1992 Protege rear brakes
 

Recently changed a sticking rear caliper. While changing i noticed i could not force the piston back into the caliper. The next week I went to replace the pads on the other rear caliper ,however, could not force the piston back into the caliper so therefore could not replace the pads. Not enough room for new pads. Is there some reason i cannot force the pisron into the caliper other than the fact that the caliper is no good. Is there some kind of check valve in the line preventing the piston from being force back.
Also the e-brake worked before i changed the caliper, now it does not. I know i hooked the cable back properly. What am i missing? Isn't the e-brake strictly mechanical? Pull the cable force out the piston? Totally independant of fluid corrector or not?

the rear calipers are very simple, I overhaul my calipers like two months ago, if you look under the caliper you'll see the cable holder and like an inch to the right (you are in the outerside of the car) there is a 14mm nut called Manual Adjustment Plug, you have to take it out and youll see an allen wrench inside called Manual Adjustment Gear (i don't remember the allen wrench number) but seens this car is Japanese you have to yous metric tools, you turn it counterclockwise and you'll see separating the pads from the disc, then you change the pads and turn the engine on and aply pedal brake an ready!

Just remember to check the fluid reservoir because when you are pulling the piston inward by rotating the manual adjustment gear you will rise the brake fuid, remove the cap of the reservoir.

just be carefull because your playing with the brakes!

Tschen
 

Thanks for the tip. How about the e-brake? The e-brake worked before i changed the caliper and now it does not. The brake on that side work fine by using the brake pedal.

What side? The cable isn't broken? when you move the hand brake it does move the brake lever?

Left rear. When the e- brake handle is pulled the the cable to the caliper is pulling the spring loaded lever. Isn't the e-brake mechanism stricty mechanical. Pulling the lever pushes the piston?

yes it does! but the piston isn't moving, just when aplying pedal brake?

That is correct. I'll have to get a closer look at it this w/e when the kid brings his car home.

When you move the sring loaded lever, the lever has a drum with a hole and that drum rotate to move a stick that goes in the hole and the stick push the piston. As I remember is this simple and you may have two problems, 1. the lever to the drum can be broken or 2. the stick could be out of place but this option is very dificult to happend.

If you want to take to pieces is a hard thing to do because you need a special tool to remove a e-clip that is inside the piston chamber in the caliper, you remove the piston by rotating to (i don't remember in what direction) and it comes out, it is a little hard to rotate but when is out you'll see this e-clip inside the caliper. When you remove the e-clip it will fall the thing that has an o-ring (that is attach to the piston) that you move with the allen wrench and you'll see the stick and the drum and these will come out, with the e-clip on the drum and the stick will never come out.

(i don't know but if you turn this allen wrench clockwise it will push the piston out, if turn it counterclockwise it will pull the piston in; you can push the piston out with the allen wrench)

I hope this explanation doesn't confuse you, i hope this help you!

Thanks Roberto
 

Roberto
Thanks for the help. Soon as i found the adjustment plug everythinng went fine. E-brake was not working, cause after installing the pads I should have readjusted the caliper adjustment (screw it in) so that the pads were just about touching the rotors. After the adjustment for the pads it took care of the e-brake. Thanks again for your help.