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Home > Maintenance & Mods (L322) > How to - Recon front brake calipers, pictures reposted

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Haylands

Member Since: 04 Mar 2014
Location: East Yorkshire
Posts: 8178

2014 Range Rover Autobiography SDV8 Loire Blue

How to - Recon front brake calipers, pictures reposted

Been having a sticky front caliper for a while, handy to warm your hands on the front wheel when out of the car but not much good for fuel consumption...!!!

Whilst I'm sorting the gearbox and the cars having a holiday from driving I thought I'd recondition them so took them off and set to....

The offending caliper, the dust seal has ripped and let in water which has rusted out the chrome on the piston... they do look a bit of a state having been on for 12 years.... One front flexi wasn't having it so I cut it through and got it out in the vice with a set of stillsons. Stick an airline in the flexi hole and force the piston out, make sure the caliper has it's back facing you, the piston will come out with a lot of force and will make a mess of your fingers if they are in the way. If you don't have an airline then get a friend to gently press the brake pedal whilst you have them unbolted, but still connected to the brake pipe. A few pumps should have the piston out, be ready for a fair amount of brake fluid to pour out. If your doing both side then top up the fluid level before you do the second side so you don't get air in the system, and don't forget to clamp the flexis to stop it draining out....

Hook out the piston seal...

Take all the other pieces off the caliper, push out the sliding pins, remove their rubber carriers, remove the bleed nipple.

Examine the pistons for damage....

The one on the left has damaged chrome and rust, it is not reusable, the one on the right, although it looks similar is just rust deposits off the caliper and would clean up for reuse... the sliding pins are stainless steel so should be alright with a good clean but if they show damage then change them as well...

Once you have them totally stripped you have two options..... Spend a few days with a wire brush and screwdriver, remove every last trace of rust, etch prime, and paint them. Or do what I did and drop them off at your local wheel refurbishment place, give them the sum of �15 a caliper, including the carrier, and get back a lovely caliper sandblasted and powder coated in Anthracite....

Ask them if they have done them before as you need it masked up correctly, all threads need masking and also the piston bore and recesses for the piston seal and dust cover...

I ordered overhaul kits including new pistons for both calipers, price for OEM was around �50 for both sets.
Kit comes with piston, piston seal and dust seal, new sliding pin rubbers, new bleed nipple cover, some assembly grease and some brake grease for the pads.

First job is to make sure the caliper is clean and has no traces of debris from the sandblasting or powder coating, then smear the piston seal with some assembly grease and insert it in it's groove, tease it in all the way round being careful not to damage it or get it twisted.

Click image to enlarge

Then grease up the entire piston dust seal on both sides to make it supple, insert it in it's groove and run your finger around to check it is properly seated, it can only go in one way, it should look like this...

Now the bit that can be tricky if you don't have an air line, you have to get the piston to go through the middle of the dust seal, coat the piston with some grease, the seal is smaller than the piston so it's a bit of a fiddle hooking it over, a smooth plastic hook works well but be careful you don't catch the seal and damage it.... or... if you have an airline use a piece of wood in the caliper, line up the piston loosely in front of the dust seal and use the airline into the caliper to blow the seal over the piston

Click image to enlarge

Line the piston up and slide it into the caliper, as its half way in locate the dust seal in it's groove on the piston. It should push in with your thumbs but make sure you push it squarely in, if it gets stuck or won't go in then it's probably dirt inside.

Click image to enlarge

Coat in grease and tease in the sliding pin guides.

Click image to enlarge

Push them fully home making sure they sit square

Click image to enlarge

I used the old sliding pins as they cleaned up OK

My bleed nipples were fine after a good clean, smear some grease on the threads and replace them..

Click image to enlarge

And there you have it, one reconditioned caliper that looks great, should last another 10years+ and cost about �40 each, cheaper than the cheapest recon ones you can buy and better quality than factory ones....

Click image to enlarge

Now do it all again with the other one...

It's pretty much the same process for most calipers, even multi piston ones...

Good luck. Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

Last edited by Haylands on 31st May 2020 11:08am. Edited 3 times in total

11th Apr 2015 4:40pm

northernmonkeyjones

Member Since: 24 Mar 2012
Location: derby
Posts: 8500

2016 Range Rover Autobiography SDV8 Santorini Black

Got a pair of brembos in the garage to go at...... It's a project! Am going to start stripping them down over the next couple of weeks.

Top Job There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
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Last edited by northernmonkeyjones on 11th Apr 2015 5:35pm. Edited 1 time in total

11th Apr 2015 5:34pm

Joe90

Member Since: 29 Apr 2010
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 6407

Top job Haylands

Links to suppliers for parts ? (if not Duckworths Dan) .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

11th Apr 2015 5:34pm

Haylands

Member Since: 04 Mar 2014
Location: East Yorkshire
Posts: 8178

Cheers

Joe, they were from a local motor factors, plenty on ebay though... Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

11th Apr 2015 7:18pm

Cam-Tech-Craig

Member Since: 03 Aug 2011
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 16280

2015 Range Rover SVAutobiography SDV8 Loire Blue

Proper job sir

11th Apr 2015 7:35pm

Rangeyman

Member Since: 03 Feb 2015
Location: west yorkshire
Posts: 267

2004 Range Rover Vogue 4.4 V8 Java Black

Re: How to - Recondition front brake calipers

Unnecessary quote removed
If it is awkward getting the pistons through the dust seal can you not put the dust seal over the piston afterwards.Have done this sort of thing before on cars and trapped the seal so ended up putting it on after!

11th Apr 2015 8:48pm

Haylands

Member Since: 04 Mar 2014
Location: East Yorkshire
Posts: 8178

The edge of the dust seal is held in place by the piston, it's virtually impossible to get the return through the gap around the piston and the piston won't go in far enough to get to it that way.... not saying it can't be done but it certainly isn't easier....

If you have an airline it takes about 1/2 second to get it blown over the piston, doing it the other way doesn't take long you just have to be careful you don't trap it... Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

11th Apr 2015 10:14pm

vaz

Member Since: 15 Jun 2014
Location: Colne, Lancashire
Posts: 332

Excellent job.
Makes a change seeing a good colour on those calipers rather than the yellow, blue and green paint jobs you see on some cars. Red is acceptable if you have Brembos.

Steve. 1968 Series IIA Pastel Green, nearly there project

12th Apr 2015 9:56am

Mikey

Member Since: 10 Jan 2008
Location: Dundee
Posts: 1745

I resent that remark

12th Apr 2015 10:55am

Haylands

Member Since: 04 Mar 2014
Location: East Yorkshire
Posts: 8178

Re: How to - Recondition front brake calipers

Thanks for the comments guys, mine are usually mud coloured anyway so thought I'd go for the stealth look, they should be a lot easier to keep clean with a quick wash though...

As for yellow.......

Rangeyman wrote:
If it is awkward getting the pistons through the dust seal can you not put the dust seal over the piston afterwards.Have done this sort of thing before on cars and trapped the seal so ended up putting it on after!

Took a few pics of the other caliper to show that with these ones you can't really fit the dust seal afterwards, dare say it's possible with some but these have a lip that prevents it...

This is the piston in it's bore, this is the space where the dust seal has to sit, it is held in place, in a groove in the caliper, by the piston..

Click image to enlarge

The red oblong is the part of the seal that has to go in and up where the arrow is...

Click image to enlarge

This is the profile of the seal

Click image to enlarge

Don't get me wrong I'm not having a go, I've never tried, on any caliper, doing it afterwards as I've always had success with the airline method... Had a go with this one and the lip won't fit through the gap, it really has to go in before the piston...!!! Pete

__________________________________________________
2014 L405 Autobiography SDV8 4.4 Loire Blue Ebony interior
2011 L322 Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8 Baltic Blue. Parchment over Navy Interior. Sold
2012 L322 Autobiography 5.0 Supercharged Ipanema Sand, Jet Interior. Sold
2002 L322 Vogue 4.4 V8 Epson Green, Ivory over Aspen Interior (Fatty Offroader) Sold
-Click for Project Fatty off roader-

Last edited by Haylands on 31st May 2020 11:05am. Edited 1 time in total

12th Apr 2015 11:52am

ebajema

Member Since: 24 Mar 2011
Location: New Plymouth
Posts: 4782

2010 Range Rover Autobiography 5.0 SC V8 Galway Green

Brilliant job Pete and brilliant write up! Thanks MY 2010 5.0 SC Galway green and sand interior!!
Have the Faultmate MSV2 Extreme to be tinkering with the settings etc. !!

12th Apr 2015 2:47pm

Rangeyman

Member Since: 03 Feb 2015
Location: west yorkshire
Posts: 267

Thanks Haylands,some cars ive worked on have a steel ring that holds the seal on an outer grove,this is not that type so thanks for that tip.

12th Apr 2015 7:07pm

Rangeyman

Member Since: 03 Feb 2015
Location: west yorkshire
Posts: 267

Mikey wrote:
I resent that remark

I guess the yellow is not everyones cup of tea but I must say these are great stoppers and why would you choose 'Genuine' whey you can get these!!!

12th Apr 2015 7:10pm

verydisco

Member Since: 10 Dec 2009
Location: UK/US
Posts: 2952

2002 Range Rover Vogue 4.4 V8 Tangiers Orange

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13th Apr 2015 7:36am

RCusden

Member Since: 12 May 2012
Location: NarberthPembrokeshire
Posts: 186

Great write up Pete, I did mine last night after reading this.
Ffrr forum to the rescue again
Roger

1st May 2015 7:39pm

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