Just got back in from trying to put on new pads and rotors and had a hell of a time doing it. The driver side rear required a lot of force, but it retracted. The passenger side rear wouldn't budge. The seals are no better. The driver side rear seal slipped out of the grove and I was not able to get it back in. The rubber was fairly hard and was cracking in some places. The boot on the passenger side rear wasn't on the piston, it was pushed completely up against the caliper.
I'm thinking rebuild? What do you guys think?
http://www.courtesyparts.com/Merchan...Category_Code=
found that kit for the front calipers but I couldnt find anything for the rear. Anyone know?
Also, are there any online guides or service manuals for a caliper rebuild? I figure I might as well rebuild all 4 calipers while I'm at it. The brake parts just didnt look good.

 

I would recommend that use new calipers, What did you use on the rear?
C-clamp? After you remove them, bleed the brakes.

 

Caliper compression tool that I rented from Autozone. Attempted to turn it clockwise as per the instructions and it wouldn't move an iota.
New calipers are way too much money, and I don't have time to hunt for decent used ones. I'd rather rebuild them now and replace them in the summer when I have time and more money. They don't seem to leak so I dont think the calipers themselves are all that bad.

 

Never mind, parents vehemently oppose me doing the rest of the work myself. Since I no longer can pay for the necessary parts (I've paid for every part and tool up to this point) I can't go against their wishes. Gonna head off to the stealership and have them replace everything. 4 new calipers (front ones probably aren't in good shape either)+labor.............at least I'm not footing the bill!

 

save the money.. pull the seal out of the rear caliper and flush it woth WD40 or any other lubricant you can find... Sea foam works great... then try it again..... my .02 cents

 

Do not used any petroleum spray, oil or grease on brake parts. It will cause the seals to get soft almost like they are melting and then will expand and be useless.

 

I'm with you on this one Lontar1. I offered the cheaper route to my parents. Get some reman calipers from the local autozone and I'd do the install myself. I'd also pay them back once the summer internship started. They declined saying they would rather pay for it than "risk" me doing it. Its as though my engineering education and 2 years of fabrication and design experience with race cars means nothing to them. Maybe when they get the price quote they will change their minds.

Having the dealer replace 4 calipers, rotors and 8 pads is going to be a 1000+ dollar affair.

I was going to shoot the caliper with PB blaster, but decided to pack it up and ask before I shoot with something that might not agree with the seals.

 

Hm, exactly why I asked before spraying. I'm assuming silicone based lubricants are also no-nos with our cars. Any recommendations?

 

Silicone based lubricants should be OK as long as they do not have other additives in them.

 

Alright I'll keep it in mind for the future.

 

Guys, do the rear pistons need to be aligned with the the pin on the inside brake pad? Or can the piston be oriented any which way with respect to the pad?

 

Aligned, the pin on the pad needs to fall into one of the slots in the caliper piston.

 

I have used petroleum based spray on my calipers all my life with no problems.... I was just giving my .02 cents...... good luck,

 

did you turn the pistons while pushing them in if you did the rears?
what year is your car?

 

I seem to have the same issue on my right rear caliper (130K on the car). I started to hear a "rotational" noise coming from the rear of the car about 2 months ago and i just put on my summer tires and while the rims were off i tried to turn the right rear rotor and it would bind almost all the way around. it has worn the brake pads to almost nothing.

My question is/are has the frozen caliper damaged the wheel bearing and should I replace it if so and should I replace or try repairing the caliper?....

 

Yes, of course.

Its a 2003

 

I doubt its damaged the wheel bearing but I'm not exactly an expert. I say replace the caliper first. Its the cheapest option and you know for sure it has to be replaced. Assess the wheel bearing after replacing the caliper.

Also, please don't hijack my thread.

 

+1 for remanned, can't wait to see that quote from the dealership. Going to be ugly.

 

Reman rears are like 85 bucks each at Advance Auto Parts. When you start looking at prices for new pistons, bolts, dust boots for the sliders, and the new seals, you're looking at maybe even more than the $85 that reman calipers would cost you. Sure, you might pay $600 or so for all brand new calipers, pads, and rotors all around, but it still beats the stealership price.

And your parents are really scared for you to work on your own car? Puhleeaze!!!!! They obviously have more money than good sense. You wouldn't drive it if you didn't feel confident with it, right? Just do your maintenance, and pay attention to what the car is doing while you're driving, and you'll be hella safer than your average schmuck who is clueless about how a car works and just depends on the stealership to keep it maintained and repaired. Knowledge is power.

 

ITs been 30 hours since I called the dealership; no response. Reman it is.

 

Remans it is, already been decided.


My parents are an unusual bunch. They are helping me pay 45k+ dollars a year to be educated at an Ivy league institution so that I may become a practicing mechanical engineer upon graduation but, my father second and third guesses everything I do as though I don't know a screw driver from a drill. Bankers...............
Did I mention they love to have technical arguments with me?
It's expected though. I'm not fully emancipated yet and still go through them to get some things done in my life. As I get older, earn more money and amass more tools I'll be doing maintenance without consulting them more and more often, simply because I have the money to do so. At least when it comes to the car, they are just concerned for my safety. So I'm not going to complain.

Their frugality overrides their sense of safety sometimes and, it might be the case this time. I was only sent 400 dollars to solve this issue which clearly is not enough money to buy reman calipers AND have the dealership service the brakes (I made this clear to them twice)...........Maybe I'll be doing the work after all.

 

As you grow into being a mechanical engineer - or an engineer of any sort - you will increasingly find yourself unwilling to pay some azzwhole to do projects for you, be it on your car or around your house, or wherever. It's part of the scourge of the engineering profession It will become a case of, "I'm an engineer - I can figure out how to do it myself."

Now to stray WAY OT, I cannot encourage you strongly enough to get yourself on a track toward professional licensure! At all costs, DO take and pass the FE exam while you're still in school (you'll have to wait until you're a senior.) You will be amazed how quickly your memory will fade on performing what you now think are simple math, chemistry, and physics problems, which is the main focus of the FE exam. After you pass the FE and graduate, then go out and get your experience and sit for the PE every time you can until you pass it. Especially in the mechanical, electrical, and industrial fields, you will find that being a PE sets you WAY above most of your peers. In the civil engineering field, being licensed is almost a prerequisite to a career. While you're still in school, join NSPE and your state Professional Engineers society, and then be active in it. There are lots of study materials for the FE and the PE available through NSPE, plus you may find that NSPE can be a short route to rubbing elbows daily with the most influential, wealthy, and politically connected people in your state. Feel free to contact me if you would like more info, guidance, advice, or whatever you like to call it (lots of folks call it preaching.) And for the love of God, don't neglect to learn how to speak in public.

-S. Vincent Hotho, P.E.
President, ASPE

 

I've been afflicted by the scourge of the engineering profession for years already. And it's only going to get worse!


I was told by a few older MechEs not to bother with a PE and I've never even heard of the FE exam. I guess I'll have to do some research.
I don't thing Cornell has a NSPE chapter, but I do know they do have an ASME chapter, of which I'm a member. I do need to become more active but I'm completely absorbed by my mechanical synthesis class and FSAE. I'll surely send you a pm within the next week. I really need to better prepare myself for life after school, especially since getting a job is so difficult.

Thank you!

 

Yes, I am dragging up an old thread, it only partially answers my question. I replaced all 4 rotors last night after work. The fronts went surprisingly smooth, the rears on the other hand, that was a different story. One of the 14mm bolts broke off in the slide pins on the passengers side, that only took a couple hours to remedy, but the drivers side was a bit difficult. The seal was twisted around the piston as if it was frozen to it, wouldn't let it move clock-wise or counter clock-wise. I removed the seal and reformed it the why it was intended to be and the piston went in as it was supposed to. Now my question: in order to get the seal between the piston and the caliper, is there an alternative to trying to shove it in with a small flathead screwdriver and risk damage to the seal? Does the piston need to be cranked all the way in or possibly all the way out for the seal to seat properly? All help is appreciated.

 

So in the end, re-manufactured calipers are ok to use? I would think so.

 

I just did my brakes all over including new pads, calipers and front rotors.

New pads and calipers, the old ones lasted 180K miles. The rears are a PITA, they need to be screwed in with force to retract, they won't retract even if the bleeder screw is off. The rears were in terrible shape, seized and the boot out. Said hell to it and got remanufactured Raybestos calipers.

Installed them and called it a day (wife was pissed off with a $500 brake job, consoled her and told her it is a month's payment for a new vehicle). There is love, warmth and peace at home now..

 

Dod you use OEM's or aftermarket calipers?

 

How about the rotors? How much were they? Calipers and rotors?

 

For the record, I used Napa rear calipers on my car (not sure where they may have come from but bought from Napa) and Napa pads and rotors, all working flawlessly about 10k km later.

Biggest cost is the calipers. Consumables are relatively inexpensive for these cars. (pads, rotors) Spend your money on the front pads and rotors, just buy econo for the rear with new calipers, good to go.

 

Actually, I reused all the OEM parts, the calipers were not the issue in my situation, the rotors were warped badly, so that's what I replaced. I thoroughly cleaned the pistons w/brake cleaner and lightly sanded the outer edge of the pistons to remove the minute surface rust starting to form, but I removed the rubber seal prior to doing this. I couldn't get the seal back between the caliper and the piston and didn't want to damage the seal by trying to shove it back in with a screwdriver. Was wanting to know if anybody found an easy/easier way to reseat the rubber seal.