Hi,
Tom's the guy to ask. From having done the rebuild a couple times, my
recommendation is to go with new calipers. If they are frozen solid, they
are probably too far gone to rebuild. They are probably severely pitted
inside the piston area. Is the rubber boot intact, or is it warped and
bubbled? If the rubber boot doesn't look perfect, then the internals are
probably severely rusted.
You should be able to place one piston in a vise, and apply some air
pressure into the other so it pops free. Of course, use safety precautions
- use goggles, stay out of the path of the piston, and cover it with a bag
or a bucket. If it doesn't pop free with a small amount of air pressure,
then it's probably too far gone.
Some people have the calipers re-sleeved. I prefer new units. If you can
get the pistons out, you'll know if you should bother with a rebuild kit. I
did that with one set that had minor pitting, only to see it get
progressively worse over the following year. I've learned my lesson! Pitted
calipers aren't worth the effort of a rebuild.
Fred
Subject: Brake calipers
Author: "Ben Zech" <motormite@hotmail.com>
Date: 12/15/99 3:59 PM
Tom: I have removed the calipers from my SRL.
They are of course frozen solid.
My questions are:
Are rebuild kits available for these? part numbers?
What would you reccomend soaking them in to get rid of the surface rust?
Can I soak them as a unit, or should I break them down and then soak?
Thanks in advance.
|