> Date: Mon, 18 Oct 93 05:42:18 PDT
> From: Paul Tonizzo _DTN 631-7107 18-Oct-1993 0839
><tonizzo@trooa.enet.dec.com>
> To: british-cars@autox.team.net
> Subject: MGA Calipers
>
>
> I've heard a number of conflicting stories about whether or not it
> is OK to split calipers on this car. One source claimed they would never
> seal properly again if split. Another source said it would not leak as long
> as it was reassembled carefully with clean faces on each half.
> Personally I can't see anyone freeing up stuck caliper pistons WITHOUT
> splitting the caliper in half. Does anyone have any advice on doing this?
> How about an alternate method of freeing up stuck pistons? (When I say stuck
> pistons, I mean frozen to the point that no amount of compressed air will
> free them up.)
I've split my snake calipers (the fronts twice) and live to tell about
it. The instructions on this point seems to vary from manual to manual.
My manual says something like there nothing to be achieved by splitting
the calipers, other manual virtually prohibit it. If all you plan to do
is a simple rebuild, probably that's good advise; but for anything
serious, splitting is almost a necessity. Here's my advise:
Be damned careful during disassembly. You don't want to scratch up the
machined surfaces of the faces. If the faces have a coating, try to
preserve it. When you reassemble, make sure everything is clean.
Replace the flat rubber washer seals if you have internal fluid
passages. You can buy them from Dave Bean in San Andreas, CA. Don't
re-use the old ones and don't use O-rings. Replace the bolts with new
grade 8s. Look up the proper torquing for the bolts in a reference
book. If you do have to remove the coating between the caliper faces,
uses a very thin coat of high temperature silicone sealer.
Roland
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