front brakes - slider pins

[bcole]

so, i was replacing the front brake pads on my 92 festiva, the rotors were only really worn on one side and i realized that the slider pins were pretty stuck. i tried to grease them up a bit without taking them totally out, which didnt seem to do much, should i get new pins?? will this change my braking power?

[GenevaDirt]

if they are that bad then go for new ones....they need to be able to slide freely or it will wear your brakes unevenly

[Icedawg]

I just had a similar problem. First I sanded the corrosion off the slider and greased it, but that did not seem to be good enough. Cleaning the housing in which the slider fits helped. A q-tip first with brake cleaner fluid, then with grease, along with greasing the slider made it better than just greasing the slider alone had. Not as good as the other three, but better.

[packrat427]

When I was having trouble last Month , I was going to get new pins , they are almost as much as a reman caliper .

You can get a caliper bare , semi loaded , or fully loaded

[bcole]

my front brakes feel pretty shot, i was seeing if i could get away with just replacing the pads even though the rotors are quite rusted although not cracked or really warped. the new pads didnt seem to do to much though, you think fixing the slider pins will give me more braking power??

[GenevaDirt]

Well I guess that the brakes could be binding on the pins....but not likely. Try bleeding your brakes and if you can clean up the rotors.

[Pocket_Rocket]

Just taking a guess here: could the rotors be glazed on one side because of the uneven distribution of pressure on the pads?

[m715]

You would not think it could make that much difference, but the pins binding makes a great deal of difference braking power wise. This is my year for that action too. I am changing/refurbing brakes and exhaust this year, and it is making an INCREDIBLE difference brake wise. I did not realize they had bound up that badly. it just creeped up on me. Make those sliders move very freely, and you will notice the difference.

Michael

[Pocket_Rocket]

Either way you should fix the pins...If the sliders are seized, it means that only one pad, the one pushed by the piston, is doing the work. That means half the friction surface since the other pad isn't doing anything, so you need more pressure on the pedal so the pad creates more friction against the disc, and also more heat...What we used to do on Tercels (which had that same problem) was putting the caliper in a vice and spray penetrating fluid in the boots to loosen the slider pins, and knocked them out with a piece of wood and hammer a couple of times both ways. Then clean the holes and put silicone-based grease on the pins (after grinding the rust off with a wire wheel) and in the boots. Once it's all said and done, it's important to grease them at least twice a year to be sure they don't seize again.

[Icedawg]

You may not have to get new sliders though. Check out if it is the bolt that has trouble moving in the slider, in which case you need a new slider, or if it is the slider that has trouble moving in the boot. If moving in the boot is the problem then cleaning the corrosion off the slider should help, along with putting in a new boot. Those are not so expensive on ebay.
http://tinyurl.com/55egyv

[Pu241]

I'm with Pack on this, a new caliper loaded or not isn't too bad cost wise given what this part does for you!
I personnally, replace the calipers and flexline every 100,000 miles.
Think it runs me about $100 or less with core.
bcole, your '92 probably has well over 100K on it and given your location corrosion has taken it toll.
So you might want to consider replacement.
But, if your rotors are gouged/glazed/or otherwise not upto the task, you will see better braking power but likely suffer vibration and rapid pad wear.
But rotor replacement is a PITA and if your going that route you might as well replace the bearings.

[bcole]

good advice, thanks

[jglutz]

Binding slider pins....hmmm....that's alot of binding for the draulic pressure of the brake system not to over come. If they are that bound during normal brake operation when hydraulic pressure is applied...I would high doubt that your going to get them out with any level of ease.

More likely....something is limiting the travel of the caliper as it slides on the bolts...either something within the bolt hole or between the caliper and something else.

Uneven brake pad wear is very common and could easily be attributed to a heavily glazed side of the rotor....usally, thou....can be detected by heat checking on the bad side of the rotor.

[packrat427]

Binding slider pins....hmmm....that's alot of binding for the draulic pressure of the brake system not to over come. If they are that bound during normal brake operation when hydraulic pressure is applied...I would high doubt that your going to get them out with any level of ease.

That was my problem , I had put new pads on and was trying to move the pins back in , used a brass hammer and almost closed the bolt hole .

The pin would not move any more and I could not get it out without removing it .
My braking power was terrible .

I replaced the caliper , it was so nice , I could slide the pins with my fingers .

First time I braked I almost threw myself through the windshield

I tried the Zone , Advanced and Oreilly's . all were right at $35.00 for pin set for 1 caliper ,.