Cleaning Brake Calipers?

[mmattockx]

I did some searching, came up with very little on this topic.

I have a set of the Kawasaki twin pot calipers that I am using on salty_monk's brake upgrade. I have pulled the first one apart and gave it an overnight bath in varsol, followed by a scrubbing, followed by a brake cleaner spray down and more scrubbing. Despite this there are still areas of caked on brake dust. Both pistons have a good rind of caked on dust outside where the dust seal sits and it is refusing to come off even after a scrubbing with a scotchbrite pad.

How does everyone get their calipers clean when rebuilding them, especially the nooks and crannies around the piston bores and the seal grooves in the bores?


Mark

[cowboyup3371]

I've only needed to use simple green and brake cleaner.

[steve murdoch]

I use a Dremel with one of the brass wire wheels on a fairly low speed for cleaning out the grooves inside the caliper.
Don't be overly aggressive with the tool and it does a great job.

[mmattockx]

I've only needed to use simple green and brake cleaner.

These were filthy, with brake dust, oil, road grime and anything else you can imagine on them. I truly hope they didn't come off the parts bike in this condition or the last rider must not have had functional brakes. Fortunately everything was in good shape inside, with no rust or water sitting, but the outside was unbelievably dirty.

Varsol and brake cleaner has always worked for me in the past, but not this time. I will try some Simple Green and see if it works any better for me.

I use a Dremel with one of the brass wire wheels on a fairly low speed for cleaning out the grooves inside the caliper.
Don't be overly aggressive with the tool and it does a great job.

That sounds like a good plan, the grooves have some goop in them that I haven't been able to get with a rag or Q-tip yet. I will pull the dremel out and give it a shot.


Mark

[tkent02]

Ultrasonic cleaner works great, also a dip in the carb cleaner bucket but that may eat the finish, or maybe not. I think some of them are anodized and some are powder coated, not sure.

The dremel wire wheel is great for the seal grooves.

[jbird7262]

2nd. that on the carb. dip, I tore mine down dropped them in the bucket for a couple of days, blast w/ brake kleen and dremel all the grooves, bench grinder w/ wire wheel, look like fresh castings.

[ShadowFocus603]

+1 on ultrasonic cleaner. I've run 6 calipers through mine. The schmutz in the piston seal groove needed a little wire wheel love after the first pass in the cleaner then I ran them again to make sure none of the dust had settled in anywhere. After they were clean I used high temp engine paint and baked them to set the paint before I rebuilt and reinstalled them.

[Crankthat]

I used a wire wheel on outside with the intention of a repaint.
Used caliper paint but heated the parts before application of paint as opposed to after. (House stove)
Worked great!