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Fazer 1000/FZ1 corner / Re: Advice on front &Rear caliphers
« on: 28 July 2014, 10:14:31 pm »
My two pennorth as a "dealer" although not franchised.
We always use copper grease when we refit the caliper bolts and we have never had one come loose.
Because, we also torque the correctly with reference to the settings from our specs book which covers nearly every model and with reference to the workshop manual where it doesn't. Our wrenches are not flung about and always wound off after use on the bolt it is set for - keeps them reasonably accurate.
We normally clean the pistons when fitting new pads using brake cleaner and where necessary (very dirty and/or sticking pistons) we will "service" the caliper by using the correct tool to rotate the pistons to clean in situ or, if very bad, by splitting the caliper and removing the pistons with ANOTHER correct tool. We also remove and clean the brass retaining clips (not fitted on the Fazer 1000 Gen 1), clean away the corrosion behind them (a major source of problems) with a wire brush and air line, clean up the retaining pins with a light abrasive wool, and then rebuild these parts with a little copper grease. And new R clips where needed. You should see that servicing a caliper properly is NOT simply a 2 minute job being avoided by a lazy fitter...... Particularly where the meticulous owner has polished the bollocks off the paint work but never once stripped the pads out for a decent clean......
We ALWAYS service/reassemble with red rubber grease for the pistons.
We don't charge for a "clean" but we do advise the customer if a service is required and charge if they want it done. Most do, some don't. To service a caliper properly which is very mucky can take at least 30 minutes per caliper.
Correct me if I am wrong, (I am not - but I know you will be checking the service schedule anyway....) but the service manual does NOT refer to the need to clean or service the caliper as part of ANY of the scheduled service intervals.
We do NOT always remove the caliper during a normal service unless there is a reason to do - replace pads, brake bind felt or reported etc. Don't blame the dealer for not doing what the book says doesn't need to be done.
Most brake problems are down to neglect - we recently rebuilt a "ruined" caliper off a GSXR 1000 that the customer replaced as it was "stuck fast". It took our APPRENTICE an hour to split, strip, clean, replace the seals and rebuild as good as new. Remember, the owner was "throwing this away".
Anyway, rambling!
My point, if you want your brakes serviced, ask for them to be done and ask what they are going to do.
Oh, and we have had to drill out a few bolts that have been thread locked in and then mullared up as hard as they can be - the bolts do not take force through the threads along the fastener (radials excepted - and they often ask for a replacement caliper bolt at each tightening...) but across the bolt. They just need to be tight enough to stop them coming out.
And also a few with no thread lock OR copper grease that have just welded themselves in as described so well by VNA (excellent post by the way...).
Off to bed.
Whale
We always use copper grease when we refit the caliper bolts and we have never had one come loose.
Because, we also torque the correctly with reference to the settings from our specs book which covers nearly every model and with reference to the workshop manual where it doesn't. Our wrenches are not flung about and always wound off after use on the bolt it is set for - keeps them reasonably accurate.
We normally clean the pistons when fitting new pads using brake cleaner and where necessary (very dirty and/or sticking pistons) we will "service" the caliper by using the correct tool to rotate the pistons to clean in situ or, if very bad, by splitting the caliper and removing the pistons with ANOTHER correct tool. We also remove and clean the brass retaining clips (not fitted on the Fazer 1000 Gen 1), clean away the corrosion behind them (a major source of problems) with a wire brush and air line, clean up the retaining pins with a light abrasive wool, and then rebuild these parts with a little copper grease. And new R clips where needed. You should see that servicing a caliper properly is NOT simply a 2 minute job being avoided by a lazy fitter...... Particularly where the meticulous owner has polished the bollocks off the paint work but never once stripped the pads out for a decent clean......
We ALWAYS service/reassemble with red rubber grease for the pistons.
We don't charge for a "clean" but we do advise the customer if a service is required and charge if they want it done. Most do, some don't. To service a caliper properly which is very mucky can take at least 30 minutes per caliper.
Correct me if I am wrong, (I am not - but I know you will be checking the service schedule anyway....) but the service manual does NOT refer to the need to clean or service the caliper as part of ANY of the scheduled service intervals.
We do NOT always remove the caliper during a normal service unless there is a reason to do - replace pads, brake bind felt or reported etc. Don't blame the dealer for not doing what the book says doesn't need to be done.
Most brake problems are down to neglect - we recently rebuilt a "ruined" caliper off a GSXR 1000 that the customer replaced as it was "stuck fast". It took our APPRENTICE an hour to split, strip, clean, replace the seals and rebuild as good as new. Remember, the owner was "throwing this away".
Anyway, rambling!
My point, if you want your brakes serviced, ask for them to be done and ask what they are going to do.
Oh, and we have had to drill out a few bolts that have been thread locked in and then mullared up as hard as they can be - the bolts do not take force through the threads along the fastener (radials excepted - and they often ask for a replacement caliper bolt at each tightening...) but across the bolt. They just need to be tight enough to stop them coming out.
And also a few with no thread lock OR copper grease that have just welded themselves in as described so well by VNA (excellent post by the way...).
Off to bed.
Whale
