Fiat 124 Sport Rear Brake Secrets

Here are Five Secrets For Fiat Rear Brake Service!
Miyvac Brake Bleeder Kit: amzn.to/36UGOwB
DOT3 Brake Fluid: amzn.to/3kKw7om
Silicone Brake Lubricant: amzn.to/3eFSDuX
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some online discussions about Fiat Brake Problems:
www.fiatspider.com/f15/viewtop...
discussion about brakes locking/DOT4 fluid
fiatspider.com/f15/viewtopic....
discussion focused on brake booster
wwwl.fiatspider.com/f15/viewto...
discussion about brake booster
0:00 Introduction
0:01 Fiat 124 Rear Brakes
2:20 Align Caliper Piston Reference Mark
3:39 Relax the Brake Compensator
4:44 Remove ALL The Air From The System
6:11 #4 Use DOT 3 Non-Synthetic Fluid In Older Systems
8:09 Inspect All Parts Immediately Upon Receipt

[@frederickcwinterburn1837]

I wiped out my last comment and your replies. Your video is correct. My car had repurposed front brake pads used in the rear. The front pads do not have the little tit on the pad to keep the piston from rotating. This forces the rotation to occur within the piston itself with thrust on the Torrington bearing. They seem to work just fine though letting the piston rotate on front brake pads, at least once the system is bled of air properly. The indexing can just as easily have the slot down and horizontal as the same gap for expelling air is on both top and bottom when the thrust plate inside the piston is oriented correctly during assembly of the piston. Thanks again for the video!

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Is no thing, my brother. I'm just trying to give out the best information I have to help people enjoy their favorite cars longer. ( I think of my car knowledge as like one of those primordial seas, broad, but very shallow.)

[@user-ko1jg7ny8t]

Thank You, Very well done , and very Professional.

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Thank you!

[@IrishMcCheez]

I love the PBS style intro/outro - brilliant :D And boy am I glad I saw your video before replacing my rear brake system!! My 1977 124 Spider needs all the underside components replaced since it's been sitting so long - brake system, suspension parts, e-brake, etc. I have been a subscriber for a few years now and hope to get started on my restoration soon. Thanks for all your well-produced & helpful videos!!

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Thanks! Glad you noticed the PBS style. I thought it was 8% classier than the standard "like-comment-subscribe" everyone else employs. The best thing about rebuilding/restoring these older Fiats is that virtually all of the parts are still available, often from the original vendors in Italy. All of my other older cars seem to have more & more parts just sourced from the lowest bidders, often proving them "cheap for a reason".

[@LawrenceWKeck]

Wow what a great video You provided~. very informative..

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Thank you !

[@Zupkod1]

Another "Well Done!" Glad I saw this before my '78 Spider brake job. Thanks!

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Thank you!

[@bobdefalco]

As always, a solid video! GLAD to see the FIAT back!

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Thanks! The Fiat definitely needed some updating. Things being what they are, I drove it less than 500 miles last year.

[@jefffarago8282]

Thanks for the excellent video. I've watched it a few times before I start my brake compensator replacement. What is confusing though is that you say "relax the valve body" - e.g. the "L" shaped end of the connecting rod should not be pushing against the piston. But you say to wedge the bar up with a block of wood. Wouldn't that push the other end of the rod into the piston? I would think allowing the rod to hang down, unattached to the clevis/axle would alleviate pressure on the piston since the other end would move away from contacting it. Once I get the old parts out and begin to reinstall the new compensator it will likely reveal what I need to do. I know I need to fabricate a measuring arm to attach to the pivot hole on the end of the actuating arm so I can set the correct position of the arm before tightening the compensator mounting bolts.

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Excellent question. Bear in mind, the idea is to interpose the block of wood in such a way as to simulate the axle being closest to the body. That is when the valve body allows the free flow of fluid. Visualize how the linkage/rod/valve body interact when under braking. The brakes are on, the body shifts forward on the suspension and tilts downwards at the front, unloading the rear springs and tilting the body up and away from the axle. Think of how the linkage and rod react, stemming the flow of fluid to the rear calipers to avoid lockup as mass shifts forward. Then imagine how to place the wood block so that the conditions match the car in a level, neutral position. That is the position that allows the freest flow of fluid to the calipers during brake bleeding. (maybe I need to make another video that shows this more clearly) Also: be sure to check out Auto Ricambis' excellent video on the brake compensator replacement. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHm1ZXV-qNWFmqssi=xbRUn2u6wzx2zuRQ (and no, I'm not Sponsored)

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Update: I also added some more photos of the shop manuals about this in the comment section of my community tab. Hopefully they help with your compensator project.

[@jefffarago8282]

@@FlashDriveFilms I appreciate the quick replies. I believe I was under the wrong assumption that if the piston is pushed in by the rod end it was limiting fluid flow. The added manual info suggested that in actuality it is opposite of what I was thinking. So if the rod end that attaches to the axle moves up it pushes the "L" end into the piston and that is when the greatest fluid flow is allowed. Thank you.

[@ANDREWSAMY562]

I bet having a car with 4-wheel disc brakes in the 60s was wild wasn't it.

[@FlashDriveFilms]

The whole car was pretty special at the time. It combined traditional aspects of wood and canvas (like an old sailboat might have) with some pretty high-spec features: Double Overhead Cam engine with an aluminum head, 5-speed transmission, full instrumentation (in an era drifting towards idiot lights) and, as you mentioned, 4 wheel disc brakes. Topped by one of the worlds' easiest to operate fabric roofs.

[@Zanbor59]

Thank you Sir!!

[@JohnBobRoger]

Tip 1...the Mark A orientation...I find many sources having a hard time with the wording..."turn the Mark up"...??? Clockwise? Cheers.

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Rotation direction doesn't matter. The piston will rotate either way.Turn the piston clockwise, or anti-clockwise, to end up with the reference line/mark on the upper side.

[@JohnBobRoger]

@@FlashDriveFilms Thanks..I didn't have to time to craft my wording ....just like all the others ..lol...When I put the caliper back on the car..then it will have a reference. We could use many words to describe...North, South< Fore and Aft...

[@MrPierreArmand]

Thanks from France !

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@louissavarese2243]

Well done, thank you👍

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Thank you!! I'm glad you liked it!

[@callthemall]

Who did you buy the calipers from if you don’t mind me asking? I remember having a couple quality control troubles with my rear calipers a few years ago from one of the vendors…

[@FlashDriveFilms]

I will say it was one of the large vendors, not some tiny, drop-ship outfit ,and that everything else I bought from them was tip-top & made in Italy. The calipers were some No-Name-O that just had a part number cast in them, so they weren't actual Fiat rebuilds. I think if you just inspect parts promptly and return any defects you would be OK.

[@kerryclark1926]

Can you do more 124 videos? Maybe engine videos? I have a 1981 124 2000

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Yes! I generally have to wait until a service interval or repair to create content. The next ones I do will probably be things like ignition parts, shock absorbers and maybe timing belt. But it will be awhile.

[@cathalcarty37]

Only problem I have is that when I pump the brake the rear wheels are locked up caliplers r new pistons are free once I open a bleeder the wheels turn no bother

[@FlashDriveFilms]

I had the same problem when I used DOT4 brake fluid. It expands too much and began to apply the brakes once they warmed up. The issue can be corrected by changing the fluid back to DOT3 and/or adjusting the gap between the brake pedal rod and the back of the master cylinder.( I should probably do a brief video about this phenomenon.)

[@cathalcarty37]

@@FlashDriveFilms front brakes are ok just the rear ones are locking up

[@cathalcarty37]

@@FlashDriveFilms does the top pipe on the brake valve go to the master cylinder or to the rear caliplers

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Sounds like the brake fluid issue. The exact same thing happened to me. The brakes are biased and when the fluid expands on its' own I actually carried an 8mm wrench with me to be able to pull over and release the brake bleeder on a rear wheel to continue my journey. the rears will lock up first.

[@FlashDriveFilms]

Not sure what brake valve? Do you mean the brake bias compensator fitted above the rear axle?