Brake calipers, repair/replace?

[Lankytim]

The O/S/R caliper on the Volvo is binding again. It's not too bad but on a long run the hub gets too hot to touch and it generally makes the car not that nice to drive, you can feel it sapping power. I had temporarily fixed it by working the pistons in and out a few times but after a couple of weeks it was back to its old tricks!

 

Anyway... is it better to try and rebuild calipers or just buy a recon one? These calipers don't seem to be that common but I have found one for £70 odd delivered, don't need an exchange core unit either. Rebuild kits are about £40 odd and supply enough bits to rebuild two calipers, but I've never rebuilt a caliper before and the bores could be beyond repair anyway...

 

I'm sure many shiters have been in exactly the same position, any advice on what I should do? I should perhaps replace the other side too as that looks a corroded mess aswell.

 

The truly shite solution would be to remove the caliper, lob it in the bin and seal brake pipe by bending it over a few times and hammering it flat... but I better not do that, should I?

[CIH]

It's not hard but the pistons (which are usually plated) have to be replaced if they're corroded which can get pricey.

[Lankytim]

The dust seals are well and truly mullered and I can see the pistons have a bit of corrosion on them, so I recon there's every chance they will be beyond use.

[dollywobbler]

In your case, I think I'd be tempted to replace the whole caliper. It's almost certainly knackered pistons. I rebuilt the Mini's front calipers, and one of the Rangie ones. Not a hard job really, but a lot more work than just swapping a caliper. Both required new pistons but in both cases, the rebuild kits were quite a bit cheaper than an entire caliper.

[garethj]

If it's a car you need to drive every day, get another caliper and swap them over on a Saturday morning. If you can afford to have it off the road for a while then a rebuild might work out cheaper, but it's not guaranteed...

 

I'd get a replacement, then if you can always take the old one apart at your leisure (and in the dry). If it's repairable you can bung it on ebay with a good description and hopefully get some of your money back

[The Moog]

Depending on how much you want to spend www.BiggRed.co.uk have done good things previously for me.

[Lankytim]

I'd love to get all four calipers sent off for a good refurb to better than original condition. Not gonna happen though, looking at the price!

[gtd2000]

Depending on how much you want to spend http://www.BiggRed.co.uk have done good things previously for me.

 

That's what I'd suggest - at least you'll get a whole caliper back in "as new" condition that should out last any home "refurb" presumably?

[michael1703]

I use big redd and they are better than original, about £110 per pair, cleaned,stainless pistons,new seals and bleed nipples, red gold silver or black paint, better than pattern a lot of the time

[nigel bickle]

Bigg Red or Past Parts-(in Bury St Edmunds) are both good. Bigg R are quicker but more expensive, PP, slower/cheaper.

 

I'd change the flexi at the same time -it may well be the cause of the pistons initial probs

[Lankytim]

Been emailing about and added my details to a parts finder website. In no time at all I had offers of calipers from breakers yards, warrantied for 12 months, too. Surely a used caliper is false economy? I could take the caliper from my donor Volvo, but its been unused for a few years and is bound to be sticky too.

[andrew e]

I would guess so. I was on a VX forum yesterday and some fella with a pimped up 2006 Vectra was trying to find a breaker with a shock and spring... there £30 each new! You wouldn't piss about surely? Or would you? Is it me? I allways stick shocks on in pairs, and NEW, I would stick a used spring on admittedly.

[gtd2000]

I would guess so. I was on a VX forum yesterday and some fella with a pimped up 2006 Vectra was trying to find a breaker with a shock and spring... there £30 each new! You wouldn't piss about surely? Or would you? Is it me? I allways stick shocks on in pairs, and NEW, I would stick a used spring on admittedly.

 

Oftentimes, you can buy new parts cheaper than the local breakers yard in the UK...absolute madness!!!

 

Back in the summer I popped into our breakers local yard in Gala to buy a couple of tyres for my mums Picanto - they were usually around 8~10 quid +VAT for the "as new" spare wheel tyres. Well this time they wanted 25 quid! I said 25 quid? By the time I've done the fitting and balancing I'd get a new tyre with a warranty for not much more. He just looked at me blankly as I said forget it.

 

Trouble is I think they compare their prices to the dealer part - rather than what you can get online these days.

 

I went back a couple of weeks later to see what else they had and another chap served me - saw the one I'd asked about and he said 25 quid - I said nah thats a bit much for a used/older tyre. He replied that he'd had another guy look at the tyre and said the same thing - the boss had called up the local tyre company and they said they cost 40 "trade price" new. Well you'd probably get one for 35 quid on the internet I'd suspect?

 

Over here in the USA, the price of parts, if you pull them yourself is very cheap indeed.

 

I'm pretty sure last time I needed a complete strut assembly it was only $9. Calipers ususally go for around $10.

 

The great thing about the climate here in Florida is that everything comes off fairly easily (no rust) and many parts still look like new.

[Lankytim]

I spied a pair of calipers on yankbay today and they were nicely refurbed with a price tag of just £60 odd. Cheapest ive seen here is £70 each!

 

Talking of pairs of calipers, I had a poke about today and the N/S one is borked too! One piston is seized solid, even sticking it in a vice won't shift it. I've emailed BigRed... i'm just gonna have to bite the bullet on this one I think.

 

10% off if I have all four done too... Hummm..

[Richard]

I'd be surprised if you couldn't make the ones you've got work. Connect the caliper again, clamp the piston that moves and stand on the brake, with the engine running if necessary, until the other piston pops out.

 

The Volvo's rear calipers are the simplest you can get, with no sliders or handbrake to worry about. Making them work really is just a matter of popping the pistons out and giving everything a good clean/ chipping corrosion off, then reassembling and bleeding. The dust seals should be intact but it's not the end of the world if they aren't. The piston seals seem to last more or less indefinitely, just put them in the same way as they came out because IIRC they are slightly wedge-shaped.

 

For £70 each I'd definitely be having a go.

[Cavcraft]

Have you tried Brake Engineering, Wrexham Ind Est Tim?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I got an exchange caliper for wor lass’s Astra from my favourite shit tip car parts shop SMITHSONS of Stoke, and it was pretty reasonably priced, cant remember exactly how much it was but it was less than i expected, £36 or summert. Got to be worth a phone call.

[Lankytim]

BIGRED have quoted me 89 squid for the rears and 120 odd for the fronts in standard finish. If I want them painting red too its an extra £40 per pair- return delivery will be £17 odd. Pricey, but i'd imagine they'd look very nice and give me a warm glow inside when driving. No way I can afford it however, especially as i'd feel guilty about using Halfrods economy brake pads and the original discs and would end up forking out for green stuff pads and vented discs! Looks like its just going to be the rears then.

 

I'll give Smithsons/Brake engineering a call today and see what they say.

 

All I wan't is a guy in a local shop to sell me a pair of refurbed calipers for next to nothing. Not a big ask, is it?

[Lankytim]

Smithsons quoted me £65 a side! Cheaper to go to Bigred!

[gtd2000]

Does this fit?

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VOLVO-850-2-0 ... 4ab181c925

[Richard]

I think it will look more like this. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220775248150

 

 

I still think you should try and fix the old one though.

[Lankytim]

Nah, Volvo 850 one won't fit. I think they have to be pukka 240 items.

 

I recon i'm going to take the calipers off the donor Volvo and see what they are like. The pad wear suggests that they wern't seized when the car was garaged back in 2007, maybe a good clean up and work out on the pistons may get me out of trouble temporarily.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

These boys are listing new calipers for £41.50 each pus VAT obv

 

http://www.brakeparts.co.uk/

[Lankytim]

Oh yeah.. I tried that site before but my MAC didn't like it very much so I didn't get too far before giving up. £60 surcharge until I can return the old calipers but deffo looks like less faff than Bigred, who don't have the calipers in stock and would need to rebuild mine. The online reviews look promising, too.

 

Ta for the link !