Brake slider pin lube ?

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Originally Posted by geeman789
For me, the issue is not the lube drying out, but instead the lube swelling the rubber bushings on the lower slider pin. The bushing swells over time, and starts to bind in the bore. I have tried a number of different brake lubes, and still run into the bushings swelling. Currently trying Permatex silicone brake lube, the orange stuff. We will see ...

The bushing is used to dampen caliper rattles. You don't really need it, but on some cars, the calipers really rattle bad. On others, you can't hear anything ...


I haven't had that issue with Sil-Glyde or the Mission Silicone Paste.

I did have that issue with the Permatex Ceramic Extreme Brake Parts Lubricant, it swelled the rubber and they got stuck inside. Even though it states that it's safe for rubber. Went back to Sil-Glyde and no more issues.
 
Originally Posted by Trav
+1 or silicone grease. Stay away from the purple stuff, it dries out like crazy.
Stay away from any Permatex goop, it will swell pin bushing and make removal very difficult.
 
Yer all wrong.

[Linked Image]


I put that [censored] on everything. Caliper pins, caliper bracket contact points, backs of pads that contact the caliper piston and bracket, hubs where the rotor mates, inside of aluminum wheels where they touch the rotors or drums, etc. Silicone AND ceramic so its good to 3,000 degrees.
 
Originally Posted by JMHC
Originally Posted by Brybo86
3m silicone paste brush in cap

Used Sil Glyde for years and it is good stuff, but there is not much silicone in it. ...
I can believe that. My SilGlyde turned darker and stiffer, which pure silicon grease won't.

I have SuperLube Silicone grease with PTFE for brakes.
 
I usually just use the packet that comes with the pads

Akebono is stingy with the grease, and the packet they include isn't that great. Any other pads I've gotten always came with a reasonably generous packet of something. Really the only bad thing I have to say about Akebono

Originally Posted by shanneba
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HBM85C/

[Linked Image]



This is what I use with Akebono pads, or any other pads that don't include anything.

People have said bad things about it on here, so I might get a tube of Sil-Glyde in the future
 
Anyone see Sil-Glyde get very sticky, almost like a glue ? My Dad had some in his garage and it was no doubt many years old. I used it on slide pins and they were fine a year later (a "closed" environment to some degree) but also put some on the back of the pads, inboard and outboard sides, and when I tried to take the pads out to service the brakes, I literally had to pry the pad off of the piston and caliper ears.
 
All the above^^^
I've used so many of the products that others here have mentioned with the exception of a few such as the Volvo brand.
Mostly products from Permatex, Sil-Glyde, CRC & 3M is what I've used.
 
I've used Sil-Glyde a lot. Never let me down. Picked up a tube of CRC Silaramic recently though, it's supposed to be like Sil-Glyde with tiny ceramic particles and has a really nice washout rating. Time will tell if it's any better though!
 
Originally Posted by Yah-Tah-Hey
Originally Posted by Trav
+1 or silicone grease. Stay away from the purple stuff, it dries out like crazy.
Stay away from any Permatex goop, it will swell pin bushing and make removal very difficult.

+1
I've tried several Permatex products and ALL of them swelled the bushings and boots. Don't touch anything Permatex for brake pins.

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Anyone see Sil-Glyde get very sticky, almost like a glue ? My Dad had some in his garage and it was no doubt many years old. I used it on slide pins and they were fine a year later (a "closed" environment to some degree) but also put some on the back of the pads, inboard and outboard sides, and when I tried to take the pads out to service the brakes, I literally had to pry the pad off of the piston and caliper ears.

+1
Yes this is why I switched to 3M paste. In my tube, after a couple years, Sil Glyde turned yellow and got sticky. I found it to stick on the sliders after a couple years too. They don't seize, but start to get a little resistance sliding.

Sil Glyde is fine, but you need to replace your tube every year or two. It turns yellow and goes bad. But it is available everywhere. It is my #2, and the 3M paste is #1, but I can't find it anywhere but online so I got it at Amazon.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by JMHC

+1
I've tried several Permatex products and ALL of them swelled the bushings and boots. Don't touch anything Permatex for brake pins.


The Permatex silicone-based products should be fine for rubber contact, just not their "synthetic" brake lube which should only be for metal-on-metal contact and drum brakes.

I've been using the Toyota stuff for my slide pins and the ones I maintain for a close friend. Subaru calls for Niglube RX-2, which is a glycol-based lithium soap grease. Honda says silicone grease is fine for their slide pins though.
 
To lube or not to lube slide pins? BMW and Porsche say to never lube the pins at all and I tried that. There was no problem but nowadays I apply a very thin coating of Sylglide and that hasn't caused any problems either. Keep in mind the caliper moves minimally back and forth on the slide pins. There's not all that much friction happening. A non-lubricated slide pin is probably less prone to gumming up than a lubricated one that gets cooked on the race track.
 
When I did the brakes on the F150, I used ST multi duty grease...I used it on the spindle where the hub/rotor assembly rides on, the sliders, the pad contacts, pretty much any place that needed lubrication.
On the Corolla, I used Super Lube Synthetic grease from Harbor Freight. Both seem to be doing well. Also, I do not live in the salt belt
smile.gif
 
Dow Corning high vacuum grease. A large tube can be had on Amazon. Great for electrical connections also.

For caliper slide pins, to a tablespoon amount of the stuff I'll mix in a small pea-sized amount of antisieze paste. Great mixture for older vehicles in the rust belt where the slide pin boots don't seal well.

As many have noted, not all silicone greases/pastes are equal. The Dow Corning stuff is very persistant and never seems to "dry out".

Someone mentioned rubber slide bushings swelling... First brake job on the '14 Subaru Impreza, I found all 4 corners had swollen bushings. Material compatbility oversight at the factory?
 
Originally Posted by JMHC
Originally Posted by Brybo86
3m silicone paste brush in cap


+1

Used Sil Glyde for years and it is good stuff, but there is not much silicone in it. For me, the pins start to stick after about 3 years. I bought the 3M stuff based on ericthecarguy's recommendation and it is better than Sil Glyde,

https://www.amazon.com/3M-08946-Clear-Silicone-Paste/dp/B005RNEH5O/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=3m%2Bsilicone%2Bpaste&qid=1557155066&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1



+2

(Actually I use Toyota Rubber Grease on all my Toyota stuff)
 
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