Permatex Ceramic Brake Parts Lubricant

[Polly_3SFE]

I just thought I would share my experience yesterday as a result of this product. I was driving my wife's Rav4 and noticed the front brakes were making a grinding/groaning noise. I had done the front and rear pads and rotors using new Power Stop ceramics and Wagner Thermoquiet rotors. about 18,000 miles ago and had noted there was plenty of pad life left at 15,000 miles when I did a tire rotation.

The noise alerted me so I raised the front and pulled the wheels off. Pad life was still fine, so I dug deeper. I pulled the caliper off and noted that the pins were quite seized up. I had used Permatex ceramic brake parts lube (purple label jar). The product did not eat away the rubber dust boots, but after removing the slider pins (which took much force), I noticed that the rubber rings on the end of the slider pins that have them had swelled and was causing the pin to no longer move freely. Only the bottom pin on each front caliper has this rubber bushing/ring that looks like a little black rubber band.

I will also say that the solid metal pin on each size was also fairly seized up and most of the lubricant had dried up. This surprises me because this product has STELLAR reviews on Amazon and lots of others claim to use it on slider pins. In the future, I will only be using silicone paste on slider pins. This product might be OK for solid metal pins, but based on my experience I would not use it if your pins have rubber on them anywhere.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

I've stated here before. DO NOT use any of the various color Permatex brake grease goops. Tried the gree version a few years back and it swelled the lower pin bushing to a point I could only remove the pin with great effort. The goopy stuff attacks various rubber component.

 

[Bgallagher]

Syl-Glide is the best stuff you can use for any contact points and slide pins. I have had zero issues using it

 

[EdwardC]

I thought the purple jar was ok for rubber as well, good to know. I only use silicone paste anyway, but I have a jar of the purple ceramic lube for the backs of pads (if needed).

Funny, this is the first "Use On" images on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-24125-Ceramic-Extreme-Lubricant/dp/B0018PSASU

 

[Polly_3SFE]

Wow, and there is one of those rubber bushings on the tip of that slider pin in that picture. I was so confident in using this product, but will never again for this application.

It might be just fine for the back of the pads, but I will have to purchase some Syl-Glide or 3M silicone past for the pins. I've also read good things about ATE Plastilube, but from experience I can say purple Permatex is no bueno for the slides.

 

[nthach]

Permatex does make a silicone-based brake lube, I found the older moly-blended stuff on eBay and they've just re-released it again.

 

[Polly_3SFE]

Any advice on how to best clean out this lubricant from the slider pin holes?

 

[Kamele0N]

Brake cleaner + Q tip...

 

[Merkava_4]

HosteenJorje,

Are you talking about this stuff ?

 

[Rolla07]

Originally Posted By: Bgallagher
Syl-Glide is the best stuff you can use for any contact points and slide pins. I have had zero issues using it


Amen

 

[novadude]

Had the same issue with the grey permatex brake grease a while back. Sil-glide (sp?) seems to be the only stuff to use on slider pins with rubber o-rings / bushings.

 

[Trav]

I tried the purple stuff when it first came out, it worked well for a while then everything went to Hades on a hand basket. It dried out, pin rubber swollen like an elephant trunk, real garbage stuff.
Back to the old standby CRC 5359 and Sil-Glyde.

 

[KingCake]

Silicone Paste only.

Toyota service manual says polyurea based grease also ok on any toyota applications.

 

[nthach]

I bought a tube of the Toyota red rubber grease - a glycol-based grease that's called for in the TSRM. It's not too terrible at $12/6oz tube.

Sil-Glyde works just as well. The Permatex non-silicone greases are more for American cars that use metal-on-metal slides.

 

[Ethan1]

This issue is suuuuuuuper well-documented online. Only use sil-glyde.

 

[newtoncd8]

I just used the product below on our RX330 rear brakes. I need to know if I have to take it apart and use a different product. Thanks all.


Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
HosteenJorje,

Are you talking about this stuff ?

 

[Polly_3SFE]

Did your rear caliper pins have the rubber bushing like the bottom one in this picture does? I'm pretty sure Toyota's have solid metal pins for rear brakes, in which case I wouldn't be as worried, but it's still worth checking annually and relubricating.

 

[newtoncd8]

Thanks for the reply.

For our RX, I took a photo when I had them apart (ignore the caliper bracket bolts) ... just referring to the caliper slider pins going into the rubber sleeve on the caliper ... see below.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

Good info, it's going into the unorganized, rambling text document I keep on Auto Maintenance. Thanks.

 

[incognito_2u]

+1 on the Syl-Glide for the Caliper Pins........I use it on both the Toyota and Jeep. Evenly coat the pins, then reinsert the pins inside the caliper, pushing and spinning the pin a few times before I close it over the rubber boot and Burp it.

I only use the Permatex Purple on the Abutment Clips and that I use sparingly. Don't use much for it will "Gum-Up" and cause the pads to "stick"
(A dab on each Clip and rubbed along the surface for a very light coat.)