caliper tips out there?

[birdfan56]

I am rebuilding my front brake calipers and am having a tough time getting the dust covers installed. Are there any suggestions out there to make this work easier?? Thanks, Kevin

 

[sunbeam74]

1)Take a dental pick or some type similar pick tool and clean out the dust seal groove very well.

2) Then work the dust seal into the caliper groove all the way around. Make positive it is fully seated all the way around.

3) put a bit of rubber grease on the piston

4) Work the piston in from the side but make sure it catches the "lip edge" of the dust seal. Don't dislodge the seal...

5) Use pick to pull the "lip edge" up all the way around the perimeter of the piston. Note, you will need to keep downward pressure on the piston not to dislodge the seal from the grooved seat.

6) once the "lip edge" of the seal is all the way around the piston you should be able to push down - make sure the piston goes straight down - and everything should be fine. Push the piston all the way down and the lip edge on the seal will take its place in the top groove of the piston.

Steve

 

[birdfan56]

caliper dustcovers

Steve, THANKS, that makes a lot more sense than trying to install it after the piston as I was doing. Kevin

 

[mikephillips]

I find it easier to use a Dremel tool and one of those fibreglass reinforced cutoff wheels to clean the groove. One or two zips around inside the groove and it's nice and clean. It does mean splitting the caliper though

 

[birdfan56]

caliper continued

Thanks for yet another great idea. I used the first recommendation before yours came in and "wow" it worked great too. I truly appreciate the info. kevin

 

[beamertwo]

How on Earth do you get the dust seals into the caliper?
2) Then work the dust seal into the caliper groove all the way around. Make positive it is fully seated all the way around.
I have just spent 3 hours trying to get just one dust seal into the caliper and got absolutely nowhere - never got more than about 1/4 of the lip into the groove before it came out again. I am just about ready to give the car a viking funeral...

 

[Toyanvil]

Not sure how you are doing yours, but I take mine all the way apart in to two half's. I always replace the center seal. I can do both calipers in less then an hour.

 

[Hillman]

I'm guessing you have the pistons installed and then are trying to install dust sheild? If so remove pistons install dust sheild, replace pistons.

Ask me how long it took me to figure this out.

Edit: I had my calipers split as Toyanvil did.

 

[beamertwo]

My calipers are split, the grooves are clean, I have tried to fit them both lubricated and dry, pistons installed and uninstalled, with no success. I wonder if the dust shields that I have are just crappy - the section that is meant to go into the groove does not come out square, but is angled back to the "expanding" section of the seal.

 

[beamertwo]

Toyanvil, I notice that you have washers for your caliper bolts - my calipers did not have any fitted.

 

[Toyanvil]

I added washers and new grade 8 bolts, I buy my parts from Rick at SS and have never had a problem. I pulled my down and powder coated them before rebuilding.

 

[beamertwo]

Perseverance paid off - once I got the technique correct, it was pretty easy. Now I have to work out how to torque the bolts to 720 lb/ft and 540 lb/ft when my torque spanner only goes to 160 lb/ft ...

 

[MikeH]

Are those torque numbers correct? I see them in the WSM. But for the SV it shows specs as follows.
Inner bolt 60 lb ft
Outer bolt 45 lb ft

 

[Toyanvil]

They are in inch lbs. 720 lbs. in = 60 lbs. ft & 540 lbs. in = 45 lbs. ft

 

[MikeH]

I see that now.

 

[beamertwo]

I wonder why this is the case when it appears that all other figures are in lb/ft.

 

[Toyanvil]

I also did mine in three pass's and side to side, 20, 40, 60 and 15, 30, 45.

 

[Barry]

I wonder why this is the case when it appears that all other figures are in lb/ft.

Rick,

Stuff happening is nothing new. The fact that the unit of torque was changed from lb.-in. to lb.-ft. in WSM-145 indicates that Rootes was aware of the discrepancy.

In about 2003, I passed through Leura on the way from Parramatta to Katoomba and the Three Sisters. The Blue Mountains were beautiful; I hope they can recover from the recent wildfires.

 

[beamertwo]

Thanks for the help and comments, Toyanvil and Barry. We're hoping for a quieter summer this time. It was more than a little unnerving watching the progress of two huge fires - one approaching from the North and one approaching from the South and our place in between. We could clearly see the flames at one point - the car was packed and ready to go. The members of the Rural Fire Service (RFS) are gods!