CT03911

*Thanks to previous threads and posters on this thread. You all informed and motivated me to do this*

Anyone have info on this? The rubber dust boots are done on my calipers and this winter I may just remove the rotors and get into a more complete look of them.
I know there is a dust boot seal and a seal inside the piston sleeve too. Thoughts by those who have done it?

serickson

I just rebuilt my rotors a month ago. I purchased both the dust boots and pressure seals that go inside the pistons. Purchased everything from Zeckhausen Racing. They were StopTech brand caliper rebuild kit. Dust boots are gray high temperature rubber. To rebuild front and back calipers you will need 2 kits 38mm, 32mm, 30mm and 4 kits 28mm. It cost me $250.00 plus I ordered the assembly lube and used 2 liters of brake fluid to make sure all air was out when the brakes were bleed at the end. Once you remove the calipers the brake lines will weep oil, I could not figure out how to stop them from draining. Just make sure you bleed all the air out when you are done. The first time I bleed then drove the car hard with heavy braking then I bleed the brakes again to remove and trapped air that I could not remove the first time. The dust boots are just hand pressed in place and can be carefully removed with a small screw driver.

Hope this helps.

Steve

va122

At what point miles/hours do you rebuild calipers? You did mean calipers...

CWhaley

You can get the kits from Zeckhausen Racing or Pelican...

Just make sure you do a good job bleeding the system after... it really is best to do a complete system flush at the same time.

Most people whom heavy track the cars do it 1 or 2 times per year... others only when they notice the seals damaged... Myself I do it 2X per year.

va122

I'm track-only, about 30 days/yr so I'm due. Just had a full track inspection of the car and no issues though

CWhaley

The pros rebuild the calipers after every race... Way to rich for my poor pocket!
I did over 45 days last year and rebuilt them 2x (only found that it really needed it the last time)
This year it was actually done 3x (it needed the work) as my DS rear (seal) failed.

va122

wow, 45 days! Are you really close to a track?

Thanks for the tip, I'll rebuild.

CWhaley

I live 1.5 hrs from WGI... Spend more time there then I do at home or the office.

va122

nice dude!

serickson

Yes, I meant calipers. My car had 62 track days with 28,000 miles. I did not like that the dust seals were cracked. When I rebuild the calipers and removed the internal pistons and found that the internal cylinders had a small amount of corrosion/pitting at the outer edge. I hand sanded the internal surface with 600 grit sandpaper and everything fit well. By the position of the corrosion I have to assume it was caused by water getting past the dust seals since it was only on the bottom edge. The pressure seals are located 1/2 way down the internal cylinder so this small pitting/surface corrosion will not effect the seal or operation. Finding this, it would be my suggestion to replace the dust seals at a minimum if you see them cracked because water can get behind them. The pistons appear to have a special coating on them possibly teflon but the cylinders appear to be steel. I believe you could change only the dust seal and possibly not remove the caliper but it would be testing your agility. Becareful not to scratch the pistons when removing the dust seals if the pistons are still in the cylinder.

Hope this helps.

Steve

CWhaley

If you replace the dust seals only that is better then nothing... But, you really should do the pressure seals (o-ring) at the same time. As this seal is exposed too heat and the silicone does break down over time.

mooty

is there a "rebuild kit" with all the needed seals and such?

CWhaley

Yes from Pelican (whom I think is getting from Zeckhausen Racing) & Zeckhausen Racing. Your dealer & others only sell the dust seal...

KOAN

I got my seals from Zeckhausen. If you buy the set, you can save some money. This is the first P-car I've ever had to do a caliper rebuild on, with almost 30k+ track miles on a 911 and 993. I had a local indie P-car guy do it for me. I'm picking up the car this afternoon. My car has 30,000 miles on it, but probably only 4-5k track miles.
I guess it is the heat that makes this car break down the seals. I used Pagid blacks on the 993, which are much more harsh than the PFC 06s I use on the GT3, but I guess the slightly higher speeds and heavier weight conspire to cook the seals. Also, I'm using solid front rotors, which hold more heat than the cross drilled rotors I've used on previous cars. Just thinking out loud...

CT03911

Gents,
I did mean calipers when I started this. Good info all. I wonder if anyone has found some kind of plug that fits the brake line once you disconnect from the caliper. As the brake fluid leaks out is not a good time to be finding a plug that works.
Sounds like an easy winter project with all the advice.
So I need:

Caliper rebuild seal kit(s)
Caliper bolts
Plenty of new fluid
Remember to bleed the clutch while at it

Warm garage and time off

Thanks all.
Dennis