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rear caliper question!


96oldsmobubble

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Well I got everything back together on one side of the rear of my Cutlass and as I was using the box tool to screw the caliper piston in I ripped a tear in the piston boot.:mad: Is this boot a dust shield? I assume no fluid is behind it, none come out at least.

 

I guess the question is should I do something about this such as replace the caliper, replace the boot or just leave it and finish assembling the brakes. I am not to aware of the breakdown of the piston assembly versus the hydraulic parts of this caliper so I do not know if this is an issue or not. I know the boot would at least keep dirt and condensation from getting in the piston cylinder.

 

Does anyone have a picture or a breakdown of how to rebuild these calipers?

 

Thank you! Tim

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You can buy a rebuild kit for the caliper and it would include a new boot. It's been a few years since I rebuilt the rear caliper but unfortunitly I think you have to remove the piston to get that dust boot on. If you don't replace the boot though, it won't take long for water to get in there and cause some corrosion and then the piston won't move.

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What all does replacing that boot entail? Is it pressed into the caliper? My Haynes manual doesn't talk about serving this type of rear caliper, only shows the older ones.

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If I remember right, you remove the piston by turning it out. Once it's out... You have to set the dust boot into the grove on the piston bore first. I believe there was also like a metal snap ring to hold it in...it's a pain. Once that is done then you can start putting the piston back in and set the dust boot into the groove on the piston. It WILL test your patience.

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sounds like a PITA! The reman calipers will cost me $65 apiece while using mine as a core. I didnt want to go that route, mine worked just fine and the passenger rear screwed down quite nicely. I just happened to catch one of the bumps on the box tool in the boot. The boots are getting brittle though at a 135,000 miles. Well the remans have a Lifetime Warranty and I dont plan on getting rid of this car anytime soon and I just replaced lots of goodies on the back of the car. I'm just needing to drive this thing, parked it a few weeks ago with a full tank of gas.

 

The car just received new Monroe Sensatrack struts and mounts on the rear, new wheel hub assemblys in the rear, new sway bar end links, bushings and mount bushings, new monoleaf pads and tubular trailing arms. I have a new set of Wagner ceramic pads and hardware so why dont I just put new calipers on it and be done with it. I used Chassis saver on my gas tank and on some of the rust down there, kind of cool stuff. Thanks for the input !

Tim

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Honestly, I just did this on my car. Its MUCH easier to just get new rear calipers and send the old ones back as a core. Plus with the lifetime warranty, youll never have to worry about it again. It seems like Im putting rear calipers on my car just about every 3-4yrs, so keep that in mind when you spend $65 for each caliper. It may be a pain in the ass to replace them, but they are free from this point on!

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Holy crap guys, this job is a cakewalk. Don't tell the guy to buy remanufactured pistons, as its a LOT cheaper to just rebuild them yourself. A haynes manual has the proper procedure, and often times you don't even need to rebuild the piston and bushing unless you damaged it somehow.

 

What I did if my piston was stuck is I removed the caliper, pressed the brake, and if you press it enough, the piston extends completely out and comes out of its socket, but is still held on by the surrounding rubber. I then screw it back in nicely and easily. If its REALLY bad, you can get the rebuild kit for like $13 per side and replace the inner hardware. Mine are still fine at 214k miles, and my sister in law's is also fine at 115k miles.

 

When the brackets are siezed to the bolts at the sliders, you clamp them bracket in a bench vise, heat up area around the slider, pop off the grease cap, and using a bolt, hammer the shit out of the slider. It will come out, guaranteed.

 

I once bought a remanufactured NAPA rear caliper, and it came WITH that slider siezed. I was less than impressed with how loosely it fit and ended up fixing my old caliper and putting it on.

 

Jay, if you're replacing the claipers every 3-4 years, you're not maintaining your car properly. I live in the salt and snow too, and at least once a year, I jack up the rear take the calipers off, re-lube the sliders (with brake parts lubricant, not regular grease), and replace the slider bushings if necessary. I have replaced the sliders 2-3 times, which at $5 per side, hardly comes close to the price of one remanufactured caliper.

 

Since I started doing regular maintenance on my calipers, I haven't had a single problem.

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I deff maintain my car. But for some reason thats all they last on my car. I dont know if its from the way I drive or the slotted rotors chewing up the pads or what it is. But it just eems like thats how often Im replacing them. But then again the past 3-4yrs I drove my car ALOT. I and not easy on that thing at all. So that could help, but its just a shitty GM design. But my maintaining my car should never come into question.

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I deff maintain my car. But for some reason thats all they last on my car. I dont know if its from the way I drive or the slotted rotors chewing up the pads or what it is. But it just eems like thats how often Im replacing them. But then again the past 3-4yrs I drove my car ALOT. I and not easy on that thing at all. So that could help, but its just a shitty GM design. But my maintaining my car should never come into question.

 

Understood. I'm just going by how I drive my car. I put at least 24k miles on my car every year. I never bothered to put drilled or slotted rotors on the rear of these cars because of how insignificant of a difference it is comparing the front to rear braking ratio. I don't replace my rear pads very often, but when I do, I replace the sliders and bushings anyway and lube the crap out of everything even if they look good.

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Every time I rotate the times ( usually ~5,000miles gove or take a little ) I check the brakes, lube the slides and all. But I have noticed on the rear that the slotted rotors do chew up the pads. However the fronts, even with the slotted rotors, area wearing perfect. But Im on my 3rd set of pads in the rear, 2nd set of calipers, and I had to have the rotos turned. Thats since getting tehe slotted rotors. I dont know if its because there solid and not vented or what.

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So does the dust boot change out fairly easily? My pistons screw in just fine but the brittle boot ripped. I read their is a lockring and grooves everything fits into but does the boot press in also? How do you remove the old ones? Thank you! Tim

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