Parking Brake Adjustment

[atank]

Parking brake adjustment:

1) Lift the Miata off the ground, make sure it will not roll, use proper jack stands, etc. Release the parking brake.
2) Make sure you don't need new pads, before you begin.
3) Find the 14mm Concealment Plug (diagram below) on the back of the rear caliper (one on each side) it's pretty much in the middle right behind the piston.
4) Remove the plug and under it you'll find an adjustment gear that's turned with an Allen wrench 4mm.
5) Turn the adjusting gear clockwise until the brake pads just touch the rotor.
6) Back the gear off 1/3 counter clockwise, while rotating the brake rotor by hand. Make sure that all of the slop is out of the movement of the pads and also to be sure both sides are equal, and that the rotor turns freely.
7) Reinstall the 14mm bolt and repeat the procedure on the other side.

http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/baddad1/2012-01-02_153556_capture.png

[Satisaii]

There is an adjustment nut inside the handle to take out slack in the cable. Then you can adjust the cables at the caliper mount. You can see the two nuts on the cable end in that picture. These would let you balance the clamping force from side to side. This is a similar design to the throttle cable. The adjuster inside the caliper is to allow for pad wear and should self adjust over the life of the brake pads. Think of it as the fine tune part.

If your handle is too erect, I would play with the nut inside it.

[Lococholo84]

http://youtu.be/b2E6WLOeEto
Here's the video. But I never did adjust the nut inside the handbrake. I'll try that later at work today thanks for the heads up guys.

[Travyss]

I fully just re-did my brakes. So new pads, rotors, and rebuilt calipers all around. I did the adjustment as atank posted. But mine is still erect. I will have to try the method satisaii mentioned.

[Slampen]

Have a look here at Nutz => http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=17776

If your parking brake, stops the wheel good but the handle is too erected I would only do this =>http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=17776&p=254530

The caliper _should_ be self adjusting, in theory.

[Lococholo84]

Sounds easy ill try this out thanks for the link.

[Travyss]

Yes, thank you. I will post my results. Also just realized I installed my "m-springs" wrong. Just goes to show you you can't just install everything the way it came off. Some lousy mechanic didn't know squat apparently...


Edit: My parking brake erection is much more flacid now. Thank you Slampen. The adjustment at the handle did it for me! Took more than a few clicks/turns. But I do recall a "pop" noise some time ago which sprung the rear caliper leak that started my feverish endeavor to replace all brake components. But I now think the pop also knocked that screw out of adjustment.

[Lococholo84]

Wow just made the adjustment and it made a huge difference I'll take some pics tomorrow thanks again for the help.

[Lococholo84]

Before
http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc451/juan_perez8/20150329_124825_zpsrjweoko_edit_1427676545194_zps9 cgjh2ms.jpg (http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/juan_perez8/media/20150329_124825_zpsrjweoko_edit_1427676545194_zps9 cgjh2ms.jpg.html)
After
http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc451/juan_perez8/20150331_091948_zpswcn1gioo.jpg (http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/juan_perez8/media/20150331_091948_zpswcn1gioo.jpg.html)

Was really simple to adjust. Removed hand brake cover and made my adjustment.