rear caliper

[solorider]

my calliper pistons have gone a bit rusty, so I need to rebuild the calliper with new pistons/seals and pads, the question is does anyone do stainless pistons without breaking the bank? I have found some piston/seal sets on eBay but there is no mention of their material

[nick crisp]

:eek  I am frankly amazed that your brake was working at all - do you ride it in the sea or something?!

[Kosmic Kartman]

:eek

do you ride it in the sea or something?!

:lol

[AyJay]

<edited due to insufficient research and gross stupidity>

If you can whip them out (and it's a big if) without damaging them, you'll find the rust is from the brake pad backing plates and might clean off without too much problem. Your bigger problem will be getting them out though. Judging by the state of them, they'll be stuck well in there. I'd take the pads out and stick a block of wood between the pistons, then pump the brake until they're almost popping out. Then I use a brake piston remover (quite cheap on eBay). Whatever you do, don't use pliers on them. Brass is very soft and if you mark or dent the outer surface, they're scrap.


Get the callipers and pistons immaculately clean, especially the grooves the seals seat in, and use red rubber grease to rebuild them. The last set of OE seals I bought actually came with a little sachet and they're worth buying OE, I think.

[stevierst]

Erm, Im pretty sure my pistons are steel! Otherwise they wouldn't rust and get deep pitting if they were brass.

[Tmation]

Just get a decent second hand complete caliper, that one looks like scrap.


Try someone like Devilsyam he might have one hanging around.

[AyJay]

Cof. It would appear I'm talking bollocks StevieRST. Post edited!

[solorider]

<edited due to insufficient research and gross stupidity>

If you can whip them out (and it's a big if) without damaging them, you'll find the rust is from the brake pad backing plates and might clean off without too much problem. Your bigger problem will be getting them out though. Judging by the state of them, they'll be stuck well in there. I'd take the pads out and stick a block of wood between the pistons, then pump the brake until they're almost popping out.

amazingly the rear brake works perfectly, it is not sticking or binding in any way and the bike was in the same condition as last year and it sailed through an MOT.

[AyJay]

That'll be the magic of the Gen1 Fazer 1000!


I think the braking system on this bike is incredible. I'm still on the original discs and front callipers after 108,000 miles and 12 winters, and they're still strong enough to lock the front wheel. My 27k Kawasaki is about to get it's third set of discs . .

[The Male Whale]

A decent caliper service on that and it will come up fine.


Probably won't even need seals if it is working now.


Would take my fitter about and hour and, of course, new pads if needed. Which the photo shows the left is sticking a little.


By the wa, mine did 103,000 on the same rear pads with no attention at all and worked fine when I sold it.


Whale

[nick crisp]

Solorider, please don't cut corners where your brakes are concerned. It wouldn't surprise me if when you take the pads out, the pad material simply falls off the backing plates. I have seen this happen before. OK, obviously you're going to change the pads, but personally I would replace pistons and seals too (if the caliper itself cleans up OK). Tmations idea of getting a decent 2nd hand caliper is a good one if replacing parts on yours is too expensive. But for Gods sake, don't take risks where your brakes are concerned.

[VNA]

A wee bit o regular maintenance and a spot of red rubber grease and they won't get into that mess.

[nick crisp]

Amen. 

[solorider]

the caliper will get a rebuild in the near future, I don't have any money at the moment. the pads are fine in that there is no peeling of the pad material to the backing, I bought the bike like this, and the mileage is just over 71k miles