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Snap sound off cold acceleration

BigRed

Well-known member
Joined
May 23, 2001
Messages
948
Location
Edmonton
Corvette
1985 Bright Red Rocket
This is making me nuts...

When the car is cold its a chug chug crappy sounding engine noise and even when driving the engine is restrictive until 3000 RPM (This is not a new problem) As soon as both Dash temp get off of LO the car is normal.

SO

Now when the car is cold I hear a SNAP! when I take off for the first time while its cold. It does it everytime the car gos cold and only once.

It sounds like its under the drivers floorboard towards the rear. Im thinking its the E Brake cable. But why would the E brake not release when I drop the handle down??

Help!
 
If your e-brake is like the one on my 86, it's easy to believe it wouldn't release. The cable runs to just in front of the rear wheels where it attaches to another cable that runs to both wheels. Where that second cable hits the hub, there's a small hinged piece of metal with a hook on one end (to attach to the cable) and a rod on the other (to actuate the mechanism that presses the brake shoe onto the drum). That hinged piece of metal is fairly unprotected from the elements and can rust easily. Then your brake won't release. I had to pay quite a bit of money to get the e-brake working so my Vette would pass inspection after I bought it.

If you need replacement parts, VBP (Vette Brakes and Products) has most of them. Many are not available by any other source than the junkyard.

[RICHR]
 
Drums! What Drums! LOL

Sounds good bud thanks I'll check out VBP but in the mean time I'll jack up the car soon and have a look. Mabe it's something I can fix who knows

:w
 
E brake drums inside the rotor

I posted a blurb on another thread from the '90 manual about these cables and such. The newer C-4s are more complicated than ours, with the auto adjust feature.

The rear rotors use the hub as a drum brake. Just try pulling the rotors with the parking brake set!

Your noise may be an unreleased shoe, due to broken or nonattached release spring inside one rear hub. That shoe could be dragging, and depending on which, might be pulled onto the shoe by wheel rotation. Check it soon, so there's no overheat from it, or avoidable damage.

Is the engine running normally, though? You might have a cold injector issue, either due to it or a sensor.

:w
 
BigRed said:
Drums! What Drums! LOL

Our system is called "drum in disc" and it uses the inside of the part of the brake disc that fits over the hub as a drum for the shoe. If you take the disc off, you can see (and easily replace) the pads on the brake shoe, pushing out up from behind the spindle/hub. You'll also be able to see that pivot/anchor I was talking about, and whether the cable has detached. When I replaced my hub/bearing assembly, I accidently bumped the cable off the hook by tapping against it with a wrench handle so I can testify to how easily they can disconnect.
[RICHR]
 
!!!

Im learning and now that this all makes sense I'll pull the rear wheels and give it a brake job! Considering Ive "done" all the brakes I never knew there was a third set! COOL!

I'll just replace all the springs and plates as well as the shoes. I'll have the rotor/hub looked at or simply replace (If its reasonable like a normal drum).

Thanks guys!
 
And of course grease up the cable after making sure its tightened properly.

:Twist
 

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