My caliper adventured continue

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

So I was doing my brakes and I realized that my rear caliper piston seal is twisted up and on top of that it looks to be sitting a bit too high due to rust jacking.
I wanted to rebuild it and a good rebuild kit would cost me 155 bucks shipped (frenkit). I figured that NAPA has them on the shelf and I might try my luck, went in the store asked to see the caliper. I get the caliper in my boots and I look at the piston and pull on the boot a little bit and it looks pitted, really pitted.
I asked if I could see how it looks like behind the dust boot and the parts guy hesitated but said yes.
Behind the dust seal it looked like lunar surface, all pockmarked and cratered. Went through several pairs of calipers and all looked really bad.
Went on rock auto and ordered FVP seal kit and better brakes piston set. At this point I feel safer rebuilding my caliper even if I have to go to town with a sand blaster around the seal area to clean it up.

 

[DriveHard]

Isn't it the seal that makes the seal? Why does pitting on the piston concern you if it doesn't touch the bore?

 

[Dave9]

^ Because it touches the seal?

 

[dogememe]

^ Because it touches the seal?

Yeah, won't an imperfect surface on either the piston or the bore basically be like sandpaper to the seal and soon have leaks?

 

[slacktide_bitog]

What kind of car is this? You might be able to get all-new calipers

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

It is ford flex.
New OEM calipers are costly. I wouldn't mind if this was the south or California but this is rustbelt NY, too much of an investment.

Edit: I was looking in the wrong places.
Checked couple of my favorite oem ford parts vendors and its 98 bucks plus 50 core.
I ordered the motorcraft brand new calipers. Peace of mind.



This all feels so frustrating. Drop a bunch of money on good pads and rotors only to find out that your calipers will eat the expensive components because rust.

 

[bdcardinal]

I forget what style of hoses those use, but if the hose attaches with a banjo bolt and crush washers, they don't come with calipers. Don't ask why, that is just how it is.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

It is ford flex.
New OEM calipers are costly. I wouldn't mind if this was the south or California but this is rustbelt NY, too much of an investment.

Edit: I was looking in the wrong places.
Checked couple of my favorite oem ford parts vendors and its 98 bucks plus 50 core.
I ordered the motorcraft brand new calipers. Peace of mind.



This all feels so frustrating. Drop a bunch of money on good pads and rotors only to find out that your calipers will eat the expensive components because rust.

Glad you were able to get Motorcraft calipers. Why do brand new calipers have a core charge?

Rock Auto also has aftermarket new calipers.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

Glad you were able to get Motorcraft calipers. Why do brand new calipers have a core charge?

Rock Auto also has aftermarket new calipers.

I dont know why it has a core charge but I have been told that they are NOT remans.
I am very weary of aftermarket parts that are in charge of of stopping 4,800 pound bread box.

 

[dogememe]

I dont know why it has a core charge but I have been told that they are NOT remans.
I am very weary of aftermarket parts that are in charge of of stopping 4,800 pound bread box.

Even scarier are generic eBay/Amazon suspension and brake parts often used on lifted 3/4ton trucks driven very aggressively... Note I have nothing against large vehicles and have been known to drive, um, "assertively", myself... just before someone bashes me. It's just, a junk ball joint on a Corolla driven by a grandma going half the speed limit is less scary than a Ram 2500 with a 12" lift screaming along at 100mph haha.

 

[Donald]

If you moved out of high tax NY you could replace the caliper with a new vehicle.

Pretty odd that the reman calipers at NAPA had pitted areas. Maybe they keep rock salt for the sidewalk on the same shelf as calipers?

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

If you moved out of high tax NY you could replace the caliper with a new vehicle.

Pretty odd that the reman calipers at NAPA had pitted areas. Maybe they keep rock salt for the sidewalk on the same shelf as calipers?

Yeah that's the plan eventually. North Carolina or west Virginia or south Virginia

 

[slacktide_bitog]

If you moved out of high tax NY you could replace the caliper with a new vehicle.

Pretty odd that the reman calipers at NAPA had pitted areas. Maybe they keep rock salt for the sidewalk on the same shelf as calipers?

They're Cardone "rebuilds" where they just reuse the cores regardless of quality, and in some cases they don't even replace the torn seals, let alone the pistons

The Ultras are painted silver (black for Napa), but they are otherwise lazy rebuilds

 

[Donald]

They're Cardone "rebuilds" where they just reuse the cores regardless of quality, and in some cases they don't even replace the torn seals, let alone the pistons

The Ultras are painted silver (black for Napa), but they are otherwise lazy rebuilds

I thought a rebuild involved honing, new seals and a new piston unless pristine?

What would be a real crappy rebuild would be if they removed the rust from piston with wire brush and reused. With any rust or pitting the plating is gone in those areas.

 

[Strumpan_]

i dont even look up if a caliper can be rebuilt, i just buy new ones because it's easier and wont cost much more.

 

[Donald]

i dont even look up if a caliper can be rebuilt, i just buy new ones because it's easier and wont cost much more.

The calipers for my PSD (AC Delco) are $295 new and $100 reman. So huge difference.

 

[Strumpan_]

The calipers for my PSD (AC Delco) are $295 new and $100 reman. So huge difference.

Never seen calipers that expensive. Reman isn't the same as a rebuild kit though. Wouild probably get new ones anyway, because you change calipers once then you never have to worry about them for at least 15 years.

People who cheap out on parts make it seem like they need to change something once a month.

 

[lbhsbz]

If you moved out of high tax NY you could replace the caliper with a new vehicle.

Pretty odd that the reman calipers at NAPA had pitted areas. Maybe they keep rock salt for the sidewalk on the same shelf as calipers?

Not odd at all. Why do people replace calipers?...because they're rusty and stuck half the time. Those cores that get turned in get torn down, shot blasted, and rebuilt.

There are 3 plants rebuilding pretty much all the commercially available calipers anymore...all are in Mexico.

BBB/Nugeon
Raybestos/Centric/Cardone
MPA

AT least one of them (not the first or the last on the list) has entertained the idea of using bondo to smooth out excessive pitting. Hmmm...wonder why some of their calipers come painted now?

 

[lbhsbz]

I thought a rebuild involved honing, new seals and a new piston unless pristine?

What would be a real crappy rebuild would be if they removed the rust from piston with wire brush and reused. With any rust or pitting the plating is gone in those areas.

Calipers don't need to be honed, and there is nothing to gain by doing so....the bore is not the sealing surface, as it would be in an engine....the piston is the sealing surface.

Calipers get torn down, washed, then the castings go through a big automatic tumble shot blaster, then they're reassembled....usually with new rubber (but Cardone used to re-use boots and seals that were still "good") and either cleaned up good used pistons, or new pistons when they run out of good used ones. Phenolics should always be replaced because they fatigue and begin to fail structurally, but most now are just running them through a centerless grinder to clean 'em up and re-using them...which is crap, but it passes the 90psi pressure test so the idiots running the plants think they're good.

Here's 5 examples of "good used" pistons I pulled out of fresh reman calipers from the Cardone/Centric/Raybestos factory....

...and this is what a "good used" piston looks like that comes out of my shop.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Never seen calipers that expensive. Reman isn't the same as a rebuild kit though. Wouild probably get new ones anyway, because you change calipers once then you never have to worry about them for at least 15 years.

People who cheap out on parts make it seem like they need to change something once a month.

most OE new calipers from the dealer are about that expensive

The calipers for my PSD (AC Delco) are $295 new and $100 reman. So huge difference.

That $295 actually seems cheap for an OE new caliper for such a big truck!

I've seen higher prices for OE calipers for a Camry or Forester, and often you can't even get OE new calipers

Rock Auto has aftermarket all-new calipers for $100 for your truck. I'd trust them over lazy "rebuilds" from cores that should've been scrapped.