Frozen Calipers
04-03-2008, 04:33 PM
#1
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Frozen Calipers
Hi all,
I give my car a little attention. . . and now it wants more all the time, figures.
The inside pistons are stuck on both my rear calipers. I'd like to think that I can take them apart and clean and lube them back to health. Any thoughts on the likelyhood this will work? Or, am I most certainly looking at buying rebuild kits. Is this a difficult task? Do I need any application specific tools, (you know, like wrenches resembling the neighbor kid's curly straw or pliers that look like the Sydney opera house.)
Also, who's got damper and pad spring kits for less?
Any help is appreciated, thanks.
I give my car a little attention. . . and now it wants more all the time, figures.
The inside pistons are stuck on both my rear calipers. I'd like to think that I can take them apart and clean and lube them back to health. Any thoughts on the likelyhood this will work? Or, am I most certainly looking at buying rebuild kits. Is this a difficult task? Do I need any application specific tools, (you know, like wrenches resembling the neighbor kid's curly straw or pliers that look like the Sydney opera house.)
Also, who's got damper and pad spring kits for less?
Any help is appreciated, thanks.
04-04-2008, 12:17 AM
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I just recently unstuck a caliper pot for the first time -- a must have tool is an air compressor with an air blower attachment. You have to push out the caliper pots somehow, and you can do that by blowing air where brake fluid would go. You'll also want c-clamps and wood blocks to hold the other pots in place.
I did it without doing a full rebuild. My pots had some gunk I gently took off with some fine sandpaper.
And then there's all the "while you're in there stuff".
I did it without doing a full rebuild. My pots had some gunk I gently took off with some fine sandpaper.
And then there's all the "while you're in there stuff".
04-05-2008, 01:44 AM
#4
Rennlist Member
There was a great PCA write-up on rebuilding these calipers, but it seems to have fallen off of Al Gore's internet somehow. That's a shame 'cause it had step-by-steps and good photos. As noted above, the pots get forced out with air pressure. Be really careful. They come out like shots from a canon if you don't limit their ability to fly.
The seals and dust boots are available from Paragon Products. Not sure if the parts are listed, but if you call they can get them. Front and rear calipers have different size sets of pots fore/aft (and associated seals/dust boots). Make sure you have the right size parts on-hand before you start this little soiree or you'll be staring at a car on stands while eagerly awaiting the FedEx driver (ask me how I know).
The other key trick is replacing the little end plates that guide the ends of the pads. Porsche kit includes the metal plate and thread-lock-treated screw. Paragon can get these too. That little screw is the bloody devil to remove. If you're really nuts, like me, you elect to replace these plates, clean all the corrosion out from underneath them, and fix new screws in place. Not easy, but it really is the only way to get pads to fit older calipers properly. I think it's worth the struggle.
Heck, while you're on the slippery slope... it could be a good time to replace those 15-year-old rubber brake lines. Stock rubber is just fine; go stainless DOT if you're tracking the car a lot (it's worth it in high-heat applications).
Be gentle with them, the aluminum in pretty soft. Pots and bores must not get scratched below that seal. Really fine sand paper (like crazy fine wet-sand stuff), nothing more aggressive than that. Porsche only sells seals/dust boots with a replacement pot, IIRC. I carefully clean and reuse the pots.
Good luck.
The seals and dust boots are available from Paragon Products. Not sure if the parts are listed, but if you call they can get them. Front and rear calipers have different size sets of pots fore/aft (and associated seals/dust boots). Make sure you have the right size parts on-hand before you start this little soiree or you'll be staring at a car on stands while eagerly awaiting the FedEx driver (ask me how I know).
The other key trick is replacing the little end plates that guide the ends of the pads. Porsche kit includes the metal plate and thread-lock-treated screw. Paragon can get these too. That little screw is the bloody devil to remove. If you're really nuts, like me, you elect to replace these plates, clean all the corrosion out from underneath them, and fix new screws in place. Not easy, but it really is the only way to get pads to fit older calipers properly. I think it's worth the struggle.
Heck, while you're on the slippery slope... it could be a good time to replace those 15-year-old rubber brake lines. Stock rubber is just fine; go stainless DOT if you're tracking the car a lot (it's worth it in high-heat applications).
Be gentle with them, the aluminum in pretty soft. Pots and bores must not get scratched below that seal. Really fine sand paper (like crazy fine wet-sand stuff), nothing more aggressive than that. Porsche only sells seals/dust boots with a replacement pot, IIRC. I carefully clean and reuse the pots.
Good luck.
