servicing Brake Calipers , "How to"

[Disco_owner]

Is there any intrests here for me to do a "How to" Tutotrial on Brake caliper servicing , I'm about to pull my rangie Brake callipers off the vehicle for servicing , I know a lot of you are very mechanically mided so this would be more suitable for the not so mechanically minded.:D

[dullbird]

Yes please If anything when I read these sorts of tutorials just helps me understand the parts and the workings of them:)

[spudboy]

Sure - post away (and make sure you put in a few photos if you've got a camera - makes it sooo much easier to see what is going on).

[Disco_owner]

no problems.

I was planning on taking plenty of Pics , infact I go thru great lengths to make sure the photos I take are good quality for ease of Viewing of the intended audience.:)

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

Please don't think I'm taking away your glory....Here's a link to caliper rebuild from LR4x4 Forum.... there is a great Tech section with all sorts of stuff with photos and tutorials
http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php'showtopic=2851

[abaddonxi]

Please do, and I'll add it to our existing thread about brake calipers in The Good Oil -
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/good-oil/50218-brakes-thread-discs-drums-handbrakes-conversion-calipers.html#post819651

Simon

[Disco_owner]

Please don't think I'm taking away your glory....Here's a link to caliper rebuild from LR4x4 Forum.... there is a great Tech section with all sorts of stuff with photos and tutorials
[U]]Rebuilding a caliper - LR4x4 - The Land Rover Forum (http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php'showtopic=2851[/U)

:D:D no problems ,

I just read thru that whole Tutorial and you're not wrong it is a very good tutorial ;) he explain things really well, even went thru the trouble of cleaning them with wire disc and resprayed them , they came up like new:eek:

Thanks , that's just given me some ideas:D

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Is there any intrests here for me to do a "How to" Tutotrial on Brake caliper servicing , I'm about to pull my rangie Brake callipers off the vehicle for servicing , I know a lot of you are very mechanically mided so this would be more suitable for the not so mechanically minded.:D


Please do, and I'll add it to our existing thread about brake calipers in The Good Oil -
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/good-oil/50218-brakes-thread-discs-drums-handbrakes-conversion-calipers.html#post819651

Simon


:D:D no problems ,

I just read thru that whole Tutorial and you're not wrong it is a very good tutorial ;) he explain things really well, even went thru the trouble of cleaning them with wire disc and resprayed them , they came up like new:eek:

Thanks , that's just given me some ideas:D


No Pressure:angel:

[Disco_owner]

No Pressure:angel:

Just to wet your appetite a bit Pedro , some pics of the LHS Calipers Finished :cool: I've been away for 3 days and haven't had a chance to "type" the tutorial up.:D

sprayed with cast alloy silver :cool::cool:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/825.jpg

New set of pistons and seals.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/829.jpg


Brake caliper spacers "yet" to be sprayed and we're nearly done.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/831.jpg

[Disco_owner]

Specifications

Torque wrench settings
------------------------
Brake Caliper mounting bolts................82 NM ............ 60 lbf ft
Brake Disc bolts................................73 NM ............ 54 lbf ft

Removal

1. Apply the handbrake,Jack up one side of the car , I started off with the front , once jacked up I place a chassis stand underneath. and remove the wheel for ease of access.

2. place a tub underneath caliper to catch all the brake fluid and then Clean the area around the caliper brake hose union nut(s), undo the union nut(s) and disconnect the brake pipe(s) from the calipers. if you wish not to loose any brake fluid you can plug the ends of the hoses.

I didn't bother and placed a tray underneath to completely bleed out all the old fluid out of the system.

Slacken off and remove the 2 retaining bolts and remove the caliper assembly from the vehicle.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/807.jpg

NOTE . Prior to dismantelling the Brake calipers I had already
orderd the service kits for Brake calipers.

Anyone want part numbers , I'll post them up.

place the caliper on the bench and wipe away all the dust and dirt and oil.

3. remove the split pins from the pad retaining pins with the aid of a small long nose pliers and then withdraw the retaining pin and the anti-rattle spring.

one method of removing the pistons is to place the tip of the air gun to the relevant brake hose union hole , pull the trigger and the piston pops out.
only low pressure is required.

But also another way to remove the pistons is to push both the pistons on one side of the calliper fully into the caliper bore and hold them in place with a suitable G-clamp , then withdraw both partially ejected pistons from the opposite side of the caliper body by hand.

I found the easiest way was to split the caliper halves and then work on taking out the pistons with compressed air.

splitting the calipers halves
----------------------
I placed the caliper assembly inside the bench vice as seen with 2 blocks of wood on either side and with help of the correct socket and an extn with a Breaker bar I cracked the bolts , and undid them with a ratchet .
they were pretty tight.


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/808.jpg

using a small screw driver carefully remove the wiper seal retainer from the caliper , remove the wiper seal and
piston ( fluid ) seal in the same way.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/809.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/810.jpg

the old pistons
----------------
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/811.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/09/1242.jpg


new pistons and seals
-----------------------

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/09/1241.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/812.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/813.jpg

Cleaning the calipers
----------------------
using acircular wire disc and flat wire disc inside the cordless drill I cleaned the calipers to get them ready for paint.

you only have to follow this step if you're planning on re-spraying your calipers.

before cleaning
----------------


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/814.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/815.jpg

Then my cordless batteries died:mad::D

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/816.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/817.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/818.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/819.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/820.jpg


masking up the calipers
------

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/821.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/822.jpg

caliper resprayed with Cast Alloy Silver
---------------------------------------

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/823.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/824.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/825.jpg


Ready for Assembly
---------
Place one of caliper halves inside the vice and do them up.
ensure the bores are clean and apply a thin film of clean brake fuild inside the bores.
Lightly coat the fluid seal with brake fluid and insert it inside the bore seating.place the wiper seal on top and place the wiper seal retainer over the top of wiper seal.

I found it really really easy to push the wiper seal retainer in with the aid of a Trailing arm washer , it was perfect for the job. and few gentle taps of the hammer . I had a 100% success rate with this.

Note! on removal of the old wiper seal retainers,I kept them all incase I bent one of the new ones . but didn't.


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/826.jpg

place the big washer over the top of the retainer and gentle taps of hammer and it will go all the way in
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/827.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/828.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/829.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/830.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/831.jpg


I used the following method to clean all the bolts , placed the Cordless Drill inside the Vice and gently tighten the vice so you don't crush the battery:pwith the flat circular wire disc inside the Chuck.

placed the bolt threads underneath the wire disc and pull the trigger , and cleaned off the remains of the loctite that was used on fitament.
The bolts threads came up really clean and shiny.:cool:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/832.jpg

Note the O-ring between the Caliper halves , my calipers have a spacer
inbetween as they are for vented rotors hence the have to offset further due to thickness of the rotors.
but I found I could reuse the old O-rings ,the caliper bolts are Torqued down to 60 lbf ft of Torque ( 82 NM )
so they are very tight , I doubt the old O-rings will leak.

They haven't as yet and it's been a week since the fitament.


ready for fitament
------------------

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/833.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/834.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/06/835.jpg

Note ! as said in the other thread , You must take great care when repairing any part of the braking system, as your life and life of others depends on it.

[loanrangie]

Now dont they look purdy :), i did 1 caliper last weekend but didnt pretty them up as they will just get caked in mud again, its fidly replacing the seal clips and very easy to bugger them - i carefully removed the old ones and kept just in case.

[Disco_owner]

Well, Today was the 1st day after a few days of taking it easy with the rangie , that I could really test drive it with new Overhauled front Brake calipers and Brand new lockheed pads .....


.......Geez talk about stopping power :eek::eek::eek:...... with 33" tyres :eek: if driven hard the and a bit of the brake pedal right foot pressure applied the Vented rotors start smoking:D...BTW previously I only had Brakes working on one side and the fact that the vehicle was puling to one side became more apparentt when I pulled the caliper/s off to investigate :eek: LHS BRAKE Caliper pistons were worn as pictured above.

The vehicle no Longer pulls to ones side like it did before , I'm really impressed with the Brakes , had to bleed the Brake system twice to get all the air bubbles out of them..

The condition of the back ones seem ok, I tested them by reversing on the drive way and applying the brakes , i won't be overhauling the back ones just as yet. I'd like to enjoy driving the Rangie for a while....it's seen more of the drive way this year than the road:D:D:D

[Disco_owner]

Now dont they look purdy :), i did 1 caliper last weekend but didnt pretty them up as they will just get caked in mud again, its fidly replacing the seal clips and very easy to bugger them - i carefully removed the old ones and kept just in case.

:D:D , you're probably right , they will get caked up with dirt and mud , I just wanted to see how they turned out by spray painting them.:cool:

I also carefully removed the wiper seal retainers incase I stuffed the new ones up on insertion , I had 100% success rate with using the trailing arm washer placed on top of the retainers flat and few Gentle taps of the Hammer , they went in quite nicely.

[loanrangie]

Hi DO, were your calipers leaking fluid prior to the rebuild ? find 1 piston still leaking so pulled it apart again thinking i had stuffed the outer seal clip bit was fine, re-assembled but noticed its still leaking :(.

[Disco_owner]

Hi DO, were your calipers leaking fluid prior to the rebuild ? find 1 piston still leaking so pulled it apart again thinking i had stuffed the outer seal clip bit was fine, re-assembled but noticed its still leaking :(.

Hi Mate

yes , they were leaking on 1 side ( Passenger Side ) Caliper ...The piston/s pictured above were worn & I suspect "Fluid" was pushing past the Piston walls and pass the piston (Fluid) seal , I did also notice my retainer seals was slightly worn too so it is possible that the Fuild was getting past the wiper seal.

Just out of Curiosity ,have you replaced all your wiper seals and pistons seals and throw in new set of pistons? can you take a close up Macro pic of where it is leaking and post up in here ?

If you have thrown in a Brand new set of pistons , my suggestion is to get some 1200 grid wet&dry and smooth out the walls of the calliper cylinders this ensure the inside wall are smooth no defined lines present due to previous hydrolic pressure.

[loanrangie]

Hi Mate

yes , they were leaking on 1 side ( Passenger Side ) Caliper ...The piston/s pictured above were worn & I suspect "Fluid" was pushing past the Piston walls and pass the piston (Fluid) seal , I did also notice my retainer seals was slightly worn too so it is possible that the Fuild was getting past the wiper seal.

Just out of Curiosity ,have you replaced all your wiper seals and pistons seals and throw in new set of pistons? can you take a close up Macro pic of where it is leaking and post up in here ?

If you have thrown in a Brand new set of pistons , my suggestion is to get some 1200 grid wet&dry and smooth out the walls of the calliper cylinders this ensure the inside wall are smooth no defined lines present due to previous hydrolic pressure.

I only replaced all the seals and now guessing 1 piston may be needed but at $40 each :o i'll just get a 2nd hand caliper for now. I checked them and used fine wetndry to clean them up and they werent pitted or marked in any way.

[Disco_owner]

I only replaced all the seals and now guessing 1 piston may be needed but at $40 each :o i'll just get a 2nd hand caliper for now. I checked them and used fine wetndry to clean them up and they werent pitted or marked in any way.

I guess it's cheaper when you buy the whole kit , it paid i think $180 for all 8 pistons and seals ,the new pistons look like they are stainless steel , but as someone who is truely concerned, when it comes to brakes , please don't take any short cuts , you won't know the condition of the seals and pistons in the 2nd hand calipers , so unless you're willing to pull it all apart , you may have to Just bite the Bullet and buy all 8 pistons and replace them on both sides . this will give you piece of mind:)

[steveG]

Where did you source the kit from? (Apologies if you've previously put it in the thread and I missed it).

Steve

[Disco_owner]

Where did you source the kit from? (Apologies if you've previously put it in the thread and I missed it).

Steve

Hi Steve ;

I sourced the Kit from BMI ( British Motor Imports )

Front Caliper service Kits

Part No: STC-1278 = $77.50 inc GST each side

[loanrangie]

Hi Steve ;

I sourced the Kit from BMI ( British Motor Imports )

Front Caliper service Kits

Part No: STC-1278 = $77.50 inc GST each side

Did the kit include the pistons and seals for one complete caliper ?

[Disco_owner]

Did the kit include the pistons and seals for one complete caliper ?


Absolutely.:)

[loanrangie]

Absolutely.:)

Thanks mate.