
>>>however have some sort of threaded piece that I could only imagine was
>>>related to the parking brake. I didn't put this back in all the way,
>>>but I put it most of the way, so the piston would fit. Now the plate
>>>on the bottom of the caliper that engages the parking brake will not
>>>move more than a little bit.
>>> I know that to retract the piston one has to push in and rotate at
>>>the same time, I forget exactly which direction, but this threaded
>>>piece was mostly smooth, so I'm not even sure how rotating the piston
>>>can even rotate this secondary piece. I was hoping someone had a
>>>procedure for adjusting this secondary piece. Or perhaps adjusting the
>>>parking brakes with this rear style girling brake. There must be a
>>>way. Even when the brakes worked the parking brake didn't hold very
>>>well, it'd stop the car, but couldn't hold back the car if I put it in
>>>gear.
>>>
>>>Thanks for your help,
>>>Chris
>>>
>
>

The plate you are referring to is to actuate the handbrake mechanism. It
does get corroded and needs some cleaning up with emery cloth. As for it not
moving, did you replace the spring?

Tony
96 S6

"Tony" > wrote in message
...
> You should try to free up the sticking cable on the other side.
>
> I am a bit confused with your terminology. Don't know what you mean by
> 'plate'. I might guess that the plate you are referring to is the face of
> the piston in the caliper. If so that, the piston, is a real PITA to get
> started back in to its cylinder. There are several types that have either
> a couple of small holes or an allen wrench hole in them to assist in
> turning them at the same time they are being pushed in.
>
> What needs to be done is to push the piston into the seals at the same
> time that it is being turned to engage the inner threads onto the threaded
> rod inside the cylinder. Car parts stores well a small cube that should
> fit which is then turned with a socket wrench drive to get it done.
>
> Once started you need to turn the piston in most of the way so that the
> caliper will fit over the new brake pads.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> wrote:
>> Thank you for the information, I had already decided I'll just try to
>> get some force on it somehow. I'm talking about the plate itself, I
>> can't get the cable attatched since I need to move this plate more than
>> it does currently.
>>
>> About your final part, the piston wasn't threaded at all, so I'm
>> confused by this, unless that secondary part that is threaded is
>> supposed to 'hook in' to the piston somehow before I put it together?
>> Making one unit that's a treaded piston?
>>
>> And yes the outter plate that engages my emergency brake is very gunked
>> up, I couldn't see how to remove it to properly clean it, but spraying
>> the shaft and working it back and forth have not freed it much. The
>> brake cable on the one side is bad and sticking, on this side the
>> cables good, but the parking brake stays engaged because the plate is
>> so gunked up the spring itself isn't strong enough to retract it.
>>
>> Lastly I was curious how that second threaded piece self adjusts, when
>> I move the plate it seems to shrink the chamber size and therefore
>> exert pressure, I don't see any mechanically linkages or anything
>> involved.
>>
>> Thanks again,
>> Chris
>>
>> Tony wrote:
>>
>>>Its not really clear to me what you have done on the rear caliper but,
>>>the
>>>threaded bit inside the caliper piston IS the E brake automatic
>>>adjustment. No
>>>other adjustment is possible if it is the same as the four T44s that I
>>>have owned.
>>>
>>>I would suggest that you check the E brake actuator on the inside of the
>>>caliper. These tend to get corroded and gunked up. Clean, lub and work
>>>the part
>>>with a lever of some kind and it may get better.
>>>
>>>Another common problem with the E brakes is that the cable becomes
>>>corroded
>>>where it leaves the cable just where it exits the interior and before it
>>>splits
>>>to the two sides. With quattro it can be quite a PITA to get at that
>>>location as
>>>it is above the rear half of the drive shaft.
>>>
>>>One more thought is that you need to be sure that you got the caliper
>>>piston on
>>>the threaded inner rod. There are several tools available to assist in
>>>this task
>>>but a number of people make do with various common tools like needle nose
>>>pliers, allen wrenches and add in at least two and probably three beers
>>>and a
>>>lot of frustration. Still gratifying when you get it done.
>>>
>>>TonyJ
>>>98.5 A4 1.8TQM APR
>>>
wrote:
>>>
>>>>Hi all,
>>>>
>>>> I have a slight problem with my brakes. I have an '84 Audi 4000S
>>>>Quattro and recently rebuilt both calipers on the right side. My
>>>>brakes are single piston Girling all around. The ones in the rear
>>>>however have some sort of threaded piece that I could only imagine was
>>>>related to the parking brake. I didn't put this back in all the way,
>>>>but I put it most of the way, so the piston would fit. Now the plate
>>>>on the bottom of the caliper that engages the parking brake will not
>>>>move more than a little bit.
>>>> I know that to retract the piston one has to push in and rotate at
>>>>the same time, I forget exactly which direction, but this threaded
>>>>piece was mostly smooth, so I'm not even sure how rotating the piston
>>>>can even rotate this secondary piece. I was hoping someone had a
>>>>procedure for adjusting this secondary piece. Or perhaps adjusting the
>>>>parking brakes with this rear style girling brake. There must be a
>>>>way. Even when the brakes worked the parking brake didn't hold very
>>>>well, it'd stop the car, but couldn't hold back the car if I put it in
>>>>gear.
>>>>
>>>>Thanks for your help,
>>>>Chris
>>>>
>>