Rear Caliper Dust Boot 88 911

[rick-l]

I put a caliper rebuild kit and new hoses on my rear brakes on my 88 carrera. I didn't know what everyone was talking about the difficulty in getting the rear dust boots on until I tried to do it. I didn't need a jar of baby food as suggested in the search and I am not sure that would work.

I came up with a fast painless way to get the circular spring clip in. See if this helps anyone else. Install the piston, dust boot on the piston, and push the piston all the way in. Then using your fingers push the clip ring down on either the left or right side (as you look into the caliper radially from where the axel would be). Then take a strip of wood about 1.5" wide and a 3" C clamp and clamp over the side of the ring you just pushed on, tighten it medium tight. The ring that is not under the strip of wood will be protruding up out of the flange it is supposed to seat into. Then take either a monster channel lock or maybe another C clamp or possibly a flat stick and push down the boot where it sticks up. This will get the ring and fingers flexed and started over the outer circumference of the seat. Then remove the clamp and take the flat part of the blade of a screwdriver and gently push down the ring around its outer perimeter and you are done.

[Jesse16]

Just found this post and I'm thinking I didn't get mine seated last night as I finished my rear calipers. I chased mine around for 15 minutes and finally decided I was "over thinking" them being seated. Do I really need to make a tool for this? Sounds like i really need to push "hard" all the way around the circumference and get a "click". I see no groove on the male part of the caliper this is engaging to, just a round surface.

[DRACO A5OG]

Yes, I found it allot easier to press them on while being rebuilt to get the proper angle and leverage. Doing it by hand will never work because onse side will always pop out.

You need even pressure all the way around but not too much or it will cause the metal ring to cut through the rubber, ask me how I know.

[porschenut]

Originally Posted by DRACO A5OG

You need even pressure all the way around but not too much or it will cause the metal ring to cut through the rubber, ask me how I know.

I know too.

I ended up flattening most the little tabs on the interior of the ring, and that made it much easier to push on. I'm not sure they're as secure as they need to be, but they haven't come off yet, knock on wood.

[Jesse16]

Thanks for the replies. This will probably crawl around my head till I get it fixed. Have to allocate 2 hours or so the re-remove the calipers and do some serious fiddling. I like the tab idea, I mean how secure to they really need to be.

[Jesse16]

Last on this thread from me. Decided to go back and put this one to bed while my calipers were still reasonably clean. Removed the calipers again, popped off the "loose" dust shields and tried pushing them on with a tool.
Found that a 49 cent 1.5" pcv coupling from Lowes plumbing department is exactly the correct size to fit across the dust shield and push evenly. Used a flat steel wrecking bar across the coupling to apply the pressure. No go, too tight still.
So I bent in 4 of the 14 little tabs and tried again. This time it just barely pushed on, could feel it finally seat correctly. Took about 2 hours including removing the wheels and re-bleeding but hoping this is finally put to bed. I'm guessing they used a press on the individual halves before caliper assembly at the factory. Way more of a PITA than I had expected to get this detail right.

[CCM911]

Add another "ham-fist" to this list. Those rings are the most maddening item ever produced. I generally just say "screw-it" and rebuild the rears a bit more often.

Originally Posted by porschenut

I know too.

I ended up flattening most the little tabs on the interior of the ring, and that made it much easier to push on. I'm not sure they're as secure as they need to be, but they haven't come off yet, knock on wood.

[Jesse16]

Kinda planning on "never" rebuilding them again myself. Guessing they'd never been done before so thats 24 years on the first go around and in general they looked great ! Now that I know whats up in there, I can keep an eye out during brake pad changes.