Brake slides are stuck

[Covo71]

Hi Guys,
I have just pulled out a stuck brake slide. It was completely covered in rust and crap. I have cleaned it all up but is pretty badly pitted. Will I have to replace it given it is sliding in the rubber boot or just reapply the rubber grease and keep using it?
Best place to buy? Would you go to repco or a brake place?
Cheers

Scott

[mudski]

Not sure if you can buy the slides after market or not but you can genuine. Depending on how bad they are they might be ok to clean and grease up and use you search for new ones.

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[threedogs]

You can buy calipher kits but not sure if slides are in the kit

[Covo71]

I have cleaned it up with a wire wheel. Really badly pitted but will that make any difference or will it just fill up with junk pretty quick? I had to put it back in and seems to be working for now.

[mudski]

I have cleaned it up with a wire wheel. Really badly pitted but will that make any difference or will it just fill up with junk pretty quick? I had to put it back in and seems to be working for now.

The issue with pitted slides is that they may catch on the caliper. I think you would need to replace them. The easiest but not cheapest way would be to buy another set of second hand calipers, and put a kit through them, with new slide pins if they require them. Then you can just swap them over. Or, buy a caliper kit and new pins, remove the calipers, rebuild them and put them back on.
We I did the brake conversion on my GU I also removed the rear and rebuilt them. So I just left a day aside spare and did the lot in the day.

[Covo71]

The boot was still in tact so I think the build up of crap and rust etc I think was confined to the slide from what I can see it hasn't effected the inside of the calliper. I might pull them apart again on my next day off and look closer. Hopefully just the slide and probably replace the boot as well.

[dom14]

The boot was still in tact so I think the build up of crap and rust etc I think was confined to the slide from what I can see it hasn't effected the inside of the calliper. I might pull them apart again on my next day off and look closer. Hopefully just the slide and probably replace the boot as well.

You can use fine grit sand paper to smooth out the "pits" & then use valve grinding paste to smooth it even further.
I basically pasted a bit of valve grinding paste on the slide pin and kept sliding it in and out for five minutes or so.
It came out good, but make sure to properly clean the slide hole & pin to remove all the grinding paste.
You won't find the pins by themselves, but the minor caliper repair kit is around $30.
Even though I did it, it's not worth it IMO, 'cos I got a used caliper after spending that $30 and time on mine 'cos the piston bore
of the caliper was also pitted from rubber boot failure and dust getting into it.
I bought a used caliper for the same price with everything in good condition.

If your one's rubber boots are in good nick, then you can simply avoid the rebuild kit and do the smoothing of the slide pin as above.
Sand paper, grinding paste & rubber grease only cost few peanuts. Rubber grease comes in small sachets at SuperCheap auto.
There's an even better grease for the job that was pointed out to me by a member here while ago. I think it's "copper grease" or something.

I would rebuild it without a rebuild kit, 'cos rubber boots are in good nick in yours. It's a fairly easy job in your case.


P.S. I reckon you can even fit the slide pin to a drill with a chuck big enough and smooth the bore/hole & pin in less than a minute.

[Covo71]

It is sliding quite freely at the moment but was thinking it may build crap inside quickly and tighten up again. I have seen one from Atco genuine for $29. http://www.atocauto.com.au/proddetail.asp?prod=41130_21C01
For $30 I should just buy it I suppose. 4 birthdays and Xmas this month though, so not the best month to be spending. Lol

[dom14]

It is sliding quite freely at the moment but was thinking it may build crap inside quickly and tighten up again. I have seen one from Atco genuine for $29. http://www.atocauto.com.au/proddetail.asp?prod=41130_21C01
For $30 I should just buy it I suppose. 4 birthdays and Xmas this month though, so not the best month to be spending. Lol

Too expensive for a slide pin, mate. Just rebuild it as I mentioned above or get a good used one from a wrecker and just lubricate the slide pins & bores with new grease. The one I bought didn't need anything done. The rubber boots and grease inside the pin/bore was all good.
No point spending time and money, unless of course you enjoy doing it for the sake of doing it, as I do sometime. :)

Slide pin/bore clearance is not critical like a engine piston/bore. So, it's ok to use the method I mentioned above.
Mine was a bit of a waste of time 'cos I had a stuffed up caliper piston, which ain't worth rebuilding, unless you have time
and money for it.

[Covo71]

Thanks Dom,
I was a little worried given it was part of the brakes but sliding within a rubber boot didn't seem to me that it warranted to be perfect as long as it was smooth and greased.
Thanks heaps

[peterc99]

Hi Covo71 As Dom has suggested copper based grease is best - you can buy a kit which includes the rubber to fit the slide pin - with that and the grease the "crap" wont build so quickly. Have done mine several thousand Ks back and seems to be good.

Regards
Peter

[dom14]

You won't find the pins by themselves, .

I was obviously wrong about this, but they are bit too dear to buy retail obviously.
I'm sure brake repair shops have them in bulk, 'cos they buy they cheap in bulk.

[dom14]

The issue with pitted slides is that they may catch on the caliper. I think you would need to replace them. The easiest but not cheapest way would be to buy another set of second hand calipers, and put a kit through them, with new slide pins if they require them. Then you can just swap them over. Or, buy a caliper kit and new pins, remove the calipers, rebuild them and put them back on.
We I did the brake conversion on my GU I also removed the rear and rebuilt them. So I just left a day aside spare and did the lot in the day.

Yeah, obviously you did it right mate.
Just need to spend bit of time with wreckers, 'cos most of them quote prices way above the real value, and not too far from a brand new piece.
In my case, I negotiated the price.
If the wreckers want too much for a used piece, it's better to do a DIY rebuild or get it done by a professional.

Cheers
Dom

[Covo71]

Pulled the brakes out again. Callipers are all good. Boot is slightly split on the inside. I don't think you can buy the rubber boot(insert) by itself so may have to get a kit and I will buy a new slide as well. Done once done right. Cost about $80 I suppose. Better to be safe than sorry. I would hate for something to wrong if wifey is driving and I could have fixed it.
Thanks for the help guys.

[mudski]

Yeah dont do stuff in halves when it comes to brakes Scott. That little extra coin spent on new slide pins is nothing compared to, if the unthinkable happens.

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[Covo71]

I am sure the old mav would survive a bomb blast but listening to the missus for the rest of my life about it I probably couldn't handle.

[Covo71]

Hi Peter, do you remember where you got the kit from?

[dom14]

Yeah dont do stuff in halves when it comes to brakes Scott. That little extra coin spent on new slide pins is nothing compared to, if the unthinkable happens.

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Yeah mate, I agree. You're right. It's not a good idea to do brake related repairs cheaply.
I was emphasizing more about the difference between a DIY cost and professional rebuild.
When a DIY rebuild is not too far from a pro rebuild, it may be better to get it done professionally unless we
love the idea of doing it DIY(which is one of the reason I DIY :) )

[dom14]

Pulled the brakes out again. Callipers are all good. Boot is slightly split on the inside. I don't think you can buy the rubber boot(insert) by itself so may have to get a kit and I will buy a new slide as well. Done once done right. Cost about $80 I suppose. Better to be safe than sorry. I would hate for something to wrong if wifey is driving and I could have fixed it.
Thanks for the help guys.

Yeah, I reckon you're on the right path.
Take your time with the rebuild.
The piston boot is pretty easy to damage during the effort to insert it, so take your time with it.
Also be patient and gentle during the bleeding.
Older master cylinders can get damaged(the seal) when pushed bit too far in during the bleeding(using brake pedal & simple bleeding kit).
I reckon the brake bleed vacuum pump is a good investment you can make for doing brake bleeding safely.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Hand-Held-Brake-Bleeder-Tester-Set-Bleed-Kit-Vacuum-Pump-Car-Motorbike-Bleeding-/251938967458?hash=item3aa8bb8fa2:g:joAAAOSwGtRX1hn j

Check to see how much it would cost if you take the caliper out and take it to a brake specialist to have it rebuilt.
It may or may not come to not too far from the DIY rebuild cost.
If that's the case, make a decision based on how much you enjoy doing it yourself.
I like the idea of DIY, 'cos the experience come handy on many other things, but it's easy to overdo it as in my case from time
to time. :D ;)

Cheers
Dom

[dom14]

Hi Peter, do you remember where you got the kit from?

Repco, Burson, etc or you can get it from ebay if you can wait for the delivery.

[mudski]

Caliper rebuilds are not rocket science. I did both ends on mine. The hardest part i found was getting the piston boot on evenly as the was stuff all room on one side of the piston. I found putting the boot on first and then pushing the piston in. After a few coats of jam to pretty them up they were on.70152

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[Covo71]

Looks nice.

[dom14]

Looks nice.

He painted it with high temperature gloss red primer. :D

[peterc99]

Hi Covo71 the kit was rubber components only - not the pin - ordered through local auto parts supplier.

Regards Peter

[Covo71]

Yeah, I have seen them seperate but not together. Not a great drama though. They are sliding smoothly at the moment so it will be an after Xmas job.

[mudski]

Looks nice.


He painted it with high temperature gloss red primer. :D

Caliper paint actually. The fronts in the pic are when I finished the TB48 brake upgrade. But, if your going to the hassle of a total caliper rebuild, you might aswell make them look pretty, and finished. Well I think anyway.

[dom14]

Caliper paint actually. The fronts in the pic are when I finished the TB48 brake upgrade. But, if your going to the hassle of a total caliper rebuild, you might aswell make them look pretty, and finished. Well I think anyway.

Of course! She's a girl after all. :D

[mudski]

Of course! She's a girl after all. :D

GUrl! No point in taking the time to rebuild them and not paint them I reckon. Atleast if you paint them it look like you've done something. Lol.

[dom14]

GUrl! No point in taking the time to rebuild them and not paint them I reckon. Atleast if you paint them it look like you've done something. Lol.

:D
I treat mine like a bloke, except he's an old bloke. ;)