Miata List Archive

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Mail From: entropyc verizon.net (James Thorusen)

Greetings to the list!

I was following the thread about adjusting the rear calipers and the
apparent lack of grip by the rears until the adjustment was corrected, when
alarm bells started going off in my head.

The reason that that adjustment screw is there is because of the
mechanical ratchet system that is necessary to make the hand brake operate.
It is mainly a release for that ratchet to allow the pistons to be retracted
so that new pads can be installed. Running the screw back to the position
where the pads just grip the disk and then back a bit serves mainly to
ensure that the brake pedal doesn't go all the way to the dual master
cylinder limit while the auto adjusting ratchet mechanism gets the pads back
to where they are supposed to be.

This should occur automatically with a few stops; in other words, except
for the alarming pedal feel and no rear brakes for a few stops, it doesn't
matter where the adjusting screw is set. If "Murph" had to run this screw
in to get the brakes to work, then the auto adjuster may be frozen. I'd
keep an eye on the rear pad wear and rear brake performance very closely.
It may be that a caliper rebuild or replacement is in order.

Just my $.02 worth in the interest of safety.

Regards,
Jim T.
entropycat at verizon.net
'74 914
'90 Miata (x3)