Seal after Caliper Split
 

SmileWavy

Just finishing off my last job before safety and I noticed a bit of moisture coming up between my new rebuilt calipers. The ATE calipers came complete with new pistons, inner piston seals, dust boots, sanded and polished and new seals between the metal spacer. BTW I bought new rebuild kits from you Wayne as a backup!!

Should I worry about seening a bit of moisture (brake fluid) as seen in the attached picture? No fluid ever drips out and the fluid is only seen with the brake pedal depressed.

I had moisture on both sides to begin with before I decided to take the calipers apart. I cleaned the 2 half's and lubricated the rubber washers that mate with the metal spacer with silicone spray. I figure they have been sitting on the shelf a while and had dried! On one caliper I even polished the spacer seat with a dremmel and of course now no moisture is seen on that side now. The re-manufacturer is going to send me 8 new rubber spacer seals just in case. Is this normal for a multi-piece caliper or am I over doing things?

Cost?
 

How much did you have to pay (Canadian or U.S. $) for the calipers each? Was the rebuilder Canadian or U.S.?

I had to split my calipers apart and flat sand all the surfaces to take out imperfections and this diminished the thickness of the spacer and then squeezes the o ring seals for a tighter seal. I also lubricated the seals and mating surfaces w/ silicone grease. No leaks after that.

If fluid shows at the joint, you would expect eventual seepage.

Check it after an outing to see if there is actual seepage.

JGL

In any case, the calipers need to be split again with new Ate caliper half seals installed with silicone grease such as Dow Corning 4 or 111 or 112, not spray silicone! I have split several VW and Porsche type 'L' and 'M' calipers and successfully rebuilt them using the Ate seal for VW Type 3's, #311.615.277 and with applied Dow Corning 4X grease ... which I use on all caliper and master cylinder rebuilds.

Do you have the proper 'Ribe' drive bit for loosening and tightening the caliper bolts?

Warren,

Where do we find the "O" rings for this application. Would assume that they are special to resist the brake fluid and thats why I have not split the halves yet!

Thx,

Joe

Joe,

I special ordered mine from a VW dealer using p.n. 311.615.277 ... they came sealed in an Ate bag with a VW inventory tag on it!

I suspect the same part is Porsche p.n. 901.351.928.10 ...

Great, and thanks for the info! Will try Pelican first then locally for the "o" rings. Having the part number helps a lot!

Am overhauling a set of Carrera calipers right now!

Thx,

Joe

Just wanted to recommend fresh springs for the 'pads. This is the cross-shaped affair that is held in by the pins. This item assists in pushing the pads back and is often overlooked during a rebuild. It loses spring over time and fresh ones are very good at keeping the 'pads where they belong.

John