1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

HOWTO: Rebuilding rear brake callipers

Old May 21, 2006 | 01:00 AM
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Smile HOWTO: Rebuilding rear brake callipers

Hi guys,

About a week ago I rebuilt one of my rear brake callipers as it had not been touched in it's lifetime and wasn't working too well - rattling noises when cornering, leaking brake fluid etc.. Yesterday I rebuilt the other one. My handbrake (emergency brake I think you call it in USA.. or park brake?) was also not working well, on sharp inclines my car was rolling away .

So yesterday I attacked my other rear calliper and documented it so maybe this can help others do their own.

I'm not an expert, so if you spot any mistakes or know the real names for things I have made up descriptive names for, let me know Or if theres any important info to add, please tell me and I will update the doc !

RXClub said the file was too big to upload, so you can get it here: (required Adobe Acrobat Reader)
http://www.pw.cx/rx7files/

Cheers,

Paul.
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Old May 21, 2006 | 01:18 AM
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Looks good man, some nice technical terms in there too.

The one thing I noticed involved the grease. From the Factory Service manual, page 11-15 (Reassembling the Caliper) it specifies which grease goes where.

White Grease: Caliper mounting pin and attaching bolt
Orange Grease: Bearings, adjusting bolt, strut and piston boot
Pink Grease: Piston seal


Now, IIRC the reason certain grease are supposed to be used in certain areas, was because one grease may harm rubber seals, but brake fluid won't effect it, whereas the other may prolong rubber seal life, but shouldn't see contact with brake fluid (probably got that mixed up, but you get the idea). On the same note, from what I have seen, the non-mazda kits come with one type of grease. The consensus was that newer greases are good for all areas, including contact with brake fluid while not causing rubber seals to degrade. Mind you, none of this is personal experience, just things I have read and pieced together from other threads.
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Old May 21, 2006 | 01:33 AM
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Wink

When I did my first calliper I actually used the red grease on the piston seal - While bleeding the brakes though I found that a lot of this grease came out the bleed nipple, so decided I shouldnt put any in there - a mate of mine who works for Holden says that the seals used are designed to have contact with brake fluid and use that as a lubricant.

I have updated the document with your grease colours info, and recommended to lightly grease the piston seal before putting it in, thanks!

Paul.

Last edited by H4Inf; May 21, 2006 at 01:41 AM.
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Old May 21, 2006 | 07:40 AM
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Originally Posted by mr_ouija

White Grease: Caliper mounting pin and attaching bolt
Orange Grease: Bearings, adjusting bolt, strut and piston boot
Pink Grease: Piston seal

According to the Haynes manual, the fronts use red and orange grease. WTF is up with all these grease colors? What's the goddamn difference?
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Old May 21, 2006 | 02:19 PM
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Nice detail, I am planning this rebuild soon so a big thanks.
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Old May 21, 2006 | 03:06 PM
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Originally Posted by $100T2
According to the Haynes manual, the fronts use red and orange grease.

The FSM says the same on page 11-7. Shows a pic to point out the locations to use the grease. I've attached the pic from the FSM showing where the orange/red grease goes on Front calipers. I would imagine they are mostly the same, minus the e-brake cable.

Attached Thumbnails HOWTO: Rebuilding rear brake callipers-caliper_grease.jpg  

Last edited by mr_ouija; May 21, 2006 at 03:06 PM. Reason: Added image to post.
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Old May 21, 2006 | 08:36 PM
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Good stuff, I'll add this to the 1st Gen FAQ.
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Old May 22, 2006 | 09:46 AM
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get new ones its easier...go to napa or autozone
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 01:57 PM
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Originally Posted by H4Inf
Hi guys,

About a week ago I rebuilt one of my rear brake callipers as it had not been touched in it's lifetime and wasn't working too well - rattling noises when cornering, leaking brake fluid etc.. Yesterday I rebuilt the other one. My handbrake (emergency brake I think you call it in USA.. or park brake?) was also not working well, on sharp inclines my car was rolling away .

So yesterday I attacked my other rear calliper and documented it so maybe this can help others do their own.

I'm not an expert, so if you spot any mistakes or know the real names for things I have made up descriptive names for, let me know Or if theres any important info to add, please tell me and I will update the doc !

RXClub said the file was too big to upload, so you can get it here: (required Adobe Acrobat Reader)
http://www.pw.cx/rx7files/

link is broke - thread is worthless
Cheers,

Paul.
link is broken - this thread is worthless
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Old Jun 22, 2009 | 02:13 PM
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haha freakin 3 year old thread thats why

does anybody use all these different color greases?
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Old Aug 7, 2009 | 03:41 PM
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Here's a new link for this write up:http://rx7.pw.cx/guides_manuals/mygu...er_rebuild.pdf
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Old Aug 7, 2009 | 04:36 PM
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Also look in the archives. There is a new thread in there for rebuiilding rear calipers.
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