Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2016 16:25:31 -0700
Reply-To: Scott - IMAP <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott - IMAP <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Remove Brake Caliper: Steering Knuckle Off Vehicle
In-Reply-To: <CAB2Rwfj5KnszwmGtngdRky=Gu81H2EpjMgULbdAt8Wwd_JBTSg@mail.gmail.com>
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Hi Niel,
those early calipers arn't that great for sure. I've seen LOTS of them
with sticky pistons, especially the outer pistons.
( you or others may gain a little front braking action by running more
aggressive pads.
Metalics...that helped an 85 Westy of mine a lot, at least for a while. )
you have the matching front anti-sway bar...? .hope you do. The early
one won't fit I don't think.
a caliper leaking at the seam , new-rebult out of the box ? Wow. Never
have seen that.
In a normal rebuild you never even take the caliper halves apart.
Sounds like you are DONE with these calipers for sure !
An unusual amount of problems.
Having fixed cars professionally for over 30 yrs, one of my rules was
'don't waste time on incorrect or faulty parts.'
( altho ...in 'regular car repair' in the regular world ...getting
things fixed by 6 PM closing time..and fixed right, and perfectly, I
think is a real joke and consipres towards a lot of bad work.
Heck ..I have to work till 1 AM to make things really right, most of the
time.
I still get pro car repair trade magazines...one guy did an article on
diagnostics. By the 3rd paragraph he had written 'and do it fast' twice
at least.
Really..I'd just go to a Tire and Wheel Alignment Store ( much as I try
not to ) and just say ..
'could you just buzz these tight bolts off for me" ?
if you find the right person/shop ..they might not even charge you.
It's like 2 minutes work if that , if you set it up for them so all they
have to do is put the gun and socket on the bolts, and pull the trigger.
yeah...I have seen SO MUCH of people taking short cuts ..
which ALWAYS makes things MUCH harder later...dang I hate that !
You shouldn't even be having to deal with this now.
I spend a LOT of time thinking about the Order of doing things in.
'everyone knows' ....that on all things that turn ...
like wheels and axle nuts etc....you gotta think ahead and do them while
things are held down firmly by the vehicle itself.
much better outer wheel bearings on the later vans..
they get a better starting in maybe mid 83 or 84 or so.
it'll be worth it in the end .
Scott
On 6/19/2016 3:41 PM, Neil N wrote:
> Thanks Scott.
> Ya I figured if the bolts were *that* tight, I'd likely rip the vice
> off the bench before
> bending or otherwise harming the steering knuckle.
> The person who gave me these parts may see this post so I hope he's not bugged
> by me posting here about it. I'm certainly grateful for those parts!
> Regardless, yes. I need an impact wrench!
>
> The rebuilt Teves callipers on my '81 just aren't great. The cores are
> so old now...
> On one, the bleeder screw is incredibly loose when cracked open for bleeding.
> And that caliper was a replacement for the first rebuilt I installed.
> That one leaked at the seam right out of the box.
> Moreover, the pistons aren't positioned correctly. Then again, the
> anti squeal plates are missing so the groove in each piston may be a moot thing.
> Still, two different sets of pads wore at an angle. I think in part
> due to the groove
> in each piston face and lack of anti squeal shim. (pad is allowed to
> be pushed at an angle)
> I don't know how the pro mechanics deal with the down time and frustration of
> crappy parts.
>
> My '88 has better brakes and I'm attributing that, in part, to caliper
> design improvements
> and possibly to cores that have been rebuilt fewer times. Hopefully.
> The callipers I installed on my '88 were new not rebuilt. They were
> likely one of the last
> in existence. Surely the 86+ callipers are all rebuilts now.
>
> Neil.
>
>
>
>
> On 6/19/16, Scott - IMAP <scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:
>
>> I have seen those bolts so damn tight it's unbelievable.
>> I even got a long swivel head breaker bar just for getting the right
>> angle with the parts on the van and being able to get enough force
>> generated.
>>
>> I doubt you're going to harm a heavily made spindle/upright clamping it
>> in a vice ..
>> if the caliper bolts are hyper tight you still might have a problem.
>>
>> Impact wrench is super useful for some jobs. Really gotta have one and
>> a compressor.
>> Or just take it to some shop and say 'please just buzz these bolts off' .
>> That's a good upgrade ....been sitting on the parts for that myself for
>> quite a while.
>
> --
> Neil n
>
> Blog: Vanagons, Westfalia, general <http://tubaneil.blogspot.ca>
>
> 1988 Westy Images <https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/New1988Westy>
>
> 1981 Westfalia "Jaco" Images, technical <http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/>
>
> Vanagon-Bus VAG Gas Engine Swap Group <http://tinyurl.com/khalbay>
