2005 E330 Brake Questions

[rowekmr]

Hello

Notice my wife's brake pedal had a lot of travel to stop the car. Removed the front wheels and saw decent pad material left but lip on the both rotors facing out and the inside had grooves in the rotor and pads. I replaced both rotors and pads (from Advance Auto dealership was closed). I noticed in both front calipers one of the pins was stuck. The other one came out with a little effort but the stuck ones took a lot of turning, pulling and some WD40 to finally get them out. Both of the stuck ones had a rubber gasket or ring at the tip with one so old it fell off. Both stuck ones has a layer of corrosion and dried lubricant on. I cleaned them off the best I could with brake cleaner, rag and wire brush and applied brake lubricant on them and installed all 4 caliper sliding pins. The good pins moved fine but the prior bad ones moved with more effort.

The car still has a lot of pedal travel should I move on to bleeding the system now?

Should I replace the pins only or the whole caliper? The pistons had rust on them and took some effort with the C clamp to reset them in the bore. I live in the rust belt so didn't know if it all should be replaced. If so is parts store rebuilt decent or go Lexus/Toyota?

[gbhrps]

rowekmr,

I live in the rust belt of southern Ontario, Canada, and I've seen the same issues over the years on all makes and models of cars.

The rusted slide pins I always clean up with the wire brush wheel on my bench grinder. I also have a long, small diameter wire brush that I mount on my speed drill for cleaning up the slide pin bores in the caliper. Then apply the silcone brake grease to the pin, as well as a liberal amount on the rubber boot the pin slides through.

That rubber/plastic end ring of the slide pin can be left off it it becomes an issue, or you can visit the dealership for a new one if you wish. I've never had an issue with the ones I left off.

Now the caliper pistons are a different matter. If you're having a problem pushing them back into the caliper bore even with a C clamp, then they need to be popped out of the caliper and cleaned up with fine steel wool (0000 four aught steel wool), and do the same for the caliper bore. After cleaning and flushing both with clean brake fluid, if you see any pits in the piston or the bore .... replace the caliper.

If they clean up well with no pits, then they can be inserted back into the caliper. It is a finicky job you can do by hand, and there is a slick way to get the dust seal over the piston to reseat it in the bore using an air gun and a compressor (look for YouTube vids there are several showing the air gun method). Of course this is best accomplished with the calipers removed from the car.

Once mounted again, and the system is bled with new brake fluid, and you still have a long pedal travel ... replace the rubber flex lines, because they may be swelling as you press the pedal. Remember that there will be two more flex hoses on the rear wheels.

Again, none of this is rocket science, are there are loads of videos to watch to help you out. Just remember when bleeding each wheel, to immediately pump the brakes back up before you take that test drive, or back out of the driveway. Good Luck!

[rowekmr]

Hey thanks for the informative response lot of info there. I did wish I had a bench mounted wire wheel to clean up the pins as they do on the Youtube videos. I also thought about getting a drill mounted small wire wheel for the holes in the bracket, I found local auto parts places carry the reman brackets for 60 a piece. I might just go that route unless you think remans are bad. Then I can make learning project but I will work under the watchful eye of a mech I know then I also will know that all of my wife's car brakes got their proper attention.

[gbhrps]

rowekmr,

You could use a smaller wire wheel that you spin up in a drill or drill press. They'll do the same job, just not as quickly. Wear safety glasses, as a thrown wire can take out an eye. Good Luck!

[VBdenny]

Hey Joe, (no Woodstock infliction intended there)

Myself? I'd not play around and replace the calipers because ike snow tires for people in your region, new calipers are pretty inexpensive when compared to accidents. I have the same car and the pedal is hard and firm without any of the excessive travel you are experiencing so your is not normal. Back in the olden days with drum brakes, the self adjusters just never worked much in the salt zones so as the shoes wore, the pedal was lower and lower. Now, with disc brakes, if the pedal is lower, there is a possibility that it is caused by a problem in the master cylinder but that is only is all the other components are good.

Salt is terrible stuff for vehicles. Check Bap Geon for caliper prices, got a rear one with lifetime warranty for my LS400 for $94 and easy to install.

Good luck and thanks for being an LOC'er

Denny

Denny

[rowekmr]

Thanks Denny and yes I'm also a fan of Hendrix lol

I looked up all the reman calipers and it ca,e down to Cardone and another company. It seems Bap Geon uses Cardone so I will get 2 front calipers with brackets. I'll also plan on seeing why the brake travel is excessive hopefully they just need to be bled the only other thing I can think of is master cylinder and I don't want to go there!

Hey Joe, (no Woodstock infliction intended there)

Myself? I'd not play around and replace the calipers because ike snow tires for people in your region, new calipers are pretty inexpensive when compared to accidents. I have the same car and the pedal is hard and firm without any of the excessive travel you are experiencing so your is not normal. Back in the olden days with drum brakes, the self adjusters just never worked much in the salt zones so as the shoes wore, the pedal was lower and lower. Now, with disc brakes, if the pedal is lower, there is a possibility that it is caused by a problem in the master cylinder but that is only is all the other components are good.

Salt is terrible stuff for vehicles. Check Bap Geon for caliper prices, got a rear one with lifetime warranty for my LS400 for $94 and easy to install.

Good luck and thanks for being an LOC'er

Denny

Denny

[VBdenny]

Hi Joe, master cylinder replacement is not nearly as formidable a task as it initially appears. Actually, a rather simple job IF you follow the right procedure. Pretty much, bench bleed new master cylinder completely or it won't work. Bench bleeding involves hooking up two clear plastic lines the the brake line attachment points and then with the top off and the master cylinder in a bench vise, putting the lines into the fluid chamber so they are submerged. With both chambers filled to almost the top with NEW DOT4 fluid, take a small dowel rod and gently start pushing the piston in until the fluid flows. Many people either do not bench bleed or do not bleed completely and then the brakes will not work even if you bleed the lines for days.

One the new master cylinder is bled, install the top and close the lines. THEN, remove the old master cylinder from the car. This cuts down on the fluid leaking and minimizes air getting into the lines. After you have everything installed. bleed all four corner in this order. RR, LR, RF, LF. This should give you a hard pedal.

If you watch YouTube videos, you can find out how to repair anything. I love it for that.

Again, welcome and yeah on Hendrix.

Denny

THINGS TO CONSIDER

After working on any of the brake parts, TEST that the brakes actually work before you attempt to drive the car. Watched my neighbor replace the brake pads on his Cadillac. Got it all back together and backed out of the driveway and the pedal went clear to the floor (kind of like stepping on a plum) so the car continued backwards, across the street and bashed into a pear tree in my next door neighbors front years. Put a big dent in the Cadillac and scraped the tree.

Have someone help you. They have brake kits that make it so you can bleed brakes with one person, but I use 2 people as it is much easier.

Brake fluid will RUIN paint. Don't let it get on any painted surface.

Brake fluid absorbs moisture wicked fast so try not to leave it exposed any longer than necessary.

Use jack stands. NEVER trust a jack. Use the tire is nothing else is available. It doesn't have to sit on it but rather to catch a falling vehicle instead of your legs.