Front calipers seized

Ahh the joys of suzuki maintenance! Just cleaned off the front calipers and pistons but the sliding pins aren't sliding. The pins that are covered by the rubber boots are seized into the caliper body, any suggestions for unseizure? I soaked 'em in plus gas last night in the hope they may free off but i recon the calipers will have to come right off now to persued them free. Pistons cleaned up ok apart from one which pulled the dust seal out with it on the way out. a strange white powder had built up in the space between the outer dust seal and the inner liquid brake fluid seal which dragged the dust seal out, have to look at that this morning.
Question is, is this likely to be a regular task or if I'm using the right grease will it be good for a year or so?The bikes only done 4k miles and its looking shonky already! Is there another caliper from the suzuki range which is a swap that has four pistons ie a true opposed piston caliper rather than the crappy 'sliding' type?
ta
JonC

[Scoobs]

The calipers are crap.

The white stuff on the pistons is salt build up. The only solution is regular cleaning. The dust seal coming out isn't a major issue. You can still ride without them, but it is best to fit a new seal kit.

Never had a problem with the sliding bit of the caliper. Only problems have been with the pistons and the pad retaining pins which "weld" themselves into the caliper body. Make sure you periodically remove these and grease.

Not sure about other calipers. Sorry.

i got the exact same problem as you there mate. im off to get some g-clamps in a min to see if that will fix it.

They'be both freed off now. Took em right off and got them in a vice, held on the C shaped steel mounting bracket and tapped gently with a screw driver on the caliper ajacent to the seized pin. Its crucial to keep the sliding pins parallel or it just locks. Looks like the slider that was seized slides in a rubber boot/sleeve and corrosion on the outside of the sleeve in the bore of the ally part was pushing the sleeve tight against the pin. Freed off cleaned out and greased with red rubber brake grease and it slides lovely now. Cleaned the pistons as well. Happy now, roll on six potters.

im gonna use 2 g-clamps (one for each sliding pin) and see if i have any luck with that.

I ended up pulling the rubber sleeve right out of the caliper (gently) running a 10mm drill though the bore of the ally, by hand, to get rid of the oxidisation/salty sh*t and then greasing the rubber on inside and outside before replacing. U could see dents on the rubber where the corrosion had deformed it. Pins now slide beautifully and rather erotically too. the wife caught me stroking the assembly, twas only a bit embarasing, the rubber / lube combo just did it for me. :wink:

did u do all this while the calipar was attached to the bike ?

ie no need to bleed the system ?

No. Don't think i wud have got the thing to budge on the bike. Clamped the brake lines just above the caliper to stop all the fluid running out though. just off to get new washers and fluid now.

update here.

http://forums.sv650.org/viewtopic.php?p=226163#226163

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by Scoobs

The white stuff on the pistons is salt build up.

Not quite, it's the brake fluid used to lubricate the seals when assembling the caliper, it dries and goes crystalline, another good reason to use the proper grease.

Originally Posted by jonacol

Looks like the slider that was seized slides in a rubber boot/sleeve and corrosion on the outside of the sleeve in the bore of the ally part was pushing the sleeve tight against the pin

This is very common, I always remove and grease the area you're referring to.