Rear Caliper Rebuild DIY
03-28-2013, 09:44 AM
#33
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Thanks to CFL Honda I received my pistons and seat set yesterday.
(at about 2/3rd of the Euro price!)
The pitted piston did have new rust and that made it stick.
A good way to tell if your rear caliper piston is on its way out is to feel how hard it is to turn the piston.
The bore of the caliper itself does not rust at all actually, only the dust boot groove is rusty.
With the new piston I'm pretty sure the caliper will work like new.
A 20km test drive on the highway without braking, then slowing down by engine braking as much as possible before entering a rest area confirmed it:the rotor was cold.
I managed to come to a stop without braking at all (rest area was almost empty)
To make bleeding easier I can advice to put some grease on the threads of the bleeder.
This will give less false negatives (air bubbles in tube) as no air can get in by the threads.
Once the caliper is off the car, clean the threads and use thick grease, and only on the threads!
Don't overtorque the bleeder screw.
When, after gravity bleeding, the pedal feels like (Billman quote) "Its welded to the chassis" I do advice to start the engine and press the brake again.
Actually, when you hold the "welded" pedal and start the engine you will be able to press it down a bit.
If its only a bit and the pedal feels firm at the end of the stroke you're allright, if it is more than, lets say, half a pedal stroke and the end of the stroke feels kinda soft: you still have air somewhere.
(at about 2/3rd of the Euro price!)
The pitted piston did have new rust and that made it stick.
A good way to tell if your rear caliper piston is on its way out is to feel how hard it is to turn the piston.
The bore of the caliper itself does not rust at all actually, only the dust boot groove is rusty.
With the new piston I'm pretty sure the caliper will work like new.
A 20km test drive on the highway without braking, then slowing down by engine braking as much as possible before entering a rest area confirmed it:the rotor was cold.
I managed to come to a stop without braking at all (rest area was almost empty)
To make bleeding easier I can advice to put some grease on the threads of the bleeder.
This will give less false negatives (air bubbles in tube) as no air can get in by the threads.
Once the caliper is off the car, clean the threads and use thick grease, and only on the threads!
Don't overtorque the bleeder screw.
When, after gravity bleeding, the pedal feels like (Billman quote) "Its welded to the chassis" I do advice to start the engine and press the brake again.
Actually, when you hold the "welded" pedal and start the engine you will be able to press it down a bit.
If its only a bit and the pedal feels firm at the end of the stroke you're allright, if it is more than, lets say, half a pedal stroke and the end of the stroke feels kinda soft: you still have air somewhere.
06-30-2013, 03:16 AM
#35
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That piston and small push rod have to come out first before you can remove the e-brake actuator.
Don't try before or you will damage the roller bearing.
I don't remember exactly how I did this, I don't think it was difficult ad I did not make a remark about it in my post.
Most likely put the lever back on the actuator - without spring - and turn it so the piston is pushed out a bit.
IIRC it is pushed out far enough so the piston is easy to remove - may even fall out (?) - by holding the caliper upside down and tap or shake.
Then remove the small rod, then remove actuator.
I hope this helps.
Don't try before or you will damage the roller bearing.
I don't remember exactly how I did this, I don't think it was difficult ad I did not make a remark about it in my post.
Most likely put the lever back on the actuator - without spring - and turn it so the piston is pushed out a bit.
IIRC it is pushed out far enough so the piston is easy to remove - may even fall out (?) - by holding the caliper upside down and tap or shake.
Then remove the small rod, then remove actuator.
I hope this helps.
11-26-2016, 09:56 AM
#36
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The videos listed below are very helpful if you are planning to remove or replace the piston and dust boot only, or to replace the slide pin covers.
https://www.youtube.com/user/backstreetmechanic/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/backstreetmechanic/videos
01-08-2018, 04:27 AM
#38
You could probably put the caliper on a table, but I didnt want to damage anything which is why I held it with a rag and used a dead blow.
Hope that helps!
08-21-2018, 07:43 PM
#39
I just completed this job yesterday and I second this suggestion. Mine was very difficult to remove because the o-ring seals pretty hard against the caliper body. Turn the caliper upside down and hold it in your hand with a rag. Then give it a few whacks with a dead blow on the back of the caliper (hit it as hard as you can until you start hurting yourself). Eventually, it will fall out.
You could probably put the caliper on a table, but I didnt want to damage anything which is why I held it with a rag and used a dead blow.
Hope that helps!
You could probably put the caliper on a table, but I didnt want to damage anything which is why I held it with a rag and used a dead blow.
Hope that helps!
And can I put some silicone grease on the surface of the piston for smooth operation or should it go back in the caliper dry?
thanks all help is welcome
08-22-2018, 07:48 PM
#40
Is it possible to take out the piston while the caliper is still connected on the car? To just revise the piston. Or will the brake fluid come out? If the last thing is the case, how far could I turn out the piston to inspect and smoothen the surface without a leakage? And then turn it back in and have a better brake.
And can I put some silicone grease on the surface of the piston for smooth operation or should it go back in the caliper dry?
thanks all help is welcome
And can I put some silicone grease on the surface of the piston for smooth operation or should it go back in the caliper dry?
thanks all help is welcome
You are better off just removing the caliper from the system and rebuilding it. If you unscrew the hard line from the caliper hose, you can make a plug to prevent the system from leaking all your fluid out, and bleeding the system becomes a 5 minute job once you have the caliper back on.