Brake Calipers Problem

[hotwheels1981]

:confused: I have this ongoing problem with brake calipers going out on my 1981 Vette. Sometimes I'm lucky to get 50 miles on them. Can anyone give me any information on this? Anything???I have the front gone again now and need to fix it again.
Thank You,
hotwheels

[MKOTZE]

Originally posted by hotwheels1981
:confused: I have this ongoing problem with brake calipers going out on my 1981 Vette. Sometimes I'm lucky to get 50 miles on them. Can anyone give me any information on this? Anything???I have the front gone again now and need to fix it again.
Thank You,
hotwheels Hello Hotwheels1981,First off I need to know if when you say the brakes are gone are you talking about the fluid leaking out of the calipers? If this is the case I have discovered a solution to this ongoing problem. This company,Precision Engineering, has developed a new o-ring seal for the caliper pistons which eliminates the leakage problem. You can buy a kit to rebuild the calipers you presently have or you can buy them already rebuilt. I have used this product recently and have been pleased with the results. You can reach this company at www.fixvetteparts.com or you can call toll free at 1-888-748-0362. Mention the website and that I referred you.:chevy: MKOTZE

[hotwheels1981]

I just found out from the last mechanic who put the calipers on last time they just got them from a local parts house. I had no idea they were doing that. The problem I keep having is they all of a sudden start to leak on the wheel then the brake pedal goes to the floor and then there are NO brakes. When they pull the calipers off they are pitted badly.
I know the first mechanic put some special calipers on the rear and knock on wood they seem to be OK at least so far.
Is it true that the SS sleeved caliper wil fix my problem??
What do I need to do to the front to fix this problem?:(

[FinWolf]

Do you use the as a daily driver first question? If it is no then use DOT 5 brake fulid BUT YOU MUST CLEAN OUT THE HOLE SYSTEM BEFORE YOU PUT IT IN. dot 5 will not let water in to the fulid and it will help stop the inside of the calipers from rudting and you will not lose any fulid. The calipers you need have SS sleves and O ring seals. I did mine I use the car about 800 miles a year they have been on for over two years now and never had a problem. Noow if it is a daily driver the dot 5 some people say it does not handel heat well but when I drive my car I pust it and I brake hard and never had a problem. If you live in a high altitude dot 5 may not work as well but this is all hear say. It will not take the paint off your car if you spill some on it. Well I have put in my two cents. But I have been down this road that you are on and it is not fun. I lost my brakes at over 100 MPH at that point I said I am going to fix this for good and so far so good.

[fatherlarry]

Good to see ya round here FinWolf Pizon. I remember you saying that you needed some work done on your car, and Mike isn't too far from you where we were at Eorios bakery that day. You might want to get together with Mike. If you ever need any work done, he's the man for you to see. He's the best around. Believe me. You can come over my house for dinner. By the way, thanks for pitching in.:smoke:

[MKOTZE]

Originally posted by hotwheels1981
I just found out from the last mechanic who put the calipers on last time they just got them from a local parts house. I had no idea they were doing that. The problem I keep having is they all of a sudden start to leak on the wheel then the brake pedal goes to the floor and then there are NO brakes. When they pull the calipers off they are pitted badly.
I know the first mechanic put some special calipers on the rear and knock on wood they seem to be OK at least so far.
Is it true that the SS sleeved caliper wil fix my problem??
What do I need to do to the front to fix this problem?:( Hello hotwheels 1981, Unfortunantly, The stainless steel sleeves will not be as effective as the calipers I recommended. They may wear a little better like finwolf said but in the end you will end up with them leaking also. The brake calipers I recomended from Precision Engineering has the stainless steel sleeves as well as a new design piston with an o-ring seal. I used this on a 1976 vette because the customer was having continual leaking at the calipers. We both were very satisfied with this product. If you have the new ones installed make sure that they flush the master cylinder of all the old fluid to get rid of the crud. Oh Yeah, I recommend using the DOT 3 brake fluid which has been used on all vettes for years and is still being used on the 2003 right from the factory. Good Luck. Let me know what you decide.:chevy: MKOTZE

[hotwheels1981]

Originally posted by MKOTZE
Hello hotwheels 1981, Unfortunantly, The stainless steel sleeves will not be as effective as the calipers I recommended. They may wear a little better like finwolf said but in the end you will end up with them leaking also. The brake calipers I recomended from Precision Engineering has the stainless steel sleeves as well as a new design piston with an o-ring seal. I used this on a 1976 vette because the customer was having continual leaking at the calipers. We both were very satisfied with this product. If you have the new ones installed make sure that they flush the master cylinder of all the old fluid to get rid of the crud. Oh Yeah, I recommend using the DOT 3 brake fluid which has been used on all vettes for years and is still being used on the 2003 right from the factory. Good Luck. Let me know what you decide.:chevy: MKOTZE Thank You All so much for all you wonderful help and information. It is greatly appreciated. I did order a caliper kit from Precision Engineering. After reading all the input and then talking with the people at Precision Engineering they guaranteed me these would take care of my problem with the calipers for ever. So I have a set coming. Again Thank You for all you help. One more question. How do you flush the master cylinder? Is there anything else I should know or make sure gets done when I have my mechanic get these put on???
Thank You
hotwheels1981:wavey: :wiggle:

[MKOTZE]

Originally posted by hotwheels1981
Thank You All so much for all you wonderful help and information. It is greatly appreciated. I did order a caliper kit from Precision Engineering. After reading all the input and then talking with the people at Precision Engineering they guaranteed me these would take care of my problem with the calipers for ever. So I have a set coming. Again Thank You for all you help. One more question. How do you flush the master cylinder? Is there anything else I should know or make sure gets done when I have my mechanic get these put on???
Thank You
hotwheels1981:wavey: :wiggle: Hello Hotwheels 1981, Glad to hear you ordered the calipers. You won't be sorry. The point to flushing the master cylinder is to get rid of all the old fluid. This can be done with a baster or any other suctioning system your mechanic is comfortable using. After you remove the old fluid and put new fluid in then you will need to bleed the brakes both front and rear until you get nice clean fluid and no air.Since you are having the new calipers put on make sure the brake rotors are smooth and run true. I know you had the replaced before but just double check to make sure they didn't wear abnormally. Have you had the front wheel bearings cleaned and repacked with fresh grease recently. If not, this would be a good time to have it done. Good luck.:chevy: MKOTZE