When to rebuild calipers?

[jazzbass]

Originally posted by Superman
If you don't know when they were rebuilt last, then it's time.

My thoughts exactly. Brake system re-do should be the first order of maintenence for anyone buying a 15+ year old car.

[Nine9six]

Originally posted by Superman
If you don't know when they were rebuilt last, then it's time. A kit costs just a few bucks...

Superman,
I respect your opinion, but on this point I disagree.
Lots of folks do not know, if or when their calipers were ever rebuilt. Are you saying "its time" just because you do not know?!
Rebuild kits for my Turbo Look car are $70 per caliper from our sponsor. Apparently, you are in a much higher tax bracket than I
:-)
If your car exhibits any of the traits of dragging rotors, and you can confirm, then "its time"

[Nine9six]

Originally posted by Superman
Pushing the pistons all the way into the caliper bodies, and bleeding with them in this position does the best job of evacuating old fluid and water

Please note that doing this may cause more problems than it solves. Pistons have a "normal" range of motion, when mounted and performing their normal job. To push a piston back beyond this "normal" range of motion, you run the risk of forcing any contaminants/crud/rust, that may be stuck on the piston, past the sealing o-rings, and thus risk damaging their sealing properties...

[Superman]

Nine9six, it's not possible to disagree with me and still be correct. (Winking face goes here). Even at $70 per, if the vehicle were 15+ years old I would rebuild its calipers. And the probability that my tax bracket is above yours can be characterized as "remote."

There are several things I have noticed that mechanics tend to do fairly quickly to older, used cars they buy. Shift bushings, for example. New clutch cable is not a bad idea. Tranny fluid change. Caliper rebuild.

[vash]

when i bought my SC. i was thinking along the lines with supe. i was about to order rebuild kits, when i talked to the PO. (we are friends). turned out that he installed new rear calipers and had the fronts rebuilt. saved me a few bucks and some time. but i would have done it for "clean slate" piece of mind. job is easy enough. i even have a dedicated bike pump for the job.

every caliper i have popped apart, has had (some) sediment in them. what is that stuff? sand?. flushing gets that out too?

[Superman]

Originally posted by Nine9six
Please note that doing this may cause more problems than it solves. Pistons have a "normal" range of motion, when mounted and performing their normal job. To push a piston back beyond this "normal" range of motion, you run the risk of forcing any contaminants/crud/rust, that may be stuck on the piston, past the sealing o-rings, and thus risk damaging their sealing properties...

Hah! gotcha. This is true, where the parts have not been disassembled, cleaned, lubed and rebuilt. It's especially true of master cylinders. But where the MC and/or the calipers are maintained properly, this will not be an issue.

[randywebb]

OK, which calipers need to be rebuilt how often?

S type with Al pistons? vs. others w/o the corroding Al pistons??

If you guys reach an informed consensus, or even different but defined positions, add it to the long term maint. thread...

And where is Dr. Brakeburg on all this?

[304065]

Hey BD

Rebuild them when they look like this: (caused by Watkins Glen)

[B D]

I am rebuilding them just having a little trouble sourcing the rear caliper rebuild kits as you may have seen in my other thread.

1968 911L and 911S rear caliper kits NLA?

[KCPSG]

well I somewhat agree w/superman..however I think that rebuilding you calipers every year is quite excessive, I did decide to do the caliper rebuild just about 6 weeks ago when I was installing new rotors and pads and lines...it was just a little more to go on and do the rebuild too.

And now I have piece of mind since I didn't have any paperwork showing when or if it had been done before. I might have thouhgt twice about it if they were turbo rebuild kits. (more pricey) but I think I still would do it, it just gives you a good base line to start w/. The job is probably a 1 on a scale of 1 - 10...it really is not that difficult if you are even just the slightest bit mechanically inclined.

otherwise another tell tale sign for a rebuild is ...are the leaking???
or not releasing.?