Hey guys,

So I am trying to rebuild my calliper right now, I just got the piston out and I am trying to figure out if I can clean this crap off or not. Here's a picture of the piston:

calliperpiston.jpg?t=1287858572



Should I clean it as much as I can and re-use it? If so any tricks to get that stuff off? Or is it scrap and I need a new calliper?

Thanks

 

I can't really tell by that pic. Clean it up and see what happens. What does the face of it look like? As in the part that touches the brake pad

 

If you were coming into my shop we would tell you there is no way we can salvage the caliper. I honestly don't think it's worth trying but I guess worst case scenario you lose 20 bux? right?

 

Try cleaning the piston with scotch pads or whatever you think isn't too course. Key is to use something that wont leave it with deep scratching, you just want to scuff it and clean it up while taking minimal material off. Then once this is done you can check the clearance of the piston to the new seals in your rebuild kit and check the clearance to the inside of the caliper. It's possible that once you clean everything that you can save the cost of buying a new piston or caliper. It is whether or not you want to take the time out of your day to clean it up and try it. Most shops like mentioned above would just tell you its not worth your time to try and the part is reasonable enough to just replace rather than go through the hassle and labor

 

Yeah I did exactly like you guys just mentioned, I cleaned it up with some wool cloth and some fine sand paper and I got it in decent shape. Greased it, reinstalled everything with new o-ring and new seal and it's working just fine now. Because of the condition I don't think it will last for ever but for the time being it is working fine.

Thanks

 

Glad to hear it! As long as the piston surface was smooth when you reinstalled it you should be good to go for many miles!

 

Bah, its called "hacking" it if we were to do it at a shop, but i've been working on my personal cars like that for years and never had any failures. That caliper will work for years to come, just make sure the seal is in good condition and don't let the pads get metal to metal and it will NEVER fail.
However im a cheap ***, so if you want peace of mind replace the caliper in a year or two, thats what most people do anyways.