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Rear Brake Caliper seized from rust


gamellott
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Rust is building up under the inner seal and between the inner and outer seal. Over time that rust seizes the caliper, F's the rotors up and destroys the pad. What, if anything, can you do to prevent this rust. It has been 2 years since I rebuilt the rear calipers and I just had to tear them apart again for this exact reason. As I was taught years ago, I reassemble the brakes with brake fluid as a lubricant. Should i be using something else and pack the boot with some kind of grease?

 

This is not the first time I have run into this. I have experienced this on multiple vehicles with rear disk brakes, but for me, never the front. What's the deal??

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Got a pic?  Granted I live in a low/no-rust state, only rust I've seen otherwise is on the lip of the piston and inside the piston cup.  Everything else should be sealed.  I use brake fluid as lube only for the seals, but I'm somewhat liberal with brake grease on pretty much all other friction (pins specifically) or mating surfaces (such as where piston meets brake pad/shim).  Have you had any issues getting the lip of the boot to seat in the caliper?  Possible boot damage during assembly?   When rebuilding, what are you using to clean everything?

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No, no pic. I was too busy cleaning it up and reassembling it to wash my hands to handle electronics ?. I used a stainless steel wire wheel in order to clean off all of the rust. The piston appeared discolored and had some buildup on it, but I was able to clean it up and make it smooth again with steel wool. Still looks discolored, but it is smooth. I didn't have any brake cleaner to flush it out this time, so I used isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle instead, and compressed air. Worked pretty good.

 

No issues in reassembly or inspection of the rubber.

 

Again, I've only experienced seizures like this on the rear.

Edited by gamellott
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