Brand New Caliper Issue

[ty222]

Hi all

Could anyone shed some light on my frustration please

I have recently fitted new calipers and new cables. Now I have no handbrake unless the adjuster is done up fully and even then it only slightly works.

I did have an old mechanic look today and he said it must be some sort of caliper issue.

Should I have done something to the calipers before fitting them? I got them off eBay £150 for two rear calipers.

Any help would be really appreciated as I would really love to get the 2 on the road for this summer .

[Gaz mr-s]

I'm not going to be able to give a full answer...but what make of cables did you fit?  And there is a difference at least in 1 cable for a Facelift.

[Joesson]

Hi all

Could anyone shed some light on my frustration please

I have recently fitted new calipers and new cables. Now I have no handbrake unless the adjuster is done up fully and even then it only slightly works.

I did have an old mechanic look today and he said it must be some sort of caliper issue.

Should I have done something to the calipers before fitting them? I got them off eBay £150 for two rear calipers.

Any help would be really appreciated as I would really love to get the 2 on the road for this summer .

Have a good read of this:

https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=68798.0

It's from the How to " section.

[ty222]

Hi Joesson

I did follow that guide last week but sadly no luck by the time I get to 6 firm clicks the adjuster is fully tightened.

I'm not sure on the cable.manufacturer I used I think they had a Welsh flag on the bag but I did check their sizes against the ones that came off and they were the same.

[Joesson]

Hi Joesson

I did follow that guide last week but sadly no luck by the time I get to 6 firm clicks the adjuster is fully tightened.

I'm not sure on the cable.manufacturer I used I think they had a Welsh flag on the bag but I did check their sizes against the ones that came off and they were the same.

Sorry I can offer nothing further. I know of the " How to" but I am fortunate in not having to make use of it myself.
Others may be able to offer advice from experience.

[1979scotte]

Hi all

Could anyone shed some light on my frustration please

I have recently fitted new calipers and new cables. Now I have no handbrake unless the adjuster is done up fully and even then it only slightly works.

I did have an old mechanic look today and he said it must be some sort of caliper issue.

Should I have done something to the calipers before fitting them? I got them off eBay £150 for two rear calipers.

Any help would be really appreciated as I would really love to get the 2 on the road for this summer .

That sounds too cheap to me for a pair. I'm sure I paid over 100 each  last time I bought new ones.

[Gaz mr-s]

Hi Joesson

I did follow that guide last week but sadly no luck by the time I get to 6 firm clicks the adjuster is fully tightened.

I don't understand what you're meaning by that?

This is a new video, & it's too long, but at approx 5 mins he describes checking that the handbrake mechanism works.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOQS9oBRe4U

[AdamR28]

Some of the calipers just have crap handbrake mechanisms and will never work (even brand new), unfortunately.

[fawtytoo]

Hi all

Could anyone shed some light on my frustration please

I have recently fitted new calipers and new cables. Now I have no handbrake unless the adjuster is done up fully and even then it only slightly works.

I did have an old mechanic look today and he said it must be some sort of caliper issue.

Should I have done something to the calipers before fitting them? I got them off eBay £150 for two rear calipers.

Any help would be really appreciated as I would really love to get the 2 on the road for this summer .

That sounds too cheap to me for a pair. I'm sure I paid over 100 each  last time I bought new ones.

I had mine replaced this year by a garage at the cost of £250 just for the calipers and they weren't from Mr T.

[cptspaulding]

So it's a refurb caliper & not a "brand new" caliper. Brand new would likely be over £300 from Mr. T.

Refurbs vary in quality & not all will do anything to refurbish the handbrake mechanism.

[Frank Rabbets]

I bought 2 calipers new (not recon) from frentech-uk listed on ebay £75 each. Only a 1/2 calipers as only the piston side was supplied but there is not much to the other sides so cleaned up everything and all is OK. I found the calipers to be top quality with very strong return springs which are good if you have lazy cables lol. Handbrake adjustment common sense really just like most other cables. Handbrake seams OK but I will know after next MOT. Needed new pads and discs, which I also fitted, to be bedded in which will only improve matters. If wrong cables are used they won't adjust or perhaps even fit and it should be obvious.

[ty222]

Hi all

Thanks fr the replys, im looking on ebay and there seem to be a few that look like what i purchased, all around £75 each.With mine Its not that theyre just a naff handbrake, its that the handbrake doesnt work at all until the adjuster is fully tightened. Once it is i can still push the car to move it.

I guess if theres nothing i can do with them ill just have to try a new pair.

[Gaz mr-s]

Its not that theyre just a naff handbrake, its that the handbrake doesnt work at all until the adjuster is fully tightened. Once it is i can still push the car to move it.

Have you tried operating the caliper lever by hand as shown in the video I linked to in post 6?

[Topdownman]

Are there any MR2 specialists near you that you could take it to before buying new calipers?

[ManInDandism]

Are there any MR2 specialists near you that you could take it to before buying new calipers?

They must be like hen's teeth now?!

[Topdownman]

Are there any MR2 specialists near you that you could take it to before buying new calipers?

They must be like hen's teeth now?!

There are a few around the country and many people will travel for a couple of hours to get to someone who knows the cars. The OP could buy new calipers only to find the same again so I would say its best to find out why these calipers arent working.

I would also be contacting the supplier to say they are not working and see what they say.

[Ardent]

@ty222
If you do go for more calipers. I Can say, I've had no  issues with the budwegs I bought from brakes International.

But, I echo @Topdownman, better to 100% bottom out the what or where the issue truly is.

With the handbrake off. Are the pads in contact with the disc? Or at least no more than 1mm gap.

[Ardent]

@ty222

Where are you based?

[wotugonado]

Apologies if youve already tried this, as I did a quick skim read of the thread.
The lever that the cables attach to on the caliper only go through a small degree of motion via the cable, and the lever will go a lot further back if you manipulate them by hand, every year for Mot I had to do this to reset the caliper as it sticks, so remove the cable, use a screwdriver through the bolt hole on the lever and fully force the lever through its full range of motion until hits the stop, do this a few times till it feels better, then try the process of reinstalling the cables/pumping brakes etc.
It worked for me everytime.

[fawtytoo]

The garage that did my calipers said they were the same/similar as found on other (can't remember which) Toyota models other than MR2. So perhaps anyone who knows about Toyota brakes.

[Ardent]

@ty222

Have you got the reference for the cables.
Would not be the 1st time the issue is with the cable. Despite great efforts to ensure the correct items have been bought and fitted.

[CB 1971]

had mot this week failed on handbrake which was no surprise,had new cables fitted by garage 2 years previous,  hand brake wasn't best after new cables ,anyway garage which mot car thought seized caliper but when stripped down calipers working ok said drivers side had not enough travel  in cable to engage lever on caliper and cable didn't look right said very tight angle,got me thinking did garage that fitted cable fit wrong way around or fit cable for face-lift model as mine is a 2001 model,

[Ardent]

I was alluding to what @CB 1971 just said

[Frank Rabbets]

If you pull the handbrake fully on the inner cable should be very taught. Best seen inside the car. Then look at the bellows on the cable by the caliper. They should not be over compressed meaning that there is more inner cable that could be pulled up inside the outer if a stronger pull was applied to the handbrake. If the cable is OK like this then I would have thought the caliper is at fault.

Some say to wind the piston right back inside the caliper then out 1/2 turn before fitting to car. Never done this but have not had a problem.

Sane design on my 2.2E Audi Coupe. In my opinion the best car ever made for long life. Had the original exhaust after 250k miles and 14 years.

[ty222]

Has anyone ever had issues with the inner cable (adjuster cable) being stretched? is this even possible?

Today i fitted new calipers and its a little better,but still needed alot of adjustment to get it to hold.