Brake Caliper Slider Pin Grease - How Much is Too Much ?

What happens if you put too much grease on your brake caliper slider pins ?. In this video I grease the slider pins with different amounts of grease on the pins to see how each amount affects the operation of the pins. The caliper bracket I used for this demonstration used two identical pins with concave tips and three flat strips ground onto the shaft of each pin. This was only a basic bench test with one particular type of brake caliper pin and bracket and does not necessarily replicate what the brake caliper will do when operating under load in actual braking conditions. There are many different caliper pin designs and some of them also have rubber bushings installed on the shafts, so the results could be very different to the pins used in the video. I would recommend always using the correct amount of suitable, rubber-friendly caliper grease and avoid getting any grease on the tips of the slider pins or, if you do, wipe it off before reinstalling the pin.

This job can be carried out with the bracket still bolted to the vehicle, but I used a new caliper on the bench for clearer demonstration. NOTE: If you are lubricating pins that have been in use on your vehicle, you will need to clean out the old grease from the bores and clean the slider pins before applying new grease and re-installing them.

It is important to lubricate your brake caliper slide pins as failure to do so may cause them to stick or even completely seize up which could cause uneven wear of your brake pads. The car may appear to drive normally, but the pads will only be pushed onto the disc from the piston side. This will give reduced braking ability on one wheel, and wear out the pad on the piston side much faster. The pads could also stay stuck against the rotor which will build up heat in the brakes and wear your pads down even quicker. Thanks for watching. Please comment, like and subscribe !.

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[mspline]

Thank you - I've watched a couple of dozen youtube videos preparing for my first brake job, and this is by far the best and thorough on slider pins and one of the best overall!

[stevesmith]

Sir this is one of the best how to videos made. No stupid music. Straight to the point great video work.

[abdurrashid]

Masterclass video, I thought I already knew what I needed when doing brakes but you’ve just taught me a whole new level. Many thanks

[dwsherm]

Clear, simple and well demonstrated. Thanks for not including some obnoxious music like so many others do.

[djwak]

I knew about greasing the pins and I always do when I do my brakes, but never heard of these tips before. I’ll have to try it next time. Thanks.

[leseur]

I now understand that I have treated my rear brake caliper with too much grease loving and shall remove and clean off the excess. I could not understand why my pads would not grip the disk tightly and now I do. Thank you ever so much for the tutorial, much appreciated.

[jonmcphee]

I live in Ontario Canada and that means salt on the roads and rust on your car. Sooner or later this salty water makes its way past the rubber boot, either at the pin interface or at the caliper bracket interface. To slow this water infiltration down I always put a bit of grease in the slot where the rubber bushing is going to seat and rotate the rubber to spread the grease and form a better seal. Once I started doing this (both ends of the seal) I haven't had any rusty pins.

[OSim]

Well, looks like I need to redo all my brakes to fix that. Wish I had found your video BEFORE doing my brakes.

[danhansen]

No music, no commentary. Excellent production my friend.. Hey take notes people.

[emotionz]

The most common mistake in any brake job. Anybody can pop rotors and pads in, but greasing pins, shims and contact points are seemingly an afterthought and usually cause warped rotors or uneven pad wear. I’ve been doing brakes for 25 years and even I took away a lesson from this video, which is to lube the cavity before installing the boot - very good idea in order not to gum up the boot.

[MarzNet]

Excellent video. This also applies to putting a bolt into a blind hole. Excess grease or gunk can hydrolock the bolt, breaking the threaded hole. Just spray some brake clean into holes and blow them out with compressed air to avoid this.

[embfly]

Not a word spoken but one of the most informative videos on YouTube

[wiseoldman]

Lol..first time i used silicone grease, i loaded up the slider and hydro locked the unit! Lesson learned. And thanks, great presentation.

[MrEduedu]

I made this mistake on one brake caliper but not on the other.
I can confirm one wheel makes lot of noises when braking but the other don't.
So this is a great tip!

[MowSow]

Set underrated video.
This is the FIRST video anyone should watch if you are starting to learn how to work on cars by doing a brake job.

[oantech]

Once the caliper heats up, those bores get slightly larger and the excess grease will seep out of its captive areas unless the pins have rubber seals which some in fact do.. Great video..

[tufgamerdad]

I've seen this so many times with new customers that it's a big part of the braking system that gets neglected and can result in no brakes or cooked brakes. Good video

[doctorwu]

Great content. Of course there are going to be those who say, ‘hell I’ve been doing it my way for 25 years with no problems’ guys. Just because you’ve been doing it ‘your’ way doesn’t mean it’s been the correct way. Learn and grow from your mistakes..

[maryannfirststart]

Your insertion and all work is so smooth😂😂😂 reminds me of classic intimate videos.

[jasoncurry]

Much respect, Sir! This just might be the best tutorial on the Internet regarding this subject