I damaged brake caliper piston cylinder - see photos - can I have some advice please?

[parvez]

Some wreckers just sale the part.u dont need to go and look for ur car and take off the part bla bla. Just find a wrecker like that.get the part from them.and replace. Shouldnt take even more than an hour to replace. Dont be lazy

 

[Trikky]

really for the price just get a new piston and seals from your local auto parts shop, if you can afford it replace the other one at the same time so you know you have new seals etc. don't want to go tight wad on things like brakes

 

[Jxfwsf]

as the caliper housing itself should not wear as the piston doesn't come into contact with it, i'd be going to your nearest repco/pedders and just buy a brand new piston, been a couple of years but from memory they're not very expensive, while you're at it get some rubber grease and put new seals through it and presto, a reco'd caliper.

 

[greenacc]

As tricky said, Repco sell kits with all the seals and new pistons - they might need to order it though. Even Holden would sell a piston pretty cheap i'd think.

 

[Immortality]

really for the price just get a new piston and seals from your local auto parts shop, if you can afford it replace the other one at the same time so you know you have new seals etc. don't want to go tight wad on things like brakes

I agree, I always recommend that if one calliper needs work then do both (on the same axle) so that they work the same. Braking systems need to be balanced otherwise when you brake hard the car may pull badly one way.

 

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

Now I will throw a spanner in the works and say no, it's not FUBAR or dangerous. That lip holds the dust seal in, which looks to be missing anyway. The piston actually seals about 5 or so mm inside the caliper, that is the part that holds the fluid and creates brake pressure. You can still drive it the way it is, but long term, water will corrode the piston and dirt will get in and wear the seal.

Having said that, I would still replace it of course, but I was just putting it forward that it is neither completely stuffed or dangerous and is still driveable.

 

[Immortality]

I still wouldn't trust it long term. You don't know the extend of the damage, what if there is a small crack going into the piston? Also, with part of the lip missing will it sit straight in the bore/against the brake pad when under load?

 

[Zerone_V]

Im not sure how much the calliper is for a VR VS model, but to give you an idea, front twin piston VE callipers sell for around $50 a pair (used) all the time, including V6 carriers and brake lines.

I cant imagine VR/VS Callipers being much more expensive ?

At that price I would be just swapping out both callipers and call it a day ?? (Depending on the price of VR/VS callipers course)

 

[Not_An_Abba_Fan]

I still wouldn't trust it long term. You don't know the extend of the damage, what if there is a small crack going into the piston? Also, with part of the lip missing will it sit straight in the bore/against the brake pad when under load?

Long term, no. If the piston was cracked, it would seep fluid.

If there was more missing, absolutely, but having ~90% of the piston in contact with the pad will make it sit square. The movement of the slide and the twist of the caliper under load will wear the pads unevely anyway. Not very often I see pads that have worn dead even.

 

[Immortality]

Long term, no. If the piston was cracked, it would seep fluid.

If there was more missing, absolutely, but having ~90% of the piston in contact with the pad will make it sit square. The movement of the slide and the twist of the caliper under load will wear the pads unevely anyway. Not very often I see pads that have worn dead even.

True, but how much would it seep, would you notice? how often do you check your brake fluid level? Really there are to many variables to think about heat cycles/pressure etc. It may not fail today or tomorrow but you couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't fail.

Looking at the first pic, there is a crack, currently it's only in the dust seal groove, however you don't know if the crack will propagate.... heat and lots of pressure can do all sorts of weird stuff to steel.

To me, brakes are one area that I wouldn't gamble with.