Mikey8907

My hand brake will pull all the way up and barely hold the car on even a slight hill. I jacked up the back end and there is a turn buckle under the car between the handle and the back brakes and it has already been tightened as far as it will go. Does anyone know how to adjust it? There is brand new brake pads on the back tires.

Thanks
Michael

Mikey8907

I have a 1986 NA 2+2

zxguy1986

Check out BR-17 and -18 in your factory service manual. Shows the turnbuckle "adjuster" and also the ratchet at the base of the brake lever. Maybe the ratchet can be adjusted too. Otherwise, the turnbuckle Adjuster and the Equalizer are the only ways to increase cable tension and balance the pull at the brakes. Did someone install a wrong cable? Sounds like it's not the right length for the Z at this point.

Also, if your rear brake pads can be accessed, you should find only the slimmest space between the pads and the rotor when the handbrake is off. If that space is larger than a slip of paper, you should look to see if there is a way to cut that space down. Maybe the new pads you installed are thinner than OEM pads and your brakes are expecting them to ride closer to the rotor than yours are. Jus' thinkin'

Mikey8907

yeah we have about come to the conclusion that someone has done something to it but we aren't sure what. to disconnect it from the handle you have to grind out a rivet and put a new one in so we are going shorten it under the car. Maybe some one used the car as a drift car at some point and stretched the cable out.?

zxguy1986

Hard to say. The problem in states where they salt the roads in winter is typically a rusty cable inside the protective jacket. Very hard to lubricate in there although some guys say they have done that. I replaced mine on my '86na and it was fairly expensive. Don't remember where I got the cable - but it fit perfectly and ya gotta have a working hand brake.

It looks like Advance Auto Parts claims to have cables for your model in stock. Check them out on line if they're not a parts chain in your area. At least if you get it and it doesn't fit right and do the job, they'll let you return it for a refund. Plus their price would probably be less than half of what Nissan would want for the OEM cable - if they have any in stock.

86tcoupe

When you have it jacked up with the wheels off does the cable move when pulled ? if not or one side does not check to see if it is stuck in ,by moving the lever on the caliper back with long nosed vise grip plyers .
disconnect the cables from the levers and work the levers manually to see if they quickly and strongly lock the brake and if not if they move the piston or not.