About Cleaning Brake Parts

Video Transcript

MARK BLOCKER: In this segment, we're going to cover cleaning the brake parts. Prior to assembling the system with new brake pads on it, we need to clean some key locations on various components where the brake pads fit various other moving parts so that the brake system works correctly. First thing of concern, our brake caliper mounting bracket. It's got the two bimetallic springs on there, clips. It provides tension on the pads. We want to clean those surfaces there with a pad dry back and forth where the caliper mounting bracket actually slides back and forth is a sealed environment with grease and boots on it. If the boots aren't torn and they're moving back and forth freely, you won't need to disassemble that to service it. But if you've got a torn boot or one of them is not moving freely then you're going to need to get a brake caliper or a service kit, and that will give you everything you need to rebuild the caliper itself and the caliper mounting bracket pivoting point. But because these are in good condition, still sealed, the rubber is not dry rotted or cracked, you won't need to service that section of it. So, all we're going to need to do is clean these contact points where the brake pads ride on. And the other things we're going to need to clean is if you take your old brake pads and remove the two silencers and if these did not come with your new brake pads, you'll need to reuse the old ones. So, you want to clean those up. So, I've got each one of the silencers. Then, I'm just going to coat them with a little bit of spray on brake cleaner and then lightly brush them off with a wire brush. And you might need to go through this procedure two or three times, whatever is necessary until you get it done, after you brush it off for a few minutes, just spray some brake cleaner on there, clean it off until you can see it's good. If it takes two or three times to get it done to where they're clean and there's no more material and dirt on them. It varies from application to application. You just do a little bit of time, clean them, and check them, and redo as necessary. And after one application, I can still see some build-up on there so I'm going to let them sit and soak for a minute with the brake clean on them, and I'll go ahead and put a little attention on the silencers. Now, these are lightweight tin. They'll bend real easily so you want to avoid putting them in a position where you're pushing them real hard with a brush or they're on uneven surface because they'll bend easily. Just lay them flat in your hand, and just light brush them. Move it back and forth to get the dirt and brake dust and stuff that's built up on them off. Then once again, you might want to go through this procedure one, two, three times, however many times is necessary to get them clean. It depends on each application a little bit different, the brush and everything else used has a little bit effect on how much time or efforts going to be required. And they clean up pretty easily. Sometimes, depending on your brake habits and driving conditions you're in, if you do a lot of high speed braking or a lot of causes, stop and go traffic, you can get your brakes real hot, and in turn, the braking parts that are associated with it will get hot and various materials can kinda bake onto it and makes it a little difficult to clean. So, you just kinda play it by eye and silencers in this stage, cleaned up pretty easily, and our second time through it, the caliper mounting bracket. And as you see, we've cleaned it up pretty good. And you just want to keep going through that procedure until you have both your pad location points where the pad is riding the caliper mounting bracket clean. There's no more debris built up. Both the silencers are clean. And you just take them, set them aside, and wipe them off with a rug. The brake cleaning will evaporate relatively quickly. Any loose materials still left on it, wipe them down with a rug before we install them. Okay. I've walked you through your first portion of cleaning the brake parts part one. Please watch our next segment on cleaning the brake parts part two.

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