Ok I posted this on miata.net too and no one had an answer so I'm hoping one of you do. long story short, my parking brake doesn't work. its a 96. Before you kill me, I'VE ALREADY ADJUSTED IT. Whew. Still alive. Anyways its how I bought the car, with the pbrake not working. I figured adjusting it would fix it and it did for a short while, but somehow it unadjusted itself in a week. So its back to not working AT ALL again. I'm pretty sure the po jammed the piston back in with a 20 ton press or something lol. My question? has anyone taken apart a rear caliper enough to know what could be broken? Has anyone tried to fix this before? I'm trying to gather as much info as possible before taking mine apart... I will eventually be upgrading to the sport brakes but it would help to be able to sell these.


oh and if you were looking for the cookie you're too late.

 

i really wanted a cookie. only reason i clicked into thread.

 

Same here.

 

The rear caliper has teeth on it that the gear fits in. when you press it, the teeth on the caliper and/or gear get fucked. you need new calipers. now where is my ******* cookie *******?

I want it shipped to 26760

 

the calipers have adjusting screws in them. You will need to adjust them with the parking brake disengaged and the handle adjusted to an extremely loose setting. Adjust them until the brake starts grabbing, then release them until they stop grabbing.

Oh, and make sure your handbrake cable is still intact...

 

Look, Brain Gryff and Track, I'm sorry but she got here first.

 

Thanks for the info Track, I had a feeling it was going to be something like that...

And fooger god dammit

 

Well, I have mostly heard that the caliper itself gets messed up. but it might not be a bad idea to go peek in there. just take the gear out and look in there...at least before chucking the old caliper.

 

oatmeal raisin please.

 

 

I had the exact same issue- I think I know which caliper it is. Hopefully replacing it does the trick.

 

Try this before replacing the calipers:

Using your allen socket or wrench, start retracting the caliper piston. chances are it will not retract, and the adjuster will spin freely.
To correct this engagement problem, you need to rotate and push the piston in, just like you would on a Saab.
If you have a bit of a patience, they will engage. I have done this on two Miatas, and they both work perfectly now.
So, once you retract the piston all the way, it would be time to reset the spring loaded fork the e-brake cable moves when you pull the handle.
Clean the pivot point and the spring, you can use brake cleaner, wire brush, strong language, whatever works. Then, use a screwdriver to move the for back and forth to full extension. WD40 or similar stuff does wonders here.
Finally, when you have the caliper in place with the pads installed, move the fork as far back as possible (now that it is cleaned and greased it should be much easier) before you attempt to adjust the e-brake. Loosen the handle adjustment from inside the car, too.
Pump the bakes a few times to seat everything. Then, turn the adjuster in, as you rotate the wheel. As it starts to drag, stop and pump the brakes some more. Adjust till the wheel can no longer be turned by hand. I do not mean wrestling with the wheel, just normal force here.
After that, back off the adjuster maybe 1/3 turn. Just slight drag is OK. Pump the brakes a few times and check again.

The next step is adjusting the handle from inside the car. Brakes should start engaging in 6 clicks or so. That way, when you pull the lever all the way up, you will get a solid grip on the rotors.

Then, enjoy e-brake turns in tight corners.

Edit: Mrs. Fields' white chocolate macadamia nut please. And french roast coffee, with half a shot of Bailey's in it.