LS400 caliper upgrade & rebuild
05-30-12, 10:01 PM
#16
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I'm a brake tech, so I can help.
Ware gloves!!!
First you should take the caliper body apart. You dont have to, but it will make it a lot easier to put the pistons back in.
Ok..... Put some brake fluid on your finger, and roll your around the inside of the piston chamber feeling for debris. Make sure it feels smooth. Do the same with pistons.
Second you should feel a slot where the oil ring seal fits into. Use a toothpick, or anything but metal to run thru the slot to check for rocks or rust. If something is in that slot the oil ring will not sit right. It may feel flush as your finger slides in, but you may feel a ridge as your finger slides out. Thats normal. It keeps the fluid in.
Third Make sure you lubricate the pistons, and put the dust boot seals on. Put them on before you put the pistons in the chamber. You'll be putting them in by hand so make sure it's flush, then push it in slowly.
You'll see why I said to take it all the way apart. I hope you have strong fingers. If its apart you can put your body weight on it.
At this point you got it. If you have any questions ask away
Ware gloves!!!
First you should take the caliper body apart. You dont have to, but it will make it a lot easier to put the pistons back in.
Ok..... Put some brake fluid on your finger, and roll your around the inside of the piston chamber feeling for debris. Make sure it feels smooth. Do the same with pistons.
Second you should feel a slot where the oil ring seal fits into. Use a toothpick, or anything but metal to run thru the slot to check for rocks or rust. If something is in that slot the oil ring will not sit right. It may feel flush as your finger slides in, but you may feel a ridge as your finger slides out. Thats normal. It keeps the fluid in.
Third Make sure you lubricate the pistons, and put the dust boot seals on. Put them on before you put the pistons in the chamber. You'll be putting them in by hand so make sure it's flush, then push it in slowly.
You'll see why I said to take it all the way apart. I hope you have strong fingers. If its apart you can put your body weight on it.
At this point you got it. If you have any questions ask away
05-31-12, 12:35 PM
#17
I'm a brake tech, so I can help.
Ware gloves!!!
First you should take the caliper body apart. You dont have to, but it will make it a lot easier to put the pistons back in.
Ok..... Put some brake fluid on your finger, and roll your around the inside of the piston chamber feeling for debris. Make sure it feels smooth. Do the same with pistons.
Second you should feel a slot where the oil ring seal fits into. Use a toothpick, or anything but metal to run thru the slot to check for rocks or rust. If something is in that slot the oil ring will not sit right. It may feel flush as your finger slides in, but you may feel a ridge as your finger slides out. Thats normal. It keeps the fluid in.
Third Make sure you lubricate the pistons, and put the dust boot seals on. Put them on before you put the pistons in the chamber. You'll be putting them in by hand so make sure it's flush, then push it in slowly.
You'll see why I said to take it all the way apart. I hope you have strong fingers. If its apart you can put your body weight on it.
At this point you got it. If you have any questions ask away
Ware gloves!!!
First you should take the caliper body apart. You dont have to, but it will make it a lot easier to put the pistons back in.
Ok..... Put some brake fluid on your finger, and roll your around the inside of the piston chamber feeling for debris. Make sure it feels smooth. Do the same with pistons.
Second you should feel a slot where the oil ring seal fits into. Use a toothpick, or anything but metal to run thru the slot to check for rocks or rust. If something is in that slot the oil ring will not sit right. It may feel flush as your finger slides in, but you may feel a ridge as your finger slides out. Thats normal. It keeps the fluid in.
Third Make sure you lubricate the pistons, and put the dust boot seals on. Put them on before you put the pistons in the chamber. You'll be putting them in by hand so make sure it's flush, then push it in slowly.
You'll see why I said to take it all the way apart. I hope you have strong fingers. If its apart you can put your body weight on it.
At this point you got it. If you have any questions ask away
If i have any problems, im definitely going to take your advice and take the calipers apart. Im not going to be working on the calipers for a little bit though since im in the middle of putting together my wheel/tire setup and making it perfect. The calipers cant go on until i put my wheels on anyway. But i will update as i make progress.
one question though, when you say lubricate the pistons, youre talking with brake fluid correct? IIRC, youre not supposed to use any types of lubricant other than that?
07-14-12, 03:35 PM
#20
well i finally got around to buying the rebuild kit and putting the pistons back in.
the kit came with the piston seal, piston boot, and metal retaining ring.
i pretty much did what spitfire7 said to do up in his post and everything worked fine. i didnt have to take the calipers apart, the pistons slid in nicely after being coated with brake fluid. i couldnt get the right grip to push a few of the pistons fully in, so i just used a quick grip clamp and they slid in without much pressure. i read in another thread that the retaining clip wasnt needed, so i only used the piston seal and boot.
All i need now is some paint, rotors and ss lines and itll be good to go.
heres a few pics of the pistons installed
the kit came with the piston seal, piston boot, and metal retaining ring.
i pretty much did what spitfire7 said to do up in his post and everything worked fine. i didnt have to take the calipers apart, the pistons slid in nicely after being coated with brake fluid. i couldnt get the right grip to push a few of the pistons fully in, so i just used a quick grip clamp and they slid in without much pressure. i read in another thread that the retaining clip wasnt needed, so i only used the piston seal and boot.
All i need now is some paint, rotors and ss lines and itll be good to go.
heres a few pics of the pistons installed
thanks for the details!
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LEXXIUM (12-02-17)
07-23-12, 07:16 PM
#25
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HMMMM.... So the retaining clips hold the dust boot seal (outer seal) in place. I've never seen those b4. Isn't it made in the the dust boot seal. What are the 8 little rubber looking things for?
12-28-12, 10:56 PM
#30
Thanks guys. And sorry, i forgot to post my finished results.
I ended up buying rotors from 88 rotors.
Painted the hats black so they dont rust.
Scrubbed the calipers one last time, taped everything up, and got to painting. I ordered two cans of a light blue high temp paint off the internet after searching around. It ended up looking pretty nice. I put 3 coats of blue and a few clear coats if i remember correctly.
It wasnt really too bad to put these on. The worst part was probably yanking off the dust shield. And it took so long for the brakes to harden up once i put them on, i felt like i was pumping forever lol. I still think theyre a little soft right now, especially with the ss lines. I gotta bleed them again soon.
I also thought that i had a sticky piston at first cause there were prints/deposits of the pads on the rotor. Sometimes it felt like the brakes were pulling to the right too, but both of these things have gone away. Maybe it was just breaking in?
Heres how they look when i put em on.
I know my wheels are a little thrashed, theyve been through a lot...
I ended up buying rotors from 88 rotors.
Painted the hats black so they dont rust.
Scrubbed the calipers one last time, taped everything up, and got to painting. I ordered two cans of a light blue high temp paint off the internet after searching around. It ended up looking pretty nice. I put 3 coats of blue and a few clear coats if i remember correctly.
It wasnt really too bad to put these on. The worst part was probably yanking off the dust shield. And it took so long for the brakes to harden up once i put them on, i felt like i was pumping forever lol. I still think theyre a little soft right now, especially with the ss lines. I gotta bleed them again soon.
I also thought that i had a sticky piston at first cause there were prints/deposits of the pads on the rotor. Sometimes it felt like the brakes were pulling to the right too, but both of these things have gone away. Maybe it was just breaking in?
Heres how they look when i put em on.
I know my wheels are a little thrashed, theyve been through a lot...