arc960

Hi friends:
I need somebody that is familiar with the rear brakes of a 2005 Mazda 3.
I started changing my front rotors and pads with no problems. I got to the back pads and I'm having problems fitting the new pads in the caliper. Eventhough I have the tool to push the cilinder in, it has not been possible to push it enough, so that the pads fit in the caliper and the rotor. Does it have anything to do with the emergency brake? Any ideas?
I will appreciate any help.

dentinger

um....was your e-brake on??
i dunno,
in auto class, we just use a large C-clamp on calipers to squeeze em'
and we've never had a problem....

MunkiRench

i have that exact car and problem: 2005 m3 s hatch. I had a problem with the right rear pad... somehow the inner pad wore through completely and starting scoring the rotor, while every other pad on the car had plenty of wear left. Didn't do anything with the front pads, only replacing the rear ones, so i wouldn't know if the problem extends to the front or not.

Eventually, completely removed the caliper assembly, disconnected the brake line, and still couldn't retract the piston. unscrewed the piston, screwed it back on, messed with the parking brake lever, removed all brake fluid... still couldn't get the piston to retract, using a variety of frighteningly strong clamps. also attempted to screw it the rest of the way in, just in case that might do anything... didn't help.

any other suggestions? definitely not fluid pressure or parking brake... caliper was completely disassembled.

fishdude

Try turning it all the way out then push it in as hard as you can and twist it back in.

jones1810

i have had the same problem back right brake i thought it was my brakes got them fixed then it still made the rubbing noise when i hit the brake and took it to dealer and they said it was a hub bearing and they fixed it and it still makes the noise

mtshankweiler

wow, looks like everyone has the same problem and no one has an answer. just bought my mazda 3s this week and found my right rear brake pads down to nothing. i'm a nissan tech and i see this all the time on maxima's and we just replace the caliper. I'll be researching this further and if anyone comes up with an answer first, please please let me know. thanks

jones1810

dude let me know if replacing the caliper is the trick i cant stand the noise

southpawboston

are you turning the cylinder? it is a corkscrew-type mechanism, different from the fronts. you can't just push it in, it has to rotate in. it does have to do with the e-brake. someone on mazda3forums destroyed his rear calipers trying to jam the pistons in.

mtshankweiler

well i guess we might be chasing seperate problems. My issue is not with trying to retract the piston, i am aware of the bolt that must be loosened before turning the caliper in. My issue is that the brake pads on the right rear are worn all the way down, and the pads on the left rear are almost new. Thank you for posting a reply, but i'm not getting a noise at all. The brakes sound ok. one side is just working a lot harder than the other. For now, all i did was loosen the e brake adjustment. When i would pull up on the e brake i would only get like two clicks before it would stop. This didn't seem right, i thought maybe the ebrake was dragging, causing the premature wear. I'm gonna drive it for a while and see if it continues, or if the pads start to wear at a normal rate. As for the noise that you are hearing, maybe if you could describe it, and most importantly when it happens, maybe i could make an edjucated guess for you, Nissan is my area of expertise, but the same basic concepts apply to all vehicles.

05Mazda3i

Well I had the same issue of trying to get the pistons back in the calipers on the rear of my '05 3i with 57K miles. Tried to turn and push in but couldn't get it to move in. The tool sold at Carquest didn't have the proper pin setup.

I ended up taking the calipers off the car, slipped on some pieces of hose and plugged the other end so it wouldn't leak all over the place, then just took them to a brake shop and paid $20 to have them pushed back in.

Installed turned rotors, new pads and bleed brakes and all is good to go. BTW. I noticed that the front pads are still looking like new or rather very little wear but the car stops great.

BlackHornet

i was having the same problem wiht both of my rear calipers so i finally took it to a shop for them to do. they did it and also rotated my rotors but now it makes like a buzzing sound when i hit the brakes.......is that because my rotor isnt broken in since they rotated them? or is something not right?

SKJ69NYC

C-clamp will not work !!! I know on my 04 MZ3 you need a special tools to turn the piston back into caliper or use a long pair of long pliers.

MunkiRench

You just need a spanner wrench, turn the piston back in. easy stuff.