I can find cheap front caliper pistons at all my local auto parts stores. The only rear brake caliper pistons I can seem to find for our 4th gens are OEM ones. Courtesy Parts has them for $187!!! I'm not having any luck finding any aftermarket ones for $10. Does nobody sell aftermarket rear caliper pistons for 4th gens?

http://www.courtesyparts.com/maxima-...1879_1881.html

 

i bought mine from advace auto. think they were like 35 with the core

 

Rockauto dude...

 

Nope and nope. Neither has the rear piston only. I'm not looking for the entire caliper and not looking for the front piston. Neither has the rear piston listed. I'm trying to not have to buy an entire caliper since I have spend money on other rebuild components already.

 

Centric makes an aftermarket piston for our rear calipers

146.34004


Do a google search for 'centric 146.34004' and you'll find plenty of sites that sell them for ~$25.

 

dude... junkyard. whole caliper for 15 bucks. just test all the parts?

 

if he you are getting a caliper from a JK you are better of just keeping yours... when I was looking for calipers in the local JKs all of them were done... outer piston seal cracked, the pistons completely corroded...

get new pistons and seals, rebuilt your own calipers and call it a day... after all those your brakes...

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_saca....34004&_sop=15

 

uh yeah if youre just blindly buying calipers. but like i said, test all the parts. its not impossible to find a good one, like i did when mine was seized...

 

Awesome, thanks for the part number. You da man. Every single online retailer has the incorrect photo (showing a front piston) but they are all listed as rear piston applications so that seems to be it.

I appreciate the suggestion, but I don't want some junkyard calipers that I will have to rebuild. Mine are in petty decent shape and the piston could probably be reused without an issue but there is a little bit of pitting. As I posted, I already spent the money and bought the parts to rebuild the caliper before tearing them down. Now all I need is a piston. Chances of finding a junkyard caliper in better condition than the one I have are slim to none. Spending an entie day driving from one salvage yard to the next for the slim possibility that I'll find one in excellent shape costs me way more in time and money than just buying a new one for $18 at Rockauto.

 

why do you need new pistons? They cant fail....sure you dont just need new seals?

 

im just saying everyone writes off jy brake parts... and i found a caliper in GREAT condition, hardly any surface rust, piston moved like butter, brackets in good condition.

 

^ I dont disagree but it is fairly simple to rebuild them so why not?

 

It's still in decent condition but not perfect. It has a little pitting. Not seized, but some on the outer piston wall and a little on the inside. I've spent $ on new rotors, pads, hardware, seals, etc. Why not just spend a few more bucks on the last brake job I'll ever do on this car and do it right completely?

As I said, I know sometimes you find gems at the junkyard. I have no problem with junkyard parts if it's something I'm saving money on or where I feel used OEM quality is better than a new aftermarket piece of junk. But getting the calipers form a junk yard would cost me MORE than buying a brand new piston. I'll get home and it'll be on my doorstep, brand new. I don't live near any of the junkyards with a decent selection of Maxima parts. So I have to burn my $3.33/gal gas driving a long way and spending all morning if not all day locating and inspecting and removing calipers to find a good one. My time is worth WAY more than $18/hr. (that's what the new piston cost) so the entire junkyard run plus cost of the calipers will cost me much, much more tan just ordering them online. That's how I figure it anyway.

 

I am pretty sure you got lucky and found a good caliper that was probably just replaced before the car got totaled... sure you can find a good parts in the JK but the time you will spend searching the yard, testing the part you might as well get a new seals are rebuilt your own calipers, that way you know what have...
ShocknAwe --> the piston cannot fail you are correct... but if the outer piston seal is damaged, water gets in there and the top part of the piston will rust like hell thus making it impossible to screw back into the cylinder... thats why getting a new piston and seals and actually rebuilding the caliper is a much better option... at least in my opinion

 

I have never ever had a problem with centric... all 4 of my cars have centric rotors, two of my cars I have rebuild front calipers with centric pistons and seals... years later still no issues...

 

Oh yeah? Where can we find that brand?

 

I wasn't referring to Centric specifically. That's the brand of rotors I just put on and the caliper pistons I bought. They produce quality parts and actually make a lot of the brake products that are rebranded by some of the premium big name brands. I was taling about some aftermarket junk in general. Not all aftermarket parts of course.

 

i personally would prefer to replace the caliper and bleed the entire system. rather than try to rebuild a failed component, or went and got a junk yard caliper. my .02% . advanced auto, napa would be my first 2 choices otherwise if you got time do rockauto like another member suggested.

 

Thanks. FYI, nothing has failed. I'm rebuilding it becasue I want to while I was doing a complete brake job. Being thorough without throwing away money. I'm replacing the piston becasue it has a little pitting. Not too bad to be reused, but I figured I'd replace it anyway while I'm rebuilding it.