I never did brakes but my dual piston front brake caliper boots are torn. Calling parts suppliers tells me I have two economical choices.
One is a $50 "semi loaded" rebuilt caliper (with $50 core charge) and the other is a $15 O'Reilly or Napa gasket rebuild rebuild kit.
Semi loaded could mean anything. Call and ask what comes with the calipers.
You can easily rebuild the existing calipers yourself, IF:
1) the insides of the calibers are not too rusty. 2) the pistons are not rusty, not scratched, and still chrome plated. 3) the bleeder is removable and not rusty.Check the slides. May need new slide hardware. Don't let any air get into the system.
After reading that reference, is this correct on the package differences?
Loaded = Caliper & pistons & caliper mounting gear & pads & pad mounting H/W Semiloaded = Caliper & pistons & caliper mounting gear but not pads or H/W Unloaded = Caliper & pistons only (even some caliper components are missing) The missing caliper mounting gear might be brackets, bolts, bleeders & pins.
I tried rockauto but that system of ever expanding plus signs was too difficult for me as a novice. I'm sure it's fine for you experts though.
I ordered over the phone from Carid the pads, the rotors, and the semi-loaded calipers but not the high temperature grease as it was a $16 shipping for a $0.55 cent 0.14 ounce tube. The brake fluid was only by the case so I still have to get the brake fluid (is one quart enough?).
The car is more than twenty years old so it specifies DOT3 but I googled and it seems I can put DOT4 in the master cylinder instead which google said has higher heat resistance.
What someone said about rebuilding being a pain influenced that decision. So did what someone else said about pistons can be pitted or rusted.
To clarify what someone else asked, I meant the boots on the dual pistons. And for lube a friend lent me a tub of quality Mobil1 wheel bearing grease.
The range of rotors was so confusingly huge that I opted for the cheapest.
The decision on pads was only $3 between semi-metallic and ceramic and the Carid salesman said the ceramic was better for less dusting (not that I care all that much about brake dust on twenty year old blackened steel wheels).
As someone mentioned I will ask my girlfriend to help me bleed. The caliper has a metal line going into it so I may have to plug it up with something.
I bought this kind of brake piston spreader which won't fit because the calipers are completely enclosed so I can't spread the pistons with it.
DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 are compatible. DOT 5 is silicone based and in not compatible. Why DOT didn't go to 6 to avoid confusion is beyond me. the only thing 5 has going for it is it doesn't remove paint if you're sloppy. Other than that it's a PITA. I've got in it the Harley and it feels spongy half the time. I'd go to 4 but that requires a complete system flush.
There are vacuum bleeder kits in the $20 range if your girlfriend doesn't feel like pumping brakes but I don't know how well they work. A Mityvac is up in the $60 range to taking her out to dinner as a bribe might be cheaper.
What ever works. C-clamp(s), small turnbuckles, or you can buy the $20 ratcheting tool that fits in the slot. But, new calipers should not need retracting and neither will the old ones.
Brake bleeding: get two quarts and use one to flush the lines before
*before* installing the new calipers then bleed after installing the new calipers. Open a can and quickly turn it upside down in the reservoir. That way there is less worry about getting air into the system. You can bleed the brakes yourself with a hose from the bleeder to a bottle.
Do you need brake pads? Or are you picky (special quality brake pads) ?
Go find some hi-temp brake grease locally. Don't use the Mobil bearing grease.
I don't know but it sounds reasonable.
LOL. I'm proposing a system with not just + and -, but I want to add * and ^ too. Each will have a meaning but we won't say what it is.
Yes, we stilll have stores. An envelope of that costs a dollar last I looked.
IIRC bearing grease has some sort of strings in it. right? Not sure if they're visible or not. Not the same as brake grease.
Girlfriends are good at bleeding guys.
The red Mobil 1 synthetic grease says it's a racing 100% synthetic extreme pressure grease for exceptional performance at -40 to +350 degrees F.
The tub says it "exceeds NLGI GC-LB & ASTM D4950 Automotive Service Grease Requirements" and the SKU is 0-71924-96103-6 (071924961036 without spaces).
What brake grease do you suggest I can buy online of about that size? (I'll buy one for the person who gave it to me and one for me)
BTW, I already looked up how to make my own brake cleaner (it's acetone and ATF for a "penetrating oil") but I didn't know about the Mobil-1 grease.
Which of these would you buy to give as a gift and for myself to use?
Does that work with antilock brakes?
Yes.
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