Miata Parking Brake Issues

The parking brake on my '94 hasn't worked in some time now. So while I was doing pads over the weekend I decided to look into it.

After messing with the OEM calipers for the while I found that both hex adjusters were badly stripped and one of the levers that the cable attaches to was seized and wouldn't move without some persuasion from a hammer.

Rather than mess with rebuilding them I replaced both calipers with reman units from Autozone and all seemed well. I adjusted them properly but unfortunately the parking brake still doesn't work.

If I push on the lever I can engage them by hand so I'm pretty sure the calipers are ok. When I pull on the handbrake lever in the cabin it goes up with very little effort if that means anything.

Right now I'm assuming the fault lies somewhere with the cables. Is there a common failure mode I should look for? How big of a PITA is it to replace all three?

Adjust the calipers properly with the adjuster screw on the back of the calipers with the parking brake off. I tighten mine until I just barely cannot move the rotor by hand, then back off a 1/2 turn.

Go inside the car and remove the plastic cover on the hand brake lever. You will see a long 10mm hex nut next between the lever and transmission tunnel. Tighten this to remove slack from the hand brake lever until you reach the desired height when the lever is engaged.

If that fails, your cables may be frozen in their housings. Spray some WD-40 or similar in the housings and flex them a little to get the cable to unbind from the housing.

Good luck!

If the handle in the cockpit moves easily, and everything is adjusted, you have a broken cable. No idea how easy or difficult the job is, but I doubt it's that bad. Get the car up on jackstands, and unclip the old, while clipping the new in, and the routing will be nice and easy.

NOT A CANOE REVIVAL

Working on DD#1's somewhat crusty NB1 Miata yesterday.  Handbrake operates but engagement is high and does not hold car well.

I got the little adjuster covers off and got the hex adjusters turning (I think) in the calipers, but moving them in either direction did not seem to have any effect on the pads.  On the starboard side the little hex / spline bobbie came out on the key once, but I popped it back in.  Port side did not and is harder to turn.

What am I doing wrong?

Seated outside the fender and working blind facing the differential, which way should I be turning the key?

Should I adjust the cable at the lever instead?

Should I just buy used / rebuilt calipers and swap them out?

Thanks...

On my NB1, the cables crossed over somewhere between the brake lever and the rear calipers. After adjusting them at the wheels, I still couldn't get one side to work. Turns out that I was adjusting one side near the lever, thinking that it was working on the same side. That was not the case. Once I figured out that they crossed over, I was able to adjust them properly.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/miata-wintercrosser/97775/page5/

Woody said:

In reply to CGLockRacer:

I haven't gotten back under the car yet, but I had something similar going on. Take a look at this diagram and note how the cables cross each other. It's not obvious when you're under the car. The balance bar (where the two cables join the single cable that goes up to the parking brake handle) was really uneven. I couldn't get it to even out because I was adjusting the wrong side.

Duke said:

NOT A CANOE REVIVAL

Working on DD#1's somewhat crusty NB1 Miata yesterday.  Handbrake operates but engagement is high and does not hold car well.

I got the little adjuster covers off and got the hex adjusters turning (I think) in the calipers, but moving them in either direction did not seem to have any effect on the pads.  On the starboard side the little hex / spline bobbie came out on the key once, but I popped it back in.  Port side did not and is harder to turn.

What am I doing wrong?

Seated outside the fender and working blind facing the differential, which way should I be turning the key?

Should I adjust the cable at the lever instead?

Should I just buy used / rebuilt calipers and swap them out?

Thanks...

Those adjusters are really just to retract the piston for a pad change. "Loosen" the adjuster (clockwise if you're facing the diff) to retract, "tighten" to extend.

If the handbrake works but is high, you should start by adjusting the cable at the lever. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Got it, thank you. I tried looking it up elsewhere *cough* you-know-what.net *cough* first. 

My mistake.