I've took my caliper to bits. Have cleaned and looked over the old seals, but the look quite new and can't see any nicks that would make them leak. Piston also looks in decent condition too.
Would I be able to see a cause of a leak? There was a few bits of grit in there which I guess could have caused it. Is it worth putting the seals back in and seeing if it still leaks?
Quick brake seal question
Re: Quick brake seal question
I would have said it will leak if you use the same seals, especially if you found some grit behind them.
Think of it this way, with the donor brake caliper fitted (which you know is good) is there any signs of a leak elsewhere
, is the fluid still going down in the reservoir if your answer is NO to both of those then it's more than likely the seals were your problem.
By all means give them a try if you have plenty of time and don't mind doing the job again if you need to, but my opinion is you'll be wasting your time
Chris.
Think of it this way, with the donor brake caliper fitted (which you know is good) is there any signs of a leak elsewhere
, is the fluid still going down in the reservoir if your answer is NO to both of those then it's more than likely the seals were your problem. By all means give them a try if you have plenty of time and don't mind doing the job again if you need to, but my opinion is you'll be wasting your time
Chris.
Re: Quick brake seal question
Unfortunately, due to me being a jobless type at moment, I do have plenty of time! I think I'll just new seals though as I can't smell the stink of any more brake fluid!
Re: Quick brake seal question
Check the pistons and the cylinder bores against the workshop manual to make sure that they arent worn beyond service limits.
Also make sure that the grooves that the outer seal fits into is spotlessly clean. Crud builds up in the outer seal grooves and causes leaks/ blown seals/ sticky pistons. I had this problem on some calipers that I rebuilt...I went through 2 seats of seals until I split the calipers. I used a brass brush then a nylon brush fitted onto a Dremel to get the seal grooves spotless. Perfect brakes after that.
Also make sure that the seals are fitted the right way around....they can have a taper on their outer circumference.
Also make sure that the grooves that the outer seal fits into is spotlessly clean. Crud builds up in the outer seal grooves and causes leaks/ blown seals/ sticky pistons. I had this problem on some calipers that I rebuilt...I went through 2 seats of seals until I split the calipers. I used a brass brush then a nylon brush fitted onto a Dremel to get the seal grooves spotless. Perfect brakes after that.
Also make sure that the seals are fitted the right way around....they can have a taper on their outer circumference.
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem
Re: Quick brake seal question
Cheers Zakalwe.
I'm going to spend a good while cleaning up the caliper tomorrow. I want it looking like new anyway. It's the rear one BTW. I'm guessing I'd need vernier callipers to measure the piston and bore, which I don't have, so I will try my luck with new seals first.
Thanks for the info guys
I'm going to spend a good while cleaning up the caliper tomorrow. I want it looking like new anyway. It's the rear one BTW. I'm guessing I'd need vernier callipers to measure the piston and bore, which I don't have, so I will try my luck with new seals first.
Thanks for the info guys