Brake caliper rebuilding

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spasm3

spasm3

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How many of you have rebuilt calipers? I need to do the rear brakes on the avalanche. Its new calipers or rebuilding the existing ones. I see kits that contain the seals/boots. Is this straight forward to do? It seems i just disassemble the pistons, clean/hone if necessary and reinstall the piston/boot. It i can get the bleeders out , ! might try this. If i can't then new calipers.
Thoughts?
 
For me it was possible delays rebuilding and getting parts from RockAuto. Once I pull the caliper I want to get it done and back on.

If the piston is rusting it should be replaced as some of the plating has come off. Same with the pins. If you need a wire brush to clean them up they should be replaced.

For many vehicles a rebuilt is not much more than the parts. You do need to pay postage for the core (maybe). For some the core is equal to the postage to mail back the core.
 
I have done it for my Triumph, not difficult.
But for most cars a new or already rebuilt is not expensive.
 
Rear drum calipers?

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
I have rebuilt rear drum calipers, but not front ones. I do not recommend doing it yourself.
 
front factory caliper-- I rebuild.

Reason being that most of those low-end reman ones such as cardonne, etc. they took on some dirty/rusty cores back, sand-blasted the protective coating off the calipers before they begin their work (inspection, rebuilding, etc.). When they are done, they usually spray on some sticky oil to protect them from rusting during storage.

Once installed onto the vehicle, they would begin to rust again, causing all kinds of seizures and issues in short notice. I had Sumitomo calipers (reman installed on Mazda) seized up within 8mns past installation, due to lack of protective coating.

Toy (Aisin calipers) also suffered from that problem also, but not to the point of seizing up.

Rear wheel cylinder , I buy fresh new aftermarket ones and then clean out the bore (one more time) before installation. There's no hope of honing and then re-building with fresh new rubber cups, springs w/o developing leaks in short notice.

Q.
 
Rear Disc.
Thanks reason i ask is when i did the front brakes, local calipers were poor quality, the threads were poor on all them. I had to take on back due to stripped bleeder threads etc.
 
Last edited:
thx OP for starting this thread, good into on this thread!
I guess i will try doing rebuild myself in future. last summer I clean the calipers and bracket real good and lubricate the pin, and boots, I spray zinc rich paint and caliper paint on the brake calipers, bracket and rotor hub, to help slow down the rust build up. it's being working well so far.
Quest mention about cardon being low end, any suggestion on which company are good and reliable for brake components (pin, boots, not rotor/pad) thanks
 
I see replacement pistons for about $6 on rock auto, and a seal kit for $5. $22 plus shipping to do both rear calipers.
 
I typically buy factory piston cups (used to be I bought BeckArnley until the late 90s), aftermarket rubber parts from either Carson or Wagner.

I seldom have to purchase replacement slider pins or screws, but if it's being called for, for Toy type (Aisin) caliper sliding pins, I buy factory OE; for others I get them from B-A, and quick-check the dimensions with a caliper before using them.

Q.
 
I have zero faith in reman parts. Don't know if EGR offers calipers for all models but I have installed many sets on HD pickups and have never heard any complaints from the owners. Aside from them, I'll only buy OEM. Quality control on reman parts is [censored] poor at best. A warranty on a locked up caliper doesn't do me a bit of good when I'm on the side of the road 500 miles from home and I glazed my pads and cooked my wheel bearing. The warranty will only cover the caliper,your stuck eating the bill on the rest. In most cases OEM calipers last several years, you'll be lucky to get 3-4 out of a reman.
 
Preimum reman is the only way I would buy a replacement brake caliper.

The only time I ever saw someone rebuild his calipers, the result was brake fluid leakage in less than 1 week.

I have installed numerous cheap reman calipers that fail within 3 weeks of installation. If a reman part is carelessly sprayed with black paint, and that paint is falling off, buy a better part. The same thing applies to P/S pumps, P/S racks, and just about any other part you can think of.
 
Originally Posted By: jrmason
I have zero faith in reman parts. Don't know if EGR offers calipers for all models but I have installed many sets on HD pickups and have never heard any complaints from the owners.



Interesting, who is egr?
 
Originally Posted By: artificialist
Preimum reman is the only way I would buy a replacement brake caliper.

The only time I ever saw someone rebuild his calipers, the result was brake fluid leakage in less than 1 week.

I have installed numerous cheap reman calipers that fail within 3 weeks of installation. If a reman part is carelessly sprayed with black paint, and that paint is falling off, buy a better part. The same thing applies to P/S pumps, P/S racks, and just about any other part you can think of.


Who offers a premium rebuild?
 
yes, I like to know who is EGR and what are the premium brand... I am in Canada and in the past few years it become a habit for me to purchase the part from US dealer, or parts warehouse...
 
I did that. It's pretty straightforward. However, pay attention, clean it well, and lubricate it well (with brake fluid inside the cylinder and brake grease for the hinge bolt). The hardest part is putting the snap ring on the boot. Just make sure the boot is seated correctly, you haven't forgot the old ring inside, and the new ring is placed in the correct position.

Note that to get the piston out, simply press the pedal with the hose still connected. You don't need compressed air. After disconnecting the hose, you can try plugging the union bolt with a piece of rubber hose passed around a screwdriver tip of right size and then pushed through the union bolt with the screwdriver tip still inside the piece of hose. This way, the fluid won't leak while you are doing the job.
 
Originally Posted By: ET16
Originally Posted By: artificialist
Preimum reman is the only way I would buy a replacement brake caliper.

The only time I ever saw someone rebuild his calipers, the result was brake fluid leakage in less than 1 week.

I have installed numerous cheap reman calipers that fail within 3 weeks of installation. If a reman part is carelessly sprayed with black paint, and that paint is falling off, buy a better part. The same thing applies to P/S pumps, P/S racks, and just about any other part you can think of.


Who offers a premium rebuild?

NAPA Total Eclipse is high end.

I have heard that Centric's painted brake calipers are also high end.

If the dealer offers rebuilt calipers, that I what I would go for.
 
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