Maintenance reminder

[ryanprins13]

Just a reminder to everyone to grease your caliper slider bushings. The haynes manual does not talk about this so i forgot to do it and perhaps other members have as well. I thought my festiva was braking fine but i went to put my winter tires on the other week and noticed that some of those springs on the front calipers had come off on each side, one of the pins that holds the brake pads in was gone and the other was half way out. Also on the one side my inner brake pad was worn way more than the other. Long story short the calipers are held on by 2 bolts each. Those 2 bolts go through 2 bushings. Those bushings slide on the caliper to allow it to move back and forth for your brakes to work properly. I forgot to grease mine for about 5 years... :/ they were so corroded up that they werent allowing the caliper to move back and forth so only my inner pads were braking. to replace those bushings took me forever because they were so corroded up, i spent about 1 1/2 hrs just trying to get them out of the calipers! Then another half hour trying to clean them up before realizing i could actually buy new ones pretty cheap. Installed the new ones with lots and lots of synthetic brake grease. Brakes amazingly now with new bushings and new pads!
So, be sure to grease them up!


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[firebush357]

Also make sure that the rubber boot is in good condition and seated properly. I had one on my Nissan that wasn't seated properly and ended up rusting my guide pin completely solid. Took me forever to get it out and then resurface it.

[WmWatt]

Especially if you live in Alberta and points north. Every October I spray the underside of my Festiva with canola oil using one of those garden pesticide sprayers, diluting the oil 25% with solvent to get it to work in the sprayer. I get compliments on having such a "clean", ie rust free in the local jargon, car. I don't spray the brakes though, cover them with plastic bags when spraying.

[bhazard]

I always heard of using motor oil or something thicker on the underbody but I guess veggie oil would be more environmentally friendly

[ryanprins13]

Maintenance reminder

Also make sure that the rubber boot is in good condition and seated properly. I had one on my Nissan that wasn't seated properly and ended up rusting my guide pin completely solid. Took me forever to get it out and then resurface it.

Yes, i tore mine trying to remove the pins so new ones are ordered.

Especially if you live in Alberta and points north. Every October I spray the underside of my Festiva with canola oil using one of those garden pesticide sprayers, diluting the oil 25% with solvent to get it to work in the sprayer. I get compliments on having such a "clean", ie rust free in the local jargon, car. I don't spray the brakes though, cover them with plastic bags when spraying.

Canola oil eh? Thats different, but yes, more environmentally friendly than used engine oil. However in years past i would have scraped off any liquid coating like that. I was always driving through snow deeper than the bottom of my car and hard drifts. Hit a lot of rocks and dirt with the bottom of my car in the summer too. Bottom of my car is pretty bad. Gas tank has huge dents, exhaust is mangled floorboards are all dented upwards and those 'framerails' are flat... Lol. I should have used a rubberized or hardening undercoating though, would have helped.
But my festiva sat all one winter in snow up to its headlights which probably wasn't good for the caliper pins....


This was that spring, april 9th and i had to dig that car out because someone hit my civic. Had to chip it out of the ice and get a snowblower so i could drive it out. But ya, it sat all winter in that :p

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[WmWatt]

Canola oil is genetically modified rapeseed oil. They used to use rapeseed oil on steam engines before they started pumping mineral oil out of the ground. Interesting thing about rapeseed/canola oil is its affinity for wet metal, ie it sticks when wet. I notice that using it in the kitchen. Vegetable oil is not as good for engines because it brakes down so fast. You have to keep changing it. I used to spray with used engine oil but switched to save the environment.

[ryanprins13]

Ok, cool. What kind of sprayer do you use? One like this? http://m.aliexpress.com/item/3224207...bilesitedetail
Or a backpack one? And what type of solvent? I think i may do this to my civic which is a bit newer.


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[WmWatt]

That would probably work. You might need to refill it once. The one I use is about a gallon capacity with the nozzle on the end of a 2 ft hose. I don't have to get under the car to use it, just kneel down alongside. I only put a liter of the mix in at at time. Two liters is more than enough. Have to keep the pressure up for it to come out as a spray. Did I mention I lean cardboard or plywood against the opposite side of the car to prevent overspary onto the opposite garage wall? And that I cover the garage floor with old newspapers? I leave the newspapers down overnight. The car drips for a few days. And don't forget to roll up the windows when spraying inside the doors.

I dilute with what I have on hand at the time - paint thinner, varsol, "universal solvent". I generally collect enough during garage sale season to do for projects all year.

[ryanprins13]

Scitzz (paul short) did a youtube video about this, its here: https://youtu.be/ZdSXmi8pa9U and this is the grease i use, although there are likely better products out there. This stuff seems a little thick. Not so great for -40f but probably better at keeping water out and staying on the parts.


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