Caliper overhaul.
 

i know i should really dig up an old threat that will probably have the answers but,on a whim today i purchased some brake fluid and copper grease thinking yeah the weather will be nice ill sort my brakes out, however the Haynes makes no mention of copper grease just silicone grease, so should i take it back or not??? also it says to replace the seals no matter what, is that necessary? and one last thing, would a spray can of air be any help drying wise and also to dis-lodge any debris???

sorry for probably repeating this for the millionth time

Thanks!!

Re: caliper overhaul.......
 

Copper grease works on the back of the pads (pretty sure Haynes mentions it in pad-replacement section), it's a generally useful thing to have around too. You could just remove the pads from the calipers, clean them, copper-grease on the backs, check the pistons are clean enough and then bleed new fluid through. Whether that's sufficient depends on how much they need sorting out.

If indeed you need to dismantle and overhaul the caliper then I think replacing the seals is generally accepted to be a good idea. I would.

Re: caliper overhaul.......
 

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Re: caliper overhaul.......
 

I've got a can of that sat next to me - can't say I ever thought of it, good idea.


As YC says get some brake cleaner or carb cleaner (it's the same solution). I use wurth brake cleaner but that's probably overkill as it's only for cleaning, get the cheapest if you see fit.

Re: caliper overhaul.......
 

hmm and some red rubber gresay stuff would be helpful too

Re: caliper overhaul.......
 

Compressed air is good for getting pistons out and drying calipers after cleaning too.

It's generally recommended to completely overhaul calipers once a year. Road salt is a complete bugger and gets into everything- even behind dust/fluid seals. If you give the pistons a good dose of red rubber grease when putting calipers back together, it should keep all the nastiness out.

Copper grease is also good for the pad retaining pins- stops them seizing in. Did my calipers last January (with still much appreciated help from DirtyDog) and the back caliper pins came out nice and easy the other week- despite all year riding and generally bad weather this year. I'm hoping the front will be the same.

I also use copper grease on the bolt threads to stop them seizing.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

YC: It's a dab harsh to say that Haynes talk cobblers - they can't know a reader's level of mechanical understanding and thus can only recommend the route to a certain and safe outcome for a fix, particularly considering this is a safety consideration.
I've re-used brake parts on many occasions, but then I don't need to look in a manual to be told what to do, and most importantly I know what's safely re-usable and what's not - anyone who needs a manual to know what to do probably doesn't have the necessary level of experience to make such a judgement, thus recommending new parts is the only responsible course.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

yeah i fully accept that i wouldnt be able to tell dodgy seals (you guys would probably get a are these seals ok thread with pictures!!) so will order some when i get the chance, so i also need soem red rubber grease and brake cleaner, sounds fair to me! be sure in the knoledge ill probably get stuck!!!

cheers

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Anyone know where to get Red rubber grease from?
Found it on E-bay but really just wanted to pop down to a shop to get it.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

What do you need it for? Does anyone know if there's owt in the service manuals about servicing the calipers or any how to's? Mine have probably never been done. I have found a useful post by viney but not much else.
cheers

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

the red rubber grease stuff is for the pistons. its magic

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

the hanyes manual has a step by step on how to perform a calliper overhaul as well as the master cylinder, its what i will be using!!

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

I still have nightmares about those calipers :smt013:smt013:smt013 ;).

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

I don't ahve a haynes...or money for one. :(

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

My rear one was seized in solid, had to use hot and cold, an awl, a hammer, shed loads of penetrant, pliers, molegrips and a lot of frustration.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

It is very good for the novice mechanics, there are other more basic ways to do things, but the Haynes manual does show you the original and more professional ways of doing things.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Anyone knew where I can ..erm...'find it' online?

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Think you can only get hard back copies of a Haynes manual, available directly from there wear house or from any good motorcycle dealer and even Halfords (limited selection).

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Ebay, there is loads. Cheaper than halfwits too http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SUZUKI-SV650-S...1%7C240%3A1318

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

I bought a used Haynes manual for about £4.A few oily smudges but who cares?Its got a few more smudges now.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Like where it tells you to lube the pistons with brake fluid :smt072

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

I had a rear one like that a while ago, i just binned it in the end and got a half decent one off ebay which i rebuilt with the new seals that i'd bought for the knackered one

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Uhh... yeah... Its the seals not the pistons though, just like you smear a little oil on the O-ring of the oil filter. Use any other product and you contaminate the brake fluid.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Use brake fluid without rubber greasing the seals and the fluid gets behind dust seal, oxidises (or whatever it does) into that crystalline $hite and locks the dust seal onto the piston even quicker than normal. Better to assemble it dry than have that happen.

I don't use brake fluid untill I start bleeding the system. Bit of rubber grease getting into the fluid isn't going to kill you.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

I know, but the Haynes manual is written for the lesser experienced mechanics following the professional methods. Not many people feel the need to ask for more experienced advice, they will follow a trusted source of information.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

so do i use rubber grease in the pistons or brake fluid lol??? would a seized rear brake be responsible for the brake lever not returning back to normal every so often??

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Check your fluid too.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

You use the grease behind the seal recesses, then pop the seals in. Press down on them and rub around to remove excess, wipe a little onto the sides of the piston, fit the piston. (idea is to use the grease to stop water ingress into the places where it will cause trouble, i.e behind the seals)

Lever not returning sounds more like master cylinder or lever issues.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

As said (possibly on this thread) if you do have a haynes there's a breakdown of the mastercylinder in there.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

If the lever dosn't return, squirt some WD40 on the springs found behind the footpeg mounting plate before you go about dismantaling calipers

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

And check it is still attached....

You might find that the system may need bleeding, easy to do. First check that the rear brake is not sticking a little, it might be that there is crap all over the pistons and stopping them from returning back into the calliper fully.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

well the bike is a bitch to push around at the moment so i'm guessing they are seized and when on the paddock stand it didn't even spin a quarter turn again giving my the impression they are dragging alot, does the rear brake have a master cylinder aswell??

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Yep it's up inside the seat plastics, which is just right to make it a bit fiddly :mrgreen:

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Thats the reservoir DD, the master cylinder is attached to the footrest behind the heel plate.

Reservoir
http://forums.sv650.org/picture.php?...pictureid=1331


Mastercylinder
http://www.suzukisv1000.com/images/f...r_cylinder.jpg
http://www.suzukisv1000.com/images/f..._from_side.jpg

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

#-o#-o#-o slight blonde moment there from me :mrgreen:

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

would master cylinder rebuild kits be worthwhile or just over kill??

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Overkill, it's probably the lever that's sticky.

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

I didn't think you even had blonde? :scratch:

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

As Chris said it would be an over kill, the likely hood of the rear master cylinder actually going is very small. If it does turn out to be the master cylinder you can source secondhand ones from Ebay at a good price, compared to £142 new from Suzuki.

How far have you got in sourcing the problem?

Re: Caliper overhaul.
 

Hoses can collapse internally too, not so common on suzuki OEM ones, more a car thing but worth bearing in mind.