Brake Caliper Removal...don't be afraid...
 

You can do it...I am a mechanical doofus and I did it. As we see in another thread,

"The only snag that I ran into was with one of the bolts on the hard brake line that connects to the left front caliper. I used to flare nut wrench, just like pcar workshop said to do, and plenty of liquid wrench but the bolt didn't budge."

I had the same problem...the toughest part of the whole job was just that, getting that brake line threaded into the caliper. I confess, I had Darin Fister do this one chore...I just couldn't make it happen...but other than that, the job went splendidly well.

The fronts are easier than the backs because you can move the front calipers around with the steering wheel...no such luck with the rears.

And I did the whole job on my back, no lift....:bowdown: GReat job Martin

Good job Martin. I agree, on a scale of 1-10, removing the calipers on a Porsche is a 3. One more reason to be glad we don't have those single piston calipers other cars have. It's a royal pain in the ass on the Audi for instance.

Ilko, how is removing calipers here any different than most other cars?. I have never done it on my 993 but have done plenty on many previously owned BMWs, Hondas and Toyotas. Thanks for you feedback.

I am about to remve my front calipers on my car today and I have a couple questions. I am pretty mechanically inclined but tend to overthink things before jumping in and realizing how easy it actually is. When you remove the calipers, is there a way to stop all the fluid from pouring or dripping out of the brake lines all over the place? Air tight brake fluid filler cap?? When re-bleeding, assuming I am only removing the fronts for a caliper rebuild, should I bleed them in the normal fashion (RR,LR,RF,LF) or bleed the fronts first to "fill" them up and then do another bleed in the correct order? For the rebuild of the calipers, I have the Zuckhousen seal and ring kits and I will inspect all pistons before re-inserting. Anyone have any tips? Thanks guys.

Just my .02. If you have a short length of hose with a screw or dowel in one end you can slip the other side over the end of the brake hose. As another method, loosen one bleed nipple, then you can depress the brake pedal a little and block the pedal in place (guessing 1.5 - 2 inches) this should stop the brake fluid from dripping. As a third option you could combine the first two. If you plan on doing both calipers in the same day that should be plenty.

Regarding the bleeding sequence, I would just bleed in the order you state above (RR,LR,RF,LF). There is nothing wrong with bleeding the fronts then going through the whole sequence (RR,LR,RF,LF). It might use a little more brake fluid and take a little longer but that is about it. You are already saving money by doing the work yourself.

jhummel,
Thanks so much for the ideas on how to stop the fluid from coming out and for the brake bleeding sequences. I had thought of the plugged hose trick but I like the pedal technique just as much. Now off to Sears for a 11 mm flair nut wrench. Those guys dont want to move and I dont want to strip them as they feel pretty soft. Please pass on to my wife how much money I am saving by doing it myself. We all know how that is. This is a great source for instant help while in the middle of a project.

I can help with this....
 

I used a trick I learned from Guy Ober at Guy's Independent Porsche repair in San Luis Obispo.

1. Indeed the depress the pedal thing IS the trick. I got an expandable and lockable rod from Pep Boys and only depressed the pedal 1" It worked great.

2. Trick two (2) when removing the break pads: Get a bleeder bottle and attach to the the nipple on the left side of the caliper, crack it a bit. Then use some water pump pliers to squeeze the caliper to depress the pad a bit making removal a cinch. Cinch it down again when the pad is out.

A. Remove pads,
B. Disconnect the brake line to the back of the caliper,
C. Remove the caliper, two allen bolts on the leading edge of the caliper,
same procedure for the rear, bolts in different locations...you'll fine them.
D. Great time for new rotors... If so for the fronts:
1. unscrew the two screws on the face of the rotor, off it comes
2. Same for the rear rotors but must line up the hole that is used for
adjusting the emergency brake, brake shoes. Be certain that the
emergency brake is off, or the rotors will not come off.

The front caliper bolts are supposed to be replaced every time they are extracted...probably not a bad idea for the rears either. There are torque specs for these bolts. Also at the completion of the job, top off the brake fluid reservoir and bleed the brakes.

In closing, I didn't just figure this all out. Darin Fister came to my rescue and gave me pointers as needed. The line up the holes on the rear caliper was the big tip I learned. Release of the emergency brake was the other.

Good luck with the project, it is fun and as written above, a #3 on a scale of #10 mechanical difficulty.

I prefer the allen bolts - they are easier to get out, give you more room to work with and you will have a damn hard time stripping them. That's mainly why I like them better. The other thing about the single piston calipers is that you generally have 2 parts to remove, or 4 bolts for each caliper if you are changing the rotors for instance. Not all of them are accessible, the bolts are the hexagonal kind, and are hard to remove and easier to strip.

Ah I see! Thank you for your reply. :bigbye:

Couple Qs:
1. For the hose with a screw to put over the brake line to ensure no leakage, what size inner diameter hose/tube?
2. Sorry...huh?

3. I don't crack open the bleeder when I depress the calipers when I replace/swap the pads. I just get a screwdriver in there and leverage it between the pad and rotor, pushing the pads back and depressing the pistons as far as they will go to A) remove the old pad and B) allow enough space for the new one. Is this causing any harm doing it this way?

More truth...
 

As we see above, "I prefer the allen bolts - they are easier to get out, give you more room to work with and you will have a damn hard time stripping them. That's mainly why I like them better. .....Not all of them are (The Rears) accessible, the bolts are the hexagonal kind, and are hard to remove and easier to strip."

I have Allen bolts on the front...Porsche OEM. Next time I replace the rear rotors, I will replace the hex bolts with Allen bolts. The Hex can easily get damaged.
And don't forget to torque to factory specs.:thumbsup:

Job finished-calipers rebuilt and brakes bled. Thanks for the tips everyone. Since there was not a lot of fluuid coming out after removing the caliper-maybe a drip every 20-30 seconds-I used an old woodworkers trick and took a 2 inch dowel probably 3/8 diameter and threaded it into the open brake line. I know, wood and cars probably not a great idea but for the hour or two that the caliper was off, there was no drips. Bash away!

Our floorboards are wood. :)

PM sent.


Andreas

Martin - line up the hole with what :confused: it has finally gotten warm enough to start working on my brakes

There is a hole on the side of the rear rotor to access the internal brake shoe adjuster. It's easier to remove the rear rotors if the internal drum brake shoes are retracted.