Another parking brake problem

[616Nickel]

So yesterday, I had the P5 up on jackstands to rotate the tires (severe wear on the inside of the front tires, so I guess toe is out, but that's a different issue), and I noticed that the driver-side rear wheel still rotates freely when the parking brake lever is fully deployed.

Common problems that aren't at work in this case:

• The little failure-prone hex-wrench adjusters are both working as intended, and I can use it to extend and retract the piston.
• I can engage the brake by pulling on the parking brake actuation arm on the caliper.
• I have used the adjustment nut by the lever to remove cable slack from the system. Both left- and right-side cables are in tension.

I was doing the work alone, so I wasn't able to check cable travel on the left-side cable, but it looks like the lever isn't moving the left-side cable. Unfortunately, the whole system runs under the heat shield, so I can't see what's going on. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

 

[pcb]

I'll bet the left side cable is seized. Get an assistant to pull the lever and watch for movement to make sure. (there also has to be enough movement to actuate the self adjusters)
If you can't find an assistant ,... check the position of the attachment point for the cable at the caliper and compare both sides with the brake lever pulled and then with it released. If you can pull the actuator arm with the P-brake lever pulled the the cable is seized.

http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123816870-ebrake-caliper-getting-stuck

 

[njaremka]

if you are 100% sure that the adjusters in the calipers are free and movable, the proper adjustment method for the parking brake is to adjust the caliper, not the cable. adjust the caliper down to when the pads will hold the wheel from turning, then back it off by 1/3-turn.

 

[616Nickel]

if you are 100% sure that the adjusters in the calipers are free and movable, the proper adjustment method for the parking brake is to adjust the caliper, not the cable. adjust the caliper down to when the pads will hold the wheel from turning, then back it off by 1/3-turn.

Thanks. But as I wrote above, the adjusters work fine and are already adjusted as you recommend. On the other end, I only use the adjustment nut at the lever to take up cable slack (then go back and recheck the caliper adjustment). I don't think it's an adjustment problem at all. I think pcb has it right--the lever is pulling the right-side cable, but the left-side may be seized in its tube.

 

[pcb]

This is the part or the P-brake assembly that is under the heat shield. It kinda pivots to equalize the pressure to each brake cable. That allows only one side to engage and not the other.