Hi all,

I am looking at changing my front calipers, the pistons are very rusted and 2 of them were seized when I changed my brake pads last week.

Should I try to rebuild them myself or would it be wiser to buy new calipers ?

Rebuild kit are about $50 and new calipers about $130.

I heard stainless steel pistons are available as a replacement when you rebuild the calipers yourself but cannot find them anywhere, being in Michigan the winter road salt is our ennemy and rust cover everything really fast and I wouldn't want to have the same problem next time I need to change my pads.

The RAVE manual ask for air pressure to take the pistons out (page 13 section70), I don't have a compressor readily available is it possible to manage this without one ?

Will I need any specific tools/tricks to fit/remove the seals ?

Anything bad could happen when doing this ?

I use my disco for work and plan on doing this after work and cannot afford to be stranded for days while waiting for parts.

In any case I was going to order new bolts.

I will need to buy hose clamps to remove the calipers, any suggestions ? Is all the brake fluid going to stay in the tank with the clamps ? Any special procedure to follow to avoid problems or issue ?

Should I change the brakes lines at the same time ? They appear to be original (1997) could they crack, break or leak ?

Thanks all for for any advice or suggestions, I appreciate your help.

EDIT:

BTW, while working on the brakes, are the dirt shields usefull or not ? They appear to be keeping a lot of mud/sand in/around them all the time, would it be worse without them ?

 

Leave the dust shields on.
As for the calipers, depends on how bad they are and how mechanical you are. If there is any question then I would suggest you just spend the money and get a couple good rebuilt calipers from British Parts of Utah.
Make sure to do a complete 3 pint, DOT 4, brake flush and inspect your rears calipers also, they may also be in need of some attention, especially if the outer seal is already torn.

 

Rebuilding calipers is an exercise in frustration, especially if the pistons are already frozen.

When I tried it, I attempted to get the pistons out before I ordered the rebuild kit just to see if it could be done. I couldn't even get the unfrozen pistons out without scoring them all up, let alone the frozen ones. The air pressure thing might work on brand new ones, but not mine.

You will have your hands full just getting the lines off the old calipers and getting them out of the vehicle, that's for sure. I would start there with some PB'laster, a 13mm 12 point impact socket and gun, and a good 11mm flare wrench, and see how you do.

good luck

 

I bought new ProLine calipers from Rovers North for the the rear axle because my old ones were really corroded. My front calipers were ok, but I did get new front brake lines (the formed rigid ones) because one of mine cracked.

At the time, LR wanted a fortune for those front brake lines, RN fabricated a set for me cheap. I think they added those to their line of replacement parts.

The ProLine Calipers have worked fine for me. Here's a few pics.

 

I rebuilt mine front and rear. It was a 2 days job for front and 2 days rear. I really took my time and some of the caliper bolts were frozen and rounded.

 

Where in the world is the place you have listed in your location St-Lazare-de-Bellechasse?

 

Jull is a Canuck lol. Just ribbing you Jull. Danny it is in Canada. Don't know what province though.

 

It sounds interesting, I thought maybe it was an exotic island or something.

Is that French origin?

 

I would imagine so. Most of the names are of french origin. Maybe Jull will be on here soon and can tell us what it means. I too noticed the name in the past and was curious what it meant.

 

I used to rebuild calipers when I worked for the local NAPA on the side. Unless you have a wheel cylinder/caliper hone you really cant redoo these calipers properly (especially if you have frozen pistons). I never replaced pistons with stainless ones but I know what you mean about living in the rust belt. But I will agree soak everything real good with PB Blaster and make sure you can loosten all the bolts and hardware before you begin. I personally would replace all your brake hoses at that age and inspect the metal lines for rust, rubbing, etc. I wouldnt worry about clamping your hoses shut (your not gonna loose all your fluid just a little bit)your gonna have to bleed the system anyhow you mite as well flush everything. As far as using air pressure some times you get lucky sometimes you dont I always used a pipe wrench or visegrips to get the pistons out. And for the seals you dont really need any special tools a small screwdriver or pick usually will work fine.