banana caliper expertise needed

[=mike=]

I noticed the other day I was missing one of the 4 bolts that hold the two halves of the rear caliper together , so I checked the rest and they weer all starting to loosen up some , so I tightened them up .

Not having a torque wrench ***edit***-->( that works ) , but ( after checking the book ) & knowing that they need to be about 35 ftlbs I just sort of eyeballed it and ran em down tight . well suffice to say that the wheels wouldn't roll very well , and I could smell the pads & rotor burning up after a few blocks . I came home and loosened them up again and got back on the road , no troubles .

My question is sort of rhetorical at this point . . . can they be too tight ( apparently ) or will the pads loosen up a little after running them for a while , or will that fuck up my rotor and or pads . Do I need a torque wrench that actually works to set them right . . . etc .

It seems that much looser than very tight and I will lose more bolts .

help / advice is appreciated

[Destralo Roach]

Ouch, somethings not right, you need to check the puck and make shure it is working smoothly....Bolts should be tight...............Roach.

[sweatmachine]

everyone should own a torque wrench

[nglshbiker]

i got to agree with Roach - something sounds really wrong - i dont know about HD calipers but on my GMA the pads kinda float on the pins and the sides bolt together tightly

are you sure your caliper is centered over the rotor correctly?

[zedboy]

Check the pins that hold the pads in for wear, mine were so badly worn that the pads would hang up on them & lock the brake up.

[kbg]

I have'nt had much to do with disc brakes but I would guess that when it was loose the pistons have gone out further than normal and when you have tightened up the caliper it has just squashed it all together.

[axel]

throw the fuckin thing in the garbage and buy an aftermarket. I got my GMA new for 120 bucks on egay. You will not believe how nice it is to have real brakes

[Larry T]

When you tightened the bolts up, it took all of the clearance out of the pads. Take the bolts out of the caliper and split it, take a C-clamp and push the puck back into the caliper and put it all back together. You'll have to hit the brakes a couple of times for them to work.

Or, tighten your bolts up, wedge a screwdriver inbetween the caliper and rotor and push the puck back into the caliper that way. I don't really like doing it this way, you could scar or warp the rotor.

Bottom line is to push the puck back into the caliper. Ya gotta do this everytime you change pads too.
Larry T

[M.O.Ther]

It's possible, especially with worn pads and loose bolts that the piston has come too far out in it's bore and cocked slightly, and doesn't want to retract now.

I would take it apart and go through it. Inspect the bore carefully (magnifying glass, good light.) If it's gouged, time to look at a replacement. Check the pins too for wear, as well as the holes they ride in. And since you've got it apart, might as well go with new pads and rubber parts.

Also if it's on a 10" rotor, HD was supporting those big heavy calipers on only one end. The bushings wear and the caliper rattles and drops down and rides on the edge of the rotor (where it gets really hot and can sometimes lock up the brake.) Cheap quick fix is the support spring under the caliper. Better fix is to replace the bushings. Best fix is to replace it with an aftermarket caliper, there are several to choose from, all of them better than the stocker.

[78shvl]

Originally Posted by sweatmachine

everyone should own a torque wrench

Haha - agreed! Bit me in the ass a few times already...If you don't have one now is the time to get one.

[=mike=]

Thanks everyone , that all makes good sense .

I actually do have a torque wrench but it doesn't work , so um yeah .


Larry T , I'll try your method first then if that doesn't work i'll take them apart this week for sure .

[*Barker]

Mike - i have a torque wrench at the house if you need it

[=mike=]

Hey ! what's up Matt . . . I could actually use it , I'll come over this weekend .

I need to get my one that works sooner or later , but yours will do for the time being .

[yazafoo]

Mike here is also a thought. On stuff like brakes and parts that are subjected to vibration on a regular basis, I will always safety wire them as added protection.

[=mike=]

My buddy Fredo does that and I've been thinking about it too .

My quickie fix-it for this problem has been to simply tighten the bolts about an 1/8 turn each for the next few days , making sure that the wheel isn't binding or stuck . Then ride it back & forth to work and around town , letting the breaking settle the pads to be where they need to be . The next day do the same , till it is eventually tight to the desired specs .

Then off to Matt's house for final torquing .

[Fredo]

Mike come over and we'll take it apart. I'm sure we can find the cuase of the problem. Banana calipers work much better as paper weights. Still I'm betting we can make this one at least pretend to work. New seals and a good cleaning might be all you need.

[=mike=]

all my friends !

[Larry T]

I'd still try pushing the puck back in the caliper before I tore it apart. The puck rides in an o-ring. When you let off the brakes the o-ring lets the puck pull back from the rotor. When and if the caliper gets loose and you tighten the caliper up, you take the clearance out and the o-ring actually holds the puck out and locks up the brake. If you'll just push the puck back in, you'll restore the clearances. If you don't want to us a c-clamp or a screwdriver/wedge to push the puck in, just loosen the bolts up that hold the caliper together, slip some sort of spacer between the brake pad and the rotor and tighten the bolts up. Then loosen the bolts, take the spacer out and tighten the bolts back up. Hit the brake a few times (to reset the clearances) and it should be ok.
Really shouldn't take as long as typing this did.
Larry T

[danisdead]

I just had to do this ^^ ( what Larry T said). and then after all said and done I still shelved the banana and put a wilwood on....much better.