Caliper seals?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 193
Likes: 0
From: Central Ill
Caliper seals?
Has anyone put new seals in the pistons in their calipers, and if you have what is the trick to doing it.I want to powder coat my calipers and change the seals when i do it.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,383
Likes: 4
Use compressed air to get your pistons out and catch them in a shop rag so as not to scratch them. You'll have to hold the one that comes out the easiest back a bit to let the other catch up. The new seals install easy peasy.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,253
Likes: 2
From: Castro Valley CA
Same procedure here, but I use two different thicknesses of wood, the first allows both pistons to extend but not break the seal, the second thinner to blow the pistons out. I use a rubber beach ball inflater implement to pressurize the caliper. I use my J55's for track racing without the dust boots(they melt otherwise) and I have damaged a seal when debris got lodged in the piston bore. In your case, I think you find the seals to be in perfect condition. Check the bores for corrosive pitting, which is much more common than damaged seals.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 5,874
Likes: 0
From: Littleton CO
Same procedure here, but I use two different thicknesses of wood, the first allows both pistons to extend but not break the seal, the second thinner to blow the pistons out. I use a rubber beach ball inflater implement to pressurize the caliper. I use my J55's for track racing without the dust boots(they melt otherwise) and I have damaged a seal when debris got lodged in the piston bore. In your case, I think you find the seals to be in perfect condition. Check the bores for corrosive pitting, which is much more common than damaged seals.
Lubricate the new seals & piston with brake fluid before installing them.
There is no trick to putting the seals in; it's cake.
Dust boots can be tricky. Before inserting the piston, put the dust boot over it. With the piston partly inside the bore, get the outer edge of the boot into the caliper housing groove. It is a pain to try to simply stuff it in, but I found it easy to hold a fingernail in place as a guide and then rotate the boot to get it seated correctly. The other edge of the boot will seat itself when the piston is pushed far enough into the bore.
I used a c-clamp (gently) to get the piston the rest of the way in.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 250
Likes: 1
Hello,
The biggest problem I had with this entire project was getting the seal kits. The fronts weren't as bad as the backs but between NAPA and Oreillys I got what I needed (and an extra set of both). I wanted the extra set of seals to 'put-up' as spares.
The rest is Cake, Take Care and Be Safe, -John
The biggest problem I had with this entire project was getting the seal kits. The fronts weren't as bad as the backs but between NAPA and Oreillys I got what I needed (and an extra set of both). I wanted the extra set of seals to 'put-up' as spares.
The rest is Cake, Take Care and Be Safe, -John
