thedudesky Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Hi, My brakes started acting up over the weekend, looks as tho a piston has seized on one side of the calliper and started pushing the rotor toward the brake mount, causing it rub against the mount. Is a seized piston repairable? or is it time for a new calliper?
V12man Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Might be repairable - clean, inspect and replace seals of needed - if the piston bore is damaged, then you are out of luck because the seals won't work properly. Usually it's just dirt that creates this - the question is how much damage has been done.... strip it and look.
Mojoman Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) Remove the wheel and the pads. Look around the piston where it comes out of the caliper and you will probably see a build up of crud all around the the surface and edges. Depending on which brakes you have use a cotton bud dipped in either mineral oil or brake fluid and clean up the surface. Use a wide flat bladed screwdriver (you can put some tape on the point so as not to scratch and damage anything) and gently press down on one piston and gently press your brake lever to force the other piston out a bit more (little by little otherwise you will pop out the piston and then its a problem!). Clean the area again and gently force the piston back in. Do the same for the other side. You may need to repeat the forcing out and cleaning of the piston a couple of times. Make sure the surfaces are clean and free of any oil/brake fluid. Press the pistons all the way back in, reinstall the pads, refit the wheel and press the lever a couple of times and the psitons should adjust to reach the disc and hopefully thats the end of that! Edited March 3, 2014 by Mojoman thedudesky 1
RexFuzzle Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Anything can be fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FthBN2m42GE/TgyCRi1YzXI/AAAAAAAACkE/0sZzvahDZUI/s400/SwksSL.JPG
Spokey Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 I would try a good cleaning first, remove the wheel and brake pads and clean the caliper with a propriotory brake cleaner. (I normally remove the caliper from the fork too.)Then try to prevent the 'free' piston from moving, perhaps by holding a thin metal ruler against it and slowly pump the brake lever to try and free up the seized piston. When the piston is sufficiently out of the caliper clean it well and apply a small amount of brake fluid to the piston to lube it.I use Motul 5.1 and do this on my motorbikes too when I service the brakes. Keep rags handy and work clean with these fluidsGood luck!
Mojoman Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FthBN2m42GE/TgyCRi1YzXI/AAAAAAAACkE/0sZzvahDZUI/s400/SwksSL.JPGA job for Pratleys?
thedudesky Posted March 3, 2014 Author Posted March 3, 2014 Remove the wheel and the pads. Look around the piston where it comes out of the caliper and you will probably see a build up of crud all around the the surface and edges. Depending on which brakes you have use a cotton bud dipped in either mineral oil or brake fluid and clean up the surface. Use a wide flat bladed screwdriver (you can put some tape on the point so as not to scratch and damage anything) and gently press down on one piston and gently press your brake lever to force the other piston out a bit more (little by little otherwise you will pop out the piston and then its a problem!). Clean the area again and gently force the piston back in. Do the same for the other side. You may need to repeat the forcing out and cleaning of the piston a couple of times. Make sure the surfaces are clean and free of any oil/brake fluid. Press the pistons all the way back in, reinstall the pads, refit the wheel and press the lever a couple of times and the psitons should adjust to reach the disc and hopefully thats the end of that! Thanks for the info, I'll give it a bash this evening
Spokey Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Remove the wheel and the pads. Look around the piston where it comes out of the caliper and you will probably see a build up of crud all around the the surface and edges. Depending on which brakes you have use a cotton bud dipped in either mineral oil or brake fluid and clean up the surface. Use a wide flat bladed screwdriver (you can put some tape on the point so as not to scratch and damage anything) and gently press down on one piston and gently press your brake lever to force the other piston out a bit more (little by little otherwise you will pop out the piston and then its a problem!). Clean the area again and gently force the piston back in. Do the same for the other side. You may need to repeat the forcing out and cleaning of the piston a couple of times. Make sure the surfaces are clean and free of any oil/brake fluid. Press the pistons all the way back in, reinstall the pads, refit the wheel and press the lever a couple of times and the psitons should adjust to reach the disc and hopefully thats the end of that! I took so damn long to type mine out, you beat me too it! Mojoman 1
V12man Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 A job for Pratleys? That should just polish right out... BarHugger 1
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