Brakes - Part 2 - 05/06/2016

Time to get this job done! New calipers were all of $15 at the store, $10 core charge.



New caliper looks good, comes with all the hardware.



I've had some crappy rebuild calipers before, but these are pretty nice actually.



Passenger side is done. It went super quickly, less than 30 minutes. I cleaned up everything with brake cleaner this time.



Removed the hose, time to replace this guy too.



Driver's side is now finished. Anti-rattle clips were installed to keep the brake pads from rattling around.



The master cylinder had a ton of grime and gunk all over the lips that seal the lid. I wiped it down multiple times to clean it up as best as I could. The fluid isn't blackish brown anymore either, which is good.



I'm really good at this now. The fluid is actually almost clear this time. The brakes stop the wheel perfectly, the bearings are good, and now all the air is out of the line.

Unfortunately the initial test drive revealed problems with the rear brakes. The emergency brake stops the car from moving, but not while in motion. I freed that up. Next was putting the rear tires in the air and going for a "drive" to see what happens. Turns out the passenger rear doesn't stop. Oops. Pulled drum, sprayed everything down with brake cleaner to verify movement. Then cracked open the bleeder to the wheel cylinder only to see no fluid. Pull bleeder out and the hole is completely obstructed by dirt and debris! Insert the awl and poke through the hole, fluid starts running everywhere. Bleed both back wheels and now it stops perfectly. The rear passenger shoes could stand to be adjusted ever so slightly more, but having them a little loose is better than having them drag too much. The wheel adjuster will fix that eventually anyways. Ceramic pads take a while to finally bite: it took almost 20 stops to get the groaning and noise to go away. Now they're whisper quiet and stop the car quickly. Success!

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Last updated May 6th, 2016