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.

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Tapatalk

[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/proddetai...od=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/proddetai...od=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