Front Brake Clean & Piston Lube

Being that it’s raining and I’m board, I thought I would get around to a complete once over on the front brakes. Last year I gave them a good cleaning and had the replacement pads put in, but I never got around to lubricating the pistons. It pretty straight forward actually, just remove the calipers from the forks, then remove the pads and then use soapy water and a toothbrush to clean everything up. Before removing the pads try not to push the pistons in too far, as you may push dirt back into the piston housing. After the pads are out I pump the pistons out very carefully as not to have them pop out, you don’t want that. You want them out far enough to clean all around them with soapy water and a toothbrush. You can see from the photos that there is some dirt on the pistons, but not too bad as I cleaned them last year. After that I block two opposing pistons and get to work on lubing the other two pistons. I put the lube on the pistons where they meet the caliper then squeeze them by hand in and out to move the lube into the housing. This is to get some lube back to the rubber seal as well as to have lubrication for the pistons as well. I then block the pistons that were just lubed and do the same to the other pistons. After that spray some brake clean on the caliper to clean any grease off and put the pads back in. Repeat for the other caliper. I put a little copper grease on the caliper bolts and tightened them to 55 NM. A little tip I learned on how to align the calliper to the rotor is to spin the wheel then grab the brakes and hold them tight as you tighten the caliper bolts. Make sure the caliper bolts are only hand tight before you begin. Anyway I just thought I would share this with you guys, as some might find it useful. I took some photos along the way so it might make more sense to follow along. Cheers.

 

I’m not 100% with regards to the torque setting with grease, as some believe that grease is needed to achieve the correct torque.

 

Regarding caliper removal; I alway duck tape off the rim to avoid any damage if the calliper touches the rim, as it is very tight coming off the rotor. There is way too much play with the calliper when bolting it to the fork, so yeah it would be nice if it was more precise, but that seems to be the norm.
Regarding the brake lube; Yes you are correct you’ll have to ensure that the lube or grease is meant for rubber seals in brake components. I did not mention this because I thought it was obvious to use an appropriate product.
Quickshifter; So far so good.

 

you’re lucky . . . . . here in the U.K., there is virtually nothing available that I have been able to find. Red Rubber grease is the only lubricant I have found for this job.
The gotcha is calling these lubricants “Brake Grease” when in fact, they destroy seals!and it’s a trap waiting to catch the unwary.
I read one post where a guy used coppaslip on his pistons[/QUOTE]
Don’t people read the package anymore? Good God. But then again again look how many people think there’s a killer virus going around . No common sense anymore.

 

Just make sure it states it can be used for piston seals. The product that I have states specifically that, among other uses. If it’s not for rubber seals I wouldn’t use it, as the grease will probably migrate to the seals. I’m hoping it will.

 

I just checked that grease out and it looks like the right product, as it states it can be used on seals. Good find.

 

I doubt it very much unless there was a significant amount of dirt, then you would be more than likely changed extra for it. Unfortunately mechanics are only allotted a specific amount of time to complete the work. If you have a mechanic who runs their own business you might get a more complete job. At least in my country that’s how it works, could be different else where I suppose.