Can I grease the caliper pistons?

[scud]

Hello All

My brake caliper pistons are a bit sticky in some places, even after a thorough cleaning. Some will recede under hand pressure, some need a little "assistance" .

Is it acceptable or advisable to use a bit of grease on the side wall of the pistons, to help the sticky ones along? If so, should I use standard grease or would copper ease be better suited?

I would like to get all the pistons to move under hand pressure.

 

[Sergeant Pluck]

You can use Red Rubber Grease but in my experience it's not worth the effort - just give them a good clean-up every now and again like you already have done. I tried RRG a few times, it's a right pain to do and never makes any difference to stickiness/re-appearance of stickness to the pistons.

Others may have had different experiences.

Pluck

 

[Gas'd Off]

My experience is same as Sargent Pluck's. The sticky piston won't go away. Better to pop out and by a piston & seal kit and do the job properly. £40 per caliper. I just did that and the brakes are now lovely again

 

[GEOFFREY DEACON]

push the pistons out as far as you dare and clean them, then lube with silicon grease ,then gently push them in,, try it a couple of times to bed them in ,
As a rule of thumb ?, twist the piston around while half out with a soft gripper and if they turn?, then there ok!, but if they don`t then strip and reseal.
If there is salt damage on the alloy calipers,? then reseal then after a very good clean up.

 

[scud]

push the pistons out as far as you dare and clean them, then lube with silicon grease ,then gently push them in,, try it a couple of times to bed them in ,
As a rule of thumb ?, twist the piston around while half out with a soft gripper and if they turn?, then there ok!, but if they don`t then strip and reseal.
If there is salt damage on the alloy calipers,? then reseal then after a very good clean up.

Cheers

Yes, there is salt damage, from rinding all year for 70,000 miles!!

I think I will just have to get new pistons and seals, but I will try the silicon grease in the mean time

 

[ELIMINATOR]

The red rubber grease / silicone grease IMO gives some anti corossion protection to the piston, plus it gives a first line of defence for the dust seal groove, in the war against corossion.
But as you just wrote it is also relevant to mileage and salt on the road.

I'm sure my '04 GS has plastic pistons, which helps. If you're replacing yours, why not ask if plastic type is avalable?

 

[pomm001]

Hello All

My brake caliper pistons are a bit sticky in some places, even after a thorough cleaning. Some will recede under hand pressure, some need a little "assistance" .

Is it acceptable or advisable to use a bit of grease on the side wall of the pistons, to help the sticky ones along? If so, should I use standard grease or would copper ease be better suited?

I would like to get all the pistons to move under hand pressure.

do a search on this lots of info
but my own experience is that if you pop the piston out of it bore and remove the seals you will find some corossion in the seal groove.
This in turn increases the rsidial load to the piston and makes it stick.
You can either remove the seal clean the gove and re-fit seal or replace seal .
I cleaned mine put the old ones back and has been as good as gold since.
Dont be tempted to any form of grips on the pistons,it will knacker them up.
blow out very carefully with air line or use hydraulic from system.
Be very careful when using compressed air and claipers,its very easy to loose a finger or two

 

[Packer]

For £90.00 plus UKGSER discount you can get a new caliper from here:-

http://www.james-sherlock.co.uk/contact.asp

More than the repair kit but you get more than a repaired caliper and it takes way less time

 

[Voyager]

do a search on this lots of info
but my own experience is that if you pop the piston out of it bore and remove the seals you will find some corossion in the seal groove.
This in turn increases the rsidial load to the piston and makes it stick.
You can either remove the seal clean the gove and re-fit seal or replace seal .
I cleaned mine put the old ones back and has been as good as gold since.
Dont be tempted to any form of grips on the pistons,it will knacker them up.
blow out very carefully with air line or use hydraulic from system.
Be very careful when using compressed air and claipers,its very easy to loose a finger or two

I always wrap an old towel around a caliper before applying compressed air.

You don't loose the pistons and it deadens the 'Bang'

(A friend brought me a caliper with a stuck piston to free-up as I have a compressor - it was VERY tight - came out like a gunshot).

 

[Global Rider]

Yes, there is salt damage, from riding all year for 70,000 miles!!

I think I will just have to get new pistons and seals, but I will try the silicon grease in the mean time.

And when you do get it all back together, place some "approved" grease under the dust seal to keep moisture out and replace your brake fluid every year or two.

That is what I do on my car that sees our severe winters and the calipers are still free after 8 years.