Brake Caliper Question about Piston Gasket....

[AquilaBMW]

I did a brake job yesterday and I noticed that on one Caliper the rubber gasket by the piston was coming out from the bottom or partially. This the piston that pushes the pad onto the rotor. Brakes work fine on the car and I finished the job as I wasn't able to do a re-build then nor did I have a rebuild kit.

How will this affect the car? How soon should I suggest this be changed and what symptoms - if any - can be expected?

[redpicker]

There are two different rubber pieces. One is a dust boot, that attaches to the piston and caliper, which I think is what you are talking about. It is not a gasket, but just a dust boot to keep the piston clean. The other is a piston ring, which is inside the caliper and forms the seal between the caliper and piston.

If the dust boot is compromised, your piston ring will not survive long and you will start to leak brake fluid. These things are easy to replace, the hardest part is cleaning the caliper.

Were you able to get the boot back on correctly? If so, I think I'd get a set of caliper rebuild kits to have on the shelf so when you need to do the brakes again (or you need to remove the calipers for any other reason), you will have them ready. They aren't expensive, less than $25. It would be a good idea to check RealOEM for all the rubber parts on the caliper and have replacements for all of them for your next brake job.

rp

[AquilaBMW]

There are two different rubber pieces. One is a dust boot, that attaches to the piston and caliper, which I think is what you are talking about. It is not a gasket, but just a dust boot to keep the piston clean. The other is a piston ring, which is inside the caliper and forms the seal between the caliper and piston.

If the dust boot is compromised, your piston ring will not survive long and you will start to leak brake fluid. These things are easy to replace, the hardest part is cleaning the caliper.

Were you able to get the boot back on correctly? If so, I think I'd get a set of caliper rebuild kits to have on the shelf so when you need to do the brakes again (or you need to remove the calipers for any other reason), you will have them ready. They aren't expensive, less than $25. It would be a good idea to check RealOEM for all the rubber parts on the caliper and have replacements for all of them for your next brake job.

rp


You are right - it is the boot. I was able to get it back almost all the way, but the rear part is till out. I realize it will eventually compromise the caliper piston. The car has to be driven for now - no choice. I might replace the calipers with some spares I have for now and just rebuild when I have time. Anyone have a DIY on Caliper rebuilding?