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Caliper Surprise and Gomer Pyle


2002#3

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1970 (ti wannabe) Project

 

While rehabbing the rear brakes and flushing the system, I thought I'd check the condition of the calipers, pads, and rotors.  As Gomer Pyle so often stated, "Surprise, surprise!"  Check the photos of the calipers and pistons.  See if you can spot the surprise.*

  • #1:  right caliper and pistons
  • #2, #3, and #4:  left caliper and pistons

No wonder the braking ability of the car was less than stellar.  Looks like rebuilding both calipers is in order.

*Hint:  It is not #1.

IMG_0910.thumb.jpeg.66df4978a7df359af07826ec1d2f925e.jpeg

IMG_0906.thumb.jpg.692e396caca581bf0ba73e66873deba6.jpgIMG_0907.thumb.jpeg.45b7c2e2cbc59fd28f8b1b1df8222a9a.jpeg

IMG_0903.jpeg

Edited by 2002#3
labeled photos
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I did mine without splitting them, but it makes it a little harder to clean the rust out of the ends of the bores.  Still doable though.

 

If you find that the pistons don't want to come out, the grease gun trick worked for me. 

 

Be very careful if you use compressed air to push them out.  When they pOp out, they can release a fine mist of brake fluid and that stuff is really hard on your lungs.  Well, hard on mine anyway.  That was my big caliper surprise.

 

Wrap the caliper up in a towel and do it outside.  When you use grease it is not dramatic, they just fall out and that method applies a lot more pressure than the air compressor will.  Be careful either way though.

     DISCLAIMER 

I now disagree with some of the timing advice I have given in the past.  I misinterpreted the distributor curves in the Blue Book. 

I've switched from using ported-vacuum to manifold, with better results. 

I apologize for spreading misinformation.  

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Buckeye, Hal, Toby, and Tom,

Thanks for the comments and excellent advice.  I rebuilt a pair of calipers 5 years ago; I probably remember how.

I particularly appreciate the comments re: splitting the calipers, advice re: removing pistons with compressed air/grease, and the bit about BF mist (would not have thought about that).  Will be careful.  I am sure a good dose of gummipfleger will bring those dust seals back to life.  If I find the calipers and their components are FUBAR, I'll probably order a pair of apparently nice rebuilt ones from WN.

Regards,

Larry

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Just did all four on my 1972 911. All 8 pistons were frozen. It took me and my neighbor about 2 hours total to get them out with compressed air. It was quite difficult. I removed the brake fluid by unscrewing the bleeder valves and then filled the channel with PB Blaster. I don't think that helped. Didn't hurt.

 

What worked was banging the caliper with a BFH while we applied compressed air and PB Blaster. Once we saw a tiny bit of movement, we pushed the piston back in with a C Clamp and then repeated the process. A little bit out, a little bit in, back and forth. Finally, they pop out with a BANG! Yes, put a towel or something over the piston and a piece of wood in between the two of them so the other one doesn't get damaged in the process. Once one is free you have to clamp it down back inside to remove the other one.

 

Those rubber seal kits are easily available from almost anywhere. I got mine from Centric.

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1974 2002 Tii-SOLD

1978 911SC Coupe

1988 Landcruiser

2020 M2 CS

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1 hour ago, NYNick said:

Just did all four on my 1972 911. All 8 pistons were frozen. It took me and my neighbor about 2 hours total to get them out with compressed air. It was quite difficult. I removed the brake fluid by unscrewing the bleeder valves and then filled the channel with PB Blaster. I don't think that helped. Didn't hurt.

 

What worked was banging the caliper with a BFH while we applied compressed air and PB Blaster. Once we saw a tiny bit of movement, we pushed the piston back in with a C Clamp and then repeated the process. A little bit out, a little bit in, back and forth. Finally, they pop out with a BANG! Yes, put a towel or something over the piston and a piece of wood in between the two of them so the other one doesn't get damaged in the process. Once one is free you have to clamp it down back inside to remove the other one.

 

Those rubber seal kits are easily available from almost anywhere. I got mine from Centric.

 

I rebuilt my 911 calipers as well.  It was quite the process to say the least!

'72 2002Tii Inka   2760698
'65 Porsche 356SC

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+1 for also using a piece of wood clamped to the caliper to “receive” the piston that falls out. 
 

I have two piston calipers - the mistake that I made during this project was first blowing out the piston on the brake line side of the caliper. It made it more difficult to “seal” off that side when trying to blow out the piston on the “far side.”

 

Assuming this isn’t a problem for 4 piston calipers?

'68 Caribe 1600-1563167

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I do it a slightly different way- a chunk of wood that will prevent all 4 from coming 

all the way out.  Air pressure on until all 4 pop to compress the wood.  If one or more

do not, it's grease gun time (and a lot more cleaning).  If one or more looks ugly, I'll

clean off most of the residue, lube it up with a 'deruster', use the c- clamp to shove it back in 

again, then pop it out again, and maybe repeat a few times.

 

Then it's Russian Roulette to see if I can get all 4.

 

+1 for Tom's towel, which I use whenever applying air.  

 

t

only uses ATE or Girling kits after the Centric version caused E46 problems a while back...

"I learn best through painful, expensive experience, so I feel like I've gotten my money's worth." MattL

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