my tip of the week for cleaning caliper pistons

[suzukisi]

Hi today ive spent since 5 pm untill 9.45 prepering my bike ready for the track on tuesday:cool: bit of a ramble before i get to the point!

a few weeks ago i bought a track fairing off ebay and fitted that to my bike but being a bit of a bike tart decided that i really needed to change the colour that it was when i bought it, to match my bike better anyway i spent a few hours rubbing it down with wet n dry but unuse,ally for me i didnt try and rush it instead i put the fairing i normally use back on for tuesday so i can make a better job of the track fairing , anyway… my tip

whilst i had the bike up on stands i noticed my front wheel was very stiff to turn by hand not sure what it was i took the 6pots off each side to find the calipers binding so i set about trying to clean and free them up

i didnt want to split the calipers so went about cleaning the pistons up once i had removed the pads they had about 5 mm of baked on crud stopping them from returning freely i sat for ages with a rag and a bit of t cut trying to remove the crud , i could get half of it off but couldnt get the rag all the way round eack of the pistons , sat thinking what i could do to clean them up with out scratching them then it came to me and heres my tip

i got a cable tie and on the rough side put a drop of brake fluid on it then wrapped it round each piston in turn and pulled it back and forth and it did the trick i now have nice shiney pistons i can push all the way in with my fingers , no more wedgeing in a screw driver to push them back it took a while but the result is my calipers now move freely like new and didnt cost a penny

so that my tip

probally bored you all senseless but it was a cheap solution to improve my brakes

so simple , bit like me really:D:D

[NinjaJunkie]

Thanks for that S - I’ll try it out!

[makman]

Sounds like a good tip! I’ve used green pads for cleaning calipers as they do shift the crud rather well, but this sounds like a great way of getting at the inner bits nicely.

[MickyWiz]

In the past I’ve cut green pads into thin strips and used them in the same way. Worked a treat.

[alex1]

I use Patrick’s thongs :hehe:

[Debz]

alex (23/02/2009)

I use Patrick’s thongs :hehe:

It doesnt matter what you wear! ;)

[Jetstream]

Debz (23/02/2009)

alex (23/02/2009)

I use Patrick’s thongs :hehe:

It doesnt matter what you wear! ;)

Yet another “worthless without pictures” moment:)

[TDJ]

Bored Senseless

[gizza]

a old toothbrush and brake cleaner works very well and you can get all the piston

[steveCBR11XX]

well when it stops raining will get out and try this on my bike as front brakes binding and only had new pads fitted 2 weeks ago !!

[gurninman]

I have some plier type things which grip the inside of the piston so I can turn them and attack all of the piston with a toothbrush and brake cleaner

[ChunkyMonkey]

Don’t do it by halfs, do it properly:P

Pop the pistons out with an airline and clean them up with 1200 grade Wet and Dry dipped in brake fluid:cool:

[NinjaJunkie]

ChunkyMonkey (12/04/2009)

Don’t do it by halfs, do it properly:PPop the pistons out with an airline and clean them up with 1200 grade Wet and Dry dipped in brake fluid:cool:

Is it easy to pop them back in again and do you have to replace the seals every time you do this CM?

[steveCBR11XX]

ChunkyMonkey (12/04/2009)

Don’t do it by halfs, do it properly:P

Pop the pistons out with an airline and clean them up with 1200 grade Wet and Dry dipped in brake fluid:cool:

Aye that’ll be right uncle…they would never work again if I tried that :w00t::w00t::w00t:

[gurninman]

Sid Throttle (12/04/2009)

ChunkyMonkey (12/04/2009)

Don’t do it by halfs, do it properly:PPop the pistons out with an airline and clean them up with 1200 grade Wet and Dry dipped in brake fluid:cool:

Is it easy to pop them back in again and do you have to replace the seals every time you do this CM?

It is dead easy to pop the pistons back in again.With the dreaded Tokico 6 pots, if I take out a piston I remove the dust seal while I’m at it… they always get shite behind them and stop the piston moving freely.I just pack red grease in the seal groove and clean the calipers / pistons at least once a month.BTW… I’m not recommending anyone else removes the seals… but a lot of people do without problems

[NinjaJunkie]

gurninman (13/04/2009)

Sid Throttle (12/04/2009)

ChunkyMonkey (12/04/2009)

Don’t do it by halfs, do it properly:PPop the pistons out with an airline and clean them up with 1200 grade Wet and Dry dipped in brake fluid:cool:

Is it easy to pop them back in again and do you have to replace the seals every time you do this CM?

It is dead easy to pop the pistons back in again.With the dreaded Tokico 6 pots, if I take out a piston I remove the dust seal while I’m at it… they always get shite behind them and stop the piston moving freely.I just pack red grease in the seal groove and clean the calipers / pistons at least once a month.BTW… I’m not recommending anyone else removes the seals… but a lot of people do without problems

Thanks G - sounds like something I may have a go at!

[pouty]

ChunkyMonkey (12/04/2009)

Don’t do it by halfs, do it properly:PPop the pistons out with an airline and clean them up with 1200 grade Wet and Dry dipped in brake fluid:cool:

had a piston hit me square in the boat race once when i did this, i can laugh about it now… lol

[ChunkyMonkey]

gurninman (13/04/2009)

Sid Throttle (12/04/2009)

ChunkyMonkey (12/04/2009)

Don’t do it by halfs, do it properly:PPop the pistons out with an airline and clean them up with 1200 grade Wet and Dry dipped in brake fluid:cool:

Is it easy to pop them back in again and do you have to replace the seals every time you do this CM?

It is dead easy to pop the pistons back in again.With the dreaded Tokico 6 pots, if I take out a piston I remove the dust seal while I’m at it… they always get shite behind them and stop the piston moving freely.I just pack red grease in the seal groove and clean the calipers / pistons at least once a month.BTW… I’m not recommending anyone else removes the seals… but a lot of people do without problems

Same here, but I didn’t realise til recently what a chore it is to get Red Rubber Grease now. Gawd knows what they use now:hehe:My tin has lasted me 30 years!:DPouty… Keep your hand over the open side of the caliper you plum;)

[gurninman]

Chunky… I get red grease online - places like Morris lubricants or Opie oils.
I get a discount at Opie Oils with the ZX-9R.net forum discount - might try emailing Morris Lubricants to see if I can sort out a discount.

[Steve]

http://www.triumph-online.co.uk/brake-assembly-red-grease-with-teflon-150ml-5416-p.asp