Hand Brake Not Working On Refurbished Calipers

[darkphoenix1979]

Bought some refurbished rear calipers but i cant seem to get the hand brake working properly, it does pinch the disc but not much, i have wound the piston all the way in but i cant wind it out as far as 180 degree as it wont fit over the pads. I hope im being an idiot! Any Suggestions?

[elbon50]

Have you tried this ? :

Wind pistons all way in

Fit calipers into position over pads

Connect cables

Make sure cable compensator is correctly adjusted (so that handbrake levers in calipers return fully)

Pump handbrake till pistons are set correctly

Re-adjust compensator if neccessary

Peter

[darkphoenix1979]

Haven't tried that will do saturday, anything worth a go at the minute

Many thanks for your help

[chrismanchr]

I recently put on new rear brake calipers,discs and pads one thing
theyre tough to bleed properly ,and also the handbrake wont work well untill the new discs and pads have bedded in properly ,mines working ok now but there was nothing when I first fitted them ,and I thought like you I'd done something wrong

theres 2 trains of thought on adjusting the handbrake ,one way is quite complicated and involes taking off the calipers and winding them back so far etc the haynes manual just says adjust the cable underneath so theyre not operated when off and so many clicks on the handbrake the brakes will be on firmly

ps. I didnt need to do mine once the discs and pads had all bedded in

[chrismanchr]

by the way I think the calipers need to be bled really well so the piston winds out onto the pad and the brake works properly ,so the mechanisum on the handbrake adjuster winds out and then when the cable pulls the lever its right on the pad ,just a thought ,mine were really tough to bleed and Ive got a compressor driven vacumn bleeder

[SuperRedMR2]

Make sure you grease the springs too on the caliper where the cable connects onto.

I changed my cables and calipers and found it still to be poor.

Make sure it's not the centre handbrake cable as mine actually snapped when I realised that was the reason why the handbrake was so poor!

[PW@Woodsport]

Have you tried this ? :

Wind pistons all way in

Fit calipers into position over pads

Connect cables

Make sure cable compensator is correctly adjusted (so that handbrake levers in calipers return fully)

Pump handbrake till pistons are set correctly

Re-adjust compensator if neccessary

Peter

Totally incorrect in every way.

[PW@Woodsport]

I recommend reading this... http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6372

[elbon50]

Have you tried this ? :

Wind pistons all way in

Fit calipers into position over pads

Connect cables

Make sure cable compensator is correctly adjusted (so that handbrake levers in calipers return fully)

Pump handbrake till pistons are set correctly

Re-adjust compensator if neccessary

Peter

Totally incorrect in every way.

Is that right

So why then are my brakes so perfectly adjusted ?

[PW@Woodsport]

Yep, not one part of your post was mechanically correct and in most cases will lead to one or both calipers not working, exactly as the OP has found out even with new calipers.

Take the time to study them in as much detail as i have Peter, come back and post when you know what you're talking about, until then keep hacking vital parts off your car in the quest for speed

[PW@Woodsport]

Did you even bother to read the link i posted? Doing the brakes "your" way is a lottery, that is why yours work, you were lucky, simple as that.

[elbon50]

Did you even bother to read the link i posted? Doing the brakes "your" way is a lottery, that is why yours work, you were lucky, simple as that.

That's how I do them each time

Have owned the car for 15 years

Long before I joined IMOC or any other forum

One of the ways folk go wrong is trying to get new rear pads to work with the cables over-adjusted at the compensator

[PW@Woodsport]

Well you clearly know way more about how they work than i do, forget the fact i studied the internal workings for weeks over 8 years ago in order to find out why people exactly like the OP were getting no handbrake by just using "your method".

If it's as simple as just playing with the cable "compensator" then why do people like the OP have no working handbrake at all? With your 15 years of wisdom on the subject please explain exactly how the internal handbrake assembly works.

Just winding the piston back and pumping the handbrake LOL will not guarantee a good caliper handbrake, it's that very action that resets the internal mechanism and gives the OP his problem, excuse me while i smile at the irony there

The cables MUST be left off or fully slackened until the correct wind in/wind out proceedure has been followed AND the footbrake has been pressed 5 or 6 times, then and ONLY then can you even think about attaching/adjusting cables.

Anything else is just the wrong way to do it, but you know better.

[elbon50]

I have a long lifetime of experience of cars Paul

This is a discussion forum

I simply asked if Phoenix if he had tried my method

I'm just as entitled to state my case as any other member

I'm a proud man & don't expect to be treated as a know nothing

Your an MR2 Mk1 specialist & have dug into every little corner of them since 1985

Well done, I respect that but I also deserve respect

[SuperRedMR2]

I have a long lifetime of experience of cars Paul

This is a discussion forum

I simply asked if Phoenix if he had tried my method

I'm just as entitled to state my case as any other member

I'm a proud man & don't expect to be treated as a know nothing

Your an MR2 Mk1 specialist & have dug into every little corner of them since 1985

Well done, I respect that but I also deserve respect

I have to admit Peter that my best mate who is a qualified vehicle technician from Volvo has never ever done that to my or his cars before.

Respect?? You lost any respect you had when you asked about Jamex springs, got told they were xxxx and still fitted them anyway.

[elbon50]

Respect?? You lost any respect you had when you asked about Jamex springs, got told they were xxxx and still fitted them anyway.

I didn't ask about Jamex springs Alex

I said that I had some and was immediately told by PW to throw em in the bin

That made me dig my heels in

Nobody but nobody tells me what to do

Oh & they were on my car for over a year with no ill effects

[Lauren]

Alright guys, let's put the handbags away.

[elbon50]

Alright guys, let's put the handbags away.

Good idea Lauren

If they stop handbagging me I'll stop fighting back

[PW@Woodsport]

I'm not having a go at anyone, I just hate forum misinformation, it hangs around on a Google search forever, your post is technically totally incorrect no matter what you think, it is simply wrong, it isn't a method or a way to do it, just wrong, you really have no idea how the calipers work internally.

I know this because I have made the Mk1 my lifes work and have taken time to study every component of it, sad maybe, but there you go.

There is only one correct way to adjust the handbrake on an Mr2, every other way can result in a non functioning caliper, just like the OP has with brand new ones.

[elbon50]

I've said my piece & I'm doing as Lauren asked

There's plenty more I could say