Sil-Glide Grease for sliding pins, pad ears, etc

I use it on slide pins and have been using it on the pad ears too I didn’t realize it will dry up. It’s the only thing that doesn’t dry up on the pins is what I’ve found. Maybe I’ll start using something different on the pad ears.
 
Copper anti-seize also dries out when applied on pads ears. At least that has been my experience with the 3M one.

Very few products "last" when exposed to the elements if you only apply a thin coat.
I noticed that the oil in anti seize dries out, but a thin coat of it remains and it doesn’t attract dirt. Caliper pin grease attracts dirt before it dries out and becomes crusty/flaky.
I agree that both won’t last (meaning there will be some lube left at next brake job) in this kind of environment.
 
Copper anti-seize also dries out when applied on pads ears. At least that has been my experience with the 3M one.

Very few products "last" when exposed to the elements if you only apply a thin coat.
Tesla maintenance service includes cleaning and lubing brake components in colder regions.
The other item is cabin air filter.
 
I have never tried copper anti seize on brake parts. In my area it’s much more expensive than the aluminum but you also get a greater amount so for every brake job my shop does we’d probably burn through the stuff. Wonder if aluminum based would do the same? I usually use the aluminum for drum brake contact points in the rare times we see drum brakes. I know the purple Permatex stuff works pretty good on the metal to metal but not sure how long it lasts.
 
Tesla maintenance service includes cleaning and lubing brake components in colder regions.
The other item is cabin air filter.
This makes perfect sense for Tesla since it uses regen braking a lot, so pads don't do a lot of work and therefore don't move in the bracket, so they can rust in quite easily.
Regular cars are less prone to this, but if the pad contact points are not properly cleaned of rust during brake job, they will also freeze. I'm used to applying grease to these contact points because it does help in reducing rust build up. In mild climates like CA, you probably don't need to do anything special beside cleaning the contact points.
 
In mild climates like CA, you probably don't need to do anything special beside cleaning the contact points.
You might be surprised. It is all too common to replace pads that have grossly uneven wear between the inboard and outboard pads.
Prepare the bracket and lube those bad boys!
 
You might be surprised. It is all too common to replace pads that have grossly uneven wear between the inboard and outboard pads.
Prepare the bracket and lube those bad boys!
Lubing the contact points tends to make the situation worse unless it is the ATE-style calipers.

Having the hardware clean, smooth and new (arguably) places you with the best chance of success IMO.
 
Copper anti-seize also dries out when applied on pads ears. At least that has been my experience with the 3M one.

Very few products "last" when exposed to the elements if you only apply a thin coat.
How much better is the Honda M77 in that regard?
(I’m assuming that is what you would use)

I’d think that the Cu paste also has a bit of Mo/Graphite, but not to the same levels. And who knows the difference in carrier oil...
 
How much better is the Honda M77 in that regard?
(I’m assuming that is what you would use)

I’d think that the Cu paste also has a bit of Mo/Graphite, but not to the same levels. And who knows the difference in carrier oil...
M77 definitely stays on a bit better IMO because the solid contents is higher.

But if you apply both products lightly (like a film), there won't be much remaining after 5 years of wheel cleaning with stronger cleaners.
 

this is what i use. i presume this is the factory slider grease on ate calipers
 
Sil-Glyde will work but there's always something better for the application. Castor oil or petroleum based greases, metal or ceramic in them or not, don't last nearly as long. Use silicone paste, not dielectric grease which has too low a viscosity.

Once you get all the old goop out of the slider pins (very important) and fill with silicone paste, you may never need to do it again (virtually, in reality nothing lasts forever), caliper may wear out first unless your boots are shot and contamination gets in.
 
M77 definitely stays on a bit better IMO because the solid contents is higher.

But if you apply both products lightly (like a film), there won't be much remaining after 5 years of wheel cleaning with stronger cleaners.
I don't wash my cars and M77 isn't there after 2 years. Just a hint after one. Our cars tend to get a lot of miles though.
 
Sil-gylide is the only thing I have found that doesn’t turn to “cement” on slide pins on police vehicles. I used to used the permatex purple brake grease but after one brake service (10-15,000 miles) on a police vehicle it is all dried up and almost as hard as cement from the heat.
 
I have never tried copper anti seize on brake parts. In my area it’s much more expensive than the aluminum but you also get a greater amount so for every brake job my shop does we’d probably burn through the stuff. Wonder if aluminum based would do the same? I usually use the aluminum for drum brake contact points in the rare times we see drum brakes. I know the purple Permatex stuff works pretty good on the metal to metal but not sure how long it lasts.

I have a 1 pound tub, (500 grams actually) and It lasted me 6 years of full time use. Less is more. I only used that copper/alu paste for brakes and as anti-seize for undertay bolts etc... Silicone grease for the protected parts of the brake system and where rubber/plastic parts needed lubing (sun roofs for example), silicone spray where the grease was too viscous and a ceramic grease for anti-roll bar bushings. The silicone grease and spray went quickest.

Some copper pastes dry out, others don't so chose wisely.
 
I change out my winter tires spring and fall and now put a dab of silicon grease at the pad ears. I recently took apart my rear disk brakes on my Burb and found the pin lube was still good on one pin and non existent on the other. The other one was not quite seized but was rusted and required a cleanup. Pads were good. Not sure what lube they used when I had the brakes done five years ago but the pad ears were totally dry. I’m not sure anything can last five years in winter conditions.
 
Last edited:
So....since a lot of folks here are talking about using a pure 100% silicone grease...

I have several tubes of Dow-Corning High Vacuum Grease around. This is thick, goopy silicone grease that's been a lab staple since the beginning of time, although it presumably has industrial applications since I've bought it from McMaster-Carr(and when we'd buy it by the case at my last job, we'd buy from them a lot of times since they'd give us a better price than the scientific suppliers). Even though it's called "high vacuum grease" and can be used to seal high vacuum joints, its most common use in the lab is to keep ground glass joints from "freezing." Per manufacturer recommendations, my hi-vac joints in the lab actually get Alpezion-L, which is not at all a silicone grease(and is hideously expensive-the last tube I bought was over $100).

I don't use the Dow-Corning stuff on cars super often. The biggest use I can think of is as a band-aide to help vac leaks and consistent idle on worn SU carb throttle shafts. My other use of it around the house is in my dabblings in fountain pens, where silicone greases in general, and the Dow-Corning stuff in particular, has been called "the duct tape of the pen world." Among other things, Montblanc uses a proprietary sealant on the nib unit, and once that's broken it will leak-the silicone grease seals the threads nicely and makes future removal easier. I use it on piston seals, as it both lubricates for smoother operation and provides a bit of additional sealing.

I say all of that because I wonder if it might be a better choice for situations like this. I don't EXACTLY know what the melting point of the Dow-Corning grease is, but it is labeled as high temperature, and I've never seen it get noticeably thinner at say ~200ºC.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how this might fare on sliding pins?
 

this is what i use. i presume this is the factory slider grease on ate calipers

Plastilube is a curious thing, because traditionally, it's not considered rubber-safe, with such a warning on the tube itself.

Yet the link above says it's "Compatible with all metals and most all O-ring materials," and some sites sell it as an all-around brake lube.

I'm not aware of any changes in the formula, but I'd err on the side of caution, given that the copy mostly mentions hard and metal contact points, not the guide pins and rubber bushings in the typical Ate floating caliper design.

This is reinforced be the stipulation for dry installation of those parts in the factory manuals of the OEMs who usually fit Ate calipers, likely speaking as proxy for Ate.

My experience with Sil-Glyde is that it's ok, not great, and doesn't last long, either on brake applications, or something like trying to prolong the life of pop-up Toro sprinkler heads, where it washes off fairly quickly. And when it ages, it gums up, having the opposite of the desired effect. Despite the name, the SDS reveals that it's mostly castor oil.
 
I’ve heard Sil-Glide is a premium product and certainly is expensive, but since we are also discussing other products, I’ll offer up that I use EZE Slide made by Kleen-Flo. Here is a shot. Just started using it it so I guess I’ll have to report back in 5 years. It contains 1 to 5% Silicon Dioxide but the SDS sheet does not say what the carrier fluid is but the label claims it’s synthetic. I’ve done front and rear disc brakes with it. Time will tell. Another issue is how much to put on. On the front brakes I rubbed some onto the pins and I’m sure the bores still contain air and the greased pin. On the other set of brakes which are rear brakes on a separate truck I filled the bore completely with the lube and then inserted the pin, so there is no air in the bore. It could be that some products are drying out because it’s exposed to too much air. Food for thought.

FD157968-48E9-4AB4-BAE2-B2B497CCE602.jpegFD16E5C9-B099-49A0-8094-544A5436C372.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Back
Top