I have had an annoying rear wheel squeak for a few days now so I decided it was time to sort it out. It appears after a few miles and every time I touch the rear brake it goes away for a minute or two then returns. Fearing the worst (dead Wheel bearings) I set about inspecting what was going on. My bike has covered only 6500 km and to my surprise I found the rear pads were well worn, not quite on the 1 mm limit in the manual, but getting close on one side. The pads were slightly unevenly worn, one was about 2.5-3.0 mm remaining, the other was less than 2mm. I pulled a set of new SBS pads out of my ready parts bin and tried to fit them. That was when I found that the Floating Caliper was no longer floating, it would not budge in or out. So out came the wheel and inspection of the 4 wheel bearings revealed no problems, so far. Removing the caliper and getting it on the bench I found the rearmost locating pin that fits into the rubber was no problem, although there was little or no grease inside the rubber. The problem was the forward pin, totally seized in the caliper carrier, despite the oil seal and rubber being in good condition. This had caused caliper to stick and the premature and uneven wear of the pads and possibly the squeak. Whatever I tried it would not move at all, so bigger tools were called for. Armed with WD40 and a big G-Clamp I set about trying to get this pin to move. The lubricant left to soak in overnight, then I just managed to get the clamp to squeeze the pin in about 1mm. Continuous squeezing in and levering back out for an hour or so got it moving but not enough to get clearance to remove the other pin. Eventually after much work I managed to part the caliper from the carrier and found the pin to be quite corroded The effort involved in getting the two apart was considerable and it is clear that there may never have been any form or lubrication on the pin or in the socket. I cleaned up the pin as best I could but it is evident that the corrosion has pitted the steel slightly. I have reassembled the caliper and used plenty of anti-seize compound on the two pins and now the caliper is floating correctly as it should have been. I am not impressed that a supposedly high quality original Brembo Caliper could seize up and cause such problems in a relatively short period of time. It would appear that the caliper was assembled with little or no lubrication on the pins, both seals were in good condition but everything inside was dry and corroded considerably. Maybe I have a 'Friday' bike, or maybe this is just another of the 'lemon' factors because my bike has not been used 'off road' or in water so as to cause this to happen. I would be interested if anyone has had similar issues or is it time for everyone to check their bikes ??
That's your trouble. Now go out and drive that darn bike. Get it dirty, she's getting arthritis from sitting and not stretching. LOL
Ye rite, it is a Strada not a Terra. I was indicating that I have not done anything to cause or exacerbate this problem. Furthermore, I note that in the Brembo spares kit for the rubber seals for these pins on sliding calipers, they supply a small amount of anti-seize compound. I am convinced that my bike never had any from new. Seals were intact but there was zero evidence of lubricant.
Lol, too funny. She's not a goldwing, so it is OK to get down and dirty with...just saying... But still good advice to check and lube.
Do you use a water blaster to clean your bike?....corrosion = water, if seal is good how did the water get in there...?
The bike has been cleaned on occasions using a water pressure washer, however I really do not believe that this is the issue in this case. The rubber seals were perfectly intact on both sliding pins of the Caliper, however there was absolutely no sign of any lubricant whatsoever. No mix of grease and water and no deposits of previous lubricant. The rearmost pin was clean and dry sitting in the rubber, the other was corroded into the socket so severely that it took a lot of work with a press and lever to get it apart. It was rusted and dry. I am convinced the caliper was originally assembled with no anti-seize compound on these two pins. The Brembo replacement parts for the two seals comes with a small tube of anti-seize compound, so it should have been originally applied, but clearly was not.
I am pretty certain this is a manufacturing defect on my caliper, definitely no sign of any lubricant used on either of the pins. Easy to check, just push the caliper across into the wheel. You will feel resistance as the oil is forced back up to the reservoir. Once you have a pad to disc clearance of about 2mm just see if you can slide the caliper in and out on the pins, as it is designed to float.
Mark I read your thread when you originally posted it but did not heed your advice. I should have. Admittedly, my bike has now seen 43,000 km, lots of dirt, mud & water crossings. It was time for a pad change when I noticed EXACTLY what you described. The rear pin was fine with grease in there but the front pin was dry & rusted. I unscrewed it (allan key) & ran it over the wire wheel. For the bore, I rolled up some sandpaper & managed to mostly clean all the scale off before lathering both in waterproof grease before reassembling. There was some pitting but I don't think it's anything to worry about as it now slides nicely. The important point here is that if this is happenning to your bike, not only will you get uneven wear on the rear brake pads but possible damage to the rear rotor as the caliper will not "float". Check it now!
Thanks for the heads-up. Just checked and there was only the barest shimmer of lubrication. Still moving, but not far off drying out completely Rear pin was fine. Cleaned out both, checked rubber boots (no water intrusion despite regular use of pressure washer since day1), packed with anti-seize, pad-locking-pin safety-wired. Was there anything else while the tools are out? Thanks again!
Replace the black rear brake fluid, new chain & sprockets, oil & filter change, coolant change, re-grease all footpeg pivots, side stand, brake pedal, clutch & brake levers, steering bearings I also cut up some patches from a HD tube & "re-packed" my cush rubbers. Only cause I'm a tight arse....
I re-grease the caliber pins on my bikes every year and with each brake pad change (if sooner). They are greased when new however water and mud find a way to get in and regular inspection is required.
+1. The pins were clean but one was dry so I slopped some waterproof hi temp grease around. Also checked the wheel bearings and they're good. Will put in replacement brake pads while it's in pieces. The retaining clip on one side looks bent; will have to check the manual. 19,000 kms now. Still having a lot of fun with it.
Can the brains trust help? I need to know whether the rear caliper outside pad front retaining clip should be bent upward at the bottom corner nearest the rotor. It's not shown in the manual or parts catalogue.
Arghhh...go away! :-) Rather stick another patch on that rubber-dinghy after all the rain down here over the last few days.
Picture if possible please. Not sure what you are describing as the rear pads are retained by a Pin which is retained by a Taper fit and a small clip.
My rear brake pedal was spongy yesterday and got lower as I rode. When i got home, I noticed that brake fluid was leaking from the caliper. I took everything apart and the fluid was coming from the piston. I pulled it out and cleaned everything up. The seals failed. There is no local Husky dealer so I'm wondering if there is another bike with the same rear caliper. I just need new seals, nothing else. If not, is there somewhere online I can order just the seals? The sliding pins were clean and lubed. Thanks!
