Front brake sticking?

[CoreyP]

I have one brake caliper sticking making the bike unrideable. Too cold today to play with it but I'm think this is going to call for a caliper rebuild? This is the coldest it's been for at least a year, anyone think the cold has something to do with problem?

I've never rebuilt a caliper. Seems like it would be easy to do?

[hubcapsc]

I bit the bullet and rebuilt my calipers (had never done it before)
when my bike's rear brake was sticking.

There's a couple of "tricks", but it turns out our calipers are dirt
simple, there's almost no parts involved. The brake line goes to
the caliper. The caliper is just a "shell" with no moving parts that
holds the pistons. The cylinder bores for the pistons each have
two rubber seals in them.

One trick is getting the pistons out. Grabbing them with channel-locks
is bad  ... using compressed air to get them out is good  ...
shooting them across the room like bullets with the compressed air is
bad  ... Using the hydraulics to get them to come out can be good...
Making them come all the way out with hydraulics and spraying
brake fluid all around is bad...

Another trick is bleeding a completely dry brake system. I use a
syringe to suck fluid down into the lines from the master cylinder
until "normal" bleeding starts working. There's other ways...

Clean refurbished Valkyrie brakes are real good brakes  ...
I clean and refurbish them almost every time I change the pads now.

-Mike

[Mooskee]

ditto to Hubcapsc. Well described. I used Brakecrafters kits.https://www.brakecrafters.com/collections/1998-honda-gl1500c/products/1997-2001-honda-gl1500c-valkyrie-front-brake-caliper-new-seal-stainless-steel-piston-kit Worked really nice.

[CoreyP]

ditto to Hubcapsc. Well described. I used Brakecrafters kits.https://www.brakecrafters.com/collections/1998-honda-gl1500c/products/1997-2001-honda-gl1500c-valkyrie-front-brake-caliper-new-seal-stainless-steel-piston-kit Worked really nice.

What did your pistons look like when you removed them? I don't think I want to spend the money on new pistons unless I need to? They might have some crap on them but I don't picture them being rusted out or anything like that?

[hubcapsc]

The pistons will probably have icky crud on them that
you can clean off with 1000 grit wet-dry. I always use
brake fluid for the wet, cause brake fluid and whatever
else you might use for the wet might not get along
later.

Do some similar thing to clean whatever you can
see in the piston cylinders, and the grooves the seals
go in.

Crud buildup comes (largely?) from mashing dirty
pistons back into the caliper when replacing pads.

Oh yea... another "trick"... The little cap that covers
the pad-pins is easy to strip out, and the pin too...
work hard at getting them out OK and then use
never-seize on them when you replace them...
And clean the pin too, it will probably be clean
where the old worn pads used to ride and crudded
up elsewhere...



Oh yeah... I've never bought any new calipers or parts,
but I have gotten several cheap ebay calipers refreshed them
to like-new...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/98-04-Honda-Valkyrie-Interstate-GL1500-Rear-Brake-Caliper/254782026165?fits=Make%3AHonda&hash=item3b523131b5:g:N3AAAOSwYFpftSCk

-Mike

[WintrSol]

I have one brake caliper sticking making the bike unrideable. Too cold today to play with it but I'm think this is going to call for a caliper rebuild? This is the coldest it's been for at least a year, anyone think the cold has something to do with problem?

Like, below freezing cold? If yes, the cold can affect it. How often do you change your brake fluid?

[CoreyP]

I have one brake caliper sticking making the bike unrideable. Too cold today to play with it but I'm think this is going to call for a caliper rebuild? This is the coldest it's been for at least a year, anyone think the cold has something to do with problem?

Like, below freezing cold? If yes, the cold can affect it. How often do you change your brake fluid?

Last couple of nights have around freezing and the bike is parked outside under a cover. I've had this bike for a year now and replaced the fluid this year. As to the PO I have no idea. Fluid was pretty brown when I changed it. He did change the clutch fluid fairly recently.

Just went to see if I could easily unstick the caliper and I did. Put the brake on again and it locked up again. My guess is the pistons are dirty so the seals must be about shot. They don't leak or if they do it's a very small amount. 

Think I'm going to change the seals and rebuild the master cylinder while I'm at it. The pistons cost some money if I replace 4 of them. I'll do both brakes, no point in doing one and waiting for the same thing to happen to the other side. May or may not happen but I don't need to be far from home, finding out I have the other caliper locked up.

[Mooskee]

ditto to Hubcapsc. Well described. I used Brakecrafters kits.https://www.brakecrafters.com/collections/1998-honda-gl1500c/products/1997-2001-honda-gl1500c-valkyrie-front-brake-caliper-new-seal-stainless-steel-piston-kit Worked really nice.

What did your pistons look like when you removed them? I don't think I want to spend the money on new pistons unless I need to? They might have some crap on them but I don't picture them being rusted out or anything like that?

True. You can polish them and reuse them if they are not pitted. Brakecrafters and others sell just the seal kits too. https://www.brakecrafters.com/collections/1998-honda-gl1500c/products/1997-2001-honda-gl1500c-valkyrie-front-brake-caliper-new-seal-kit I am just funny about things like brakes. I like new parts, and I don't want to have to rebuild them any more often than absolutely necessary. I hate brake fluid.

At any rate, you will find it is a pretty easy job for something that is crucial to safe riding.

[RonW]

I'm thinking of getting this brake piston removal tool. Makes it easy to rotate the piston to clean the dark side which is always hard to get to, without removing the piston.






There's a vise grip version. The ones above use a ratchet mechanism to grip the inner barrel.

[RonW]

This youtuber devised a brake piston puller out of a bolt and fender washers. Here. He used the piston pliers to grip the piston.

[WintrSol]

Last couple of nights have around freezing and the bike is parked outside under a cover. I've had this bike for a year now and replaced the fluid this year. As to the PO I have no idea. Fluid was pretty brown when I changed it. He did change the clutch fluid fairly recently.

Just went to see if I could easily unstick the caliper and I did. Put the brake on again and it locked up again. My guess is the pistons are dirty so the seals must be about shot. They don't leak or if they do it's a very small amount. 

Think I'm going to change the seals and rebuild the master cylinder while I'm at it. The pistons cost some money if I replace 4 of them. I'll do both brakes, no point in doing one and waiting for the same thing to happen to the other side. May or may not happen but I don't need to be far from home, finding out I have the other caliper locked up.

You probably have old fluid deposits lining the walls, and shrinkage from the cold is making it stick against the piston(s). The piston seals may still be good, but you still have to open it up to clean and inspect, so may just as well replace the seals; no point doing the job twice. With luck, there's not much pitting from lack of maintenance.

Those some handy-looking tools.

[Earl43P]

Front MC has a tiny fluid return hole that clogs with spooge .
I’d clean that and flush new fluid throughout, along with your caliper seal replacement.

A deepwell socket that fits closely into the piston bore aids in piston removal, but DO push them out with the brake handle as far as one brake pad loosely in place lets them travel. Simplifies the whole job. The socket (or a dowel rod) lets you waller the piston that final quarter inch or so out of the bore.

[sixlow]

I find it is easier to crack loose the brake line first then snug it back lightly,  remove the pin keeper and loosen the brake pin all while the caliper is still bolted on the bike. Once you pull the calipers off pump the pistons out with one old brake pad in place, remove the pad and use a paint stick on both in place of the old pad to pump the pistons out another smidge, you may have to add more fluid to the reservoir to get the pistons out that far. Then remove the brake line and bench the calipers for pistons removal.  I use a dentist pick to scrape out crud from where the seals seat. Use a light coating of dielectric grease on the new seals before installing them and make sure the slide pins are greased inside the boots. Also those red handled pliers are useless on valkyrie calipers,  must be why he built his own removal tool

[sixlow]

And make sure the pistons drop into place prior to putting the new seals in, a dremel tool with a fine sandpaper wheel  used lightly may be needed on the casting between where the 2 seals go to remove the crud.

[Tfrank59]

how worn are your pads?  My fronts were sticking--one side a bit more than the other--in part because my pads were down to about 40%.  short of rebuilding calipers, just changing pads and thoroughly cleaning pistons (before you compress them in for the new pads) might make your brakes stop sticking.  that was my fix last summer.  It might hold you over and make the bike rideable until you rebuild calipers.  I'm no expert but my experience with calipers/pads/rotors on cars and bikes is cold weather (or hot) won't have much effect on this.

[Jess from VA]

I have had a little stickiness just from dirt and cold and sitting. The rotors get cruded up.

It's no substitute for rebuilding, but I have had very good results from (first) a good detailed scrubbing with mild corrosive (S100, mag wheel cleaner, or even Spray 9) and stiff bristle brushes, followed by HOT soapy water, then drying with my leaf blower.

Then (second) I get out some old brass and bronze gun cleaning brushes on a short pistol rod, and detail scrub again using Shooter's Choice solvent (or Hoppe's, or whatever) (keeping it off the pads), and a dab of grease on the pad pins.  Especially clean as much of the pistons as are sticking out.

This has always resulted in amazingly functional brakes (with no rebuild).  And it even works better at tire changes when the calipers are dismounted, and the pistons are pushed out (as far as possible without falling out).   

[RonW]

.....those red handled pliers are useless on valkyrie calipers,  must be why he built his own removal tool

*[edit] ..... sixlow warns that these pliers "are useless on valkyrie calipers,"




Perhaps, the vice grip version does work because the tip of the pliers are narrower? ($40)

[CoreyP]

In the end I decided to rebuild both calipers with new pistons and the master cylinder. About $150 in parts. Measured both rotors, they're in spec, hoses look good, no cracking, look factory fresh surprisingly.

Last year I bought tires and a battery along with new front signals. No planned parts this year so why not bring the front brakes back to factory spec? I am wondering if the brakes have been a little too tight for a while and have worn down the brake pads but really won't know that until I take them off.  

Doesn't look like a hard job so when the parts get here I might give a report on how the brakes feel and if the pistons were all pitted or crapped up. Only if something interesting happens.

 

[CoreyP]

Update.

Bought the Brakecrafters caliper rebuild kits with pistons, glad I did that along with a master cylinder rebuild kit.

Right side caliper uneventful. Should had loosened all the bolts before I took it off the bike.
Seems like my speed bleeder went bad? Couldn't bleed the system with the speed bleeder, changed that out with the new normal valve in the kit. No problem bleeding the line.   

Left side was a problem. I couldn't get one piston to move at all. Ended up bringing it to a local tire place, thought being, they would have a more powerful compressor. The guys thought this was a fun project. It took a solid 10 minutes to get that piston out with a mix of channel locks and air pressure. When it final came out it sounds like a high caliber gun shot. That was the problem piston that caused all this. Piston was unusable crud pitting etc. caliper was cruded up as well. Think the outside seal was slowly leaking??

Then I did the master cylinder. Let me tell you the snap ring was terrible to get out. Ended up pressing the button down and that gave me the clearance to get hold of that snap ring. After I figured that out, it took no time to put the new parts in and bleed the brakes once again. I thought I would be better off bleeding the brakes after each rebuild, get all the old fluid out.

Went for a test ride, there is a difference in the brake feel and I swear they are working better. Hit the brakes hard and I could lock up the front wheel which I don't remember ever doing. It could be in my mind. I'll watch the MPG, if that brake has been dragging for a while I would think my MPG would go up a couple, few miles per gallon. ??? All I know is the brakes are all refreshed, should last a long time problem free.

Might do the rear brake in the future just because that brake is as old as the fronts so why not? 

[Tfrank59]

if brake dragging was affecting your MPG enough to measure it, the rotor(s) would have been sizzling hot within a few minutes riding, and you'd feel the dragging when trying to push the bike at a red light or what.  that's the thing to watch when you suspect there's a problem--if your rotor(s) are cool there's no real problem with brake drag/pads sticking, IMO

[CoreyP]

Strangely I do check the rotors from time to time to see how hot they are getting. I've never felt them being screaming hot. Hot enough that I wouldn't grab one bare handed but not that hot in the past.

Doesn't matter about the MPG I was thinking that might cause a drop in MPG. Maybe not, I will see in a few tanks of gas. I usually run around 28-29 MPG.   

[Tfrank59]

That’s been my mpg too for the last six years, right around 30 and it doesn’t seem to matter whether my tires are nearly flat or hard as a rock or my brakes are dragging the bike just eats gas!

[Tfrank59]

Corey, can you tell me where you bought your rebuild kit and everything because I probably should do mine this winter.

[Jersey]

I have one brake caliper sticking making the bike unrideable. Too cold today to play with it but I'm think this is going to call for a caliper rebuild? This is the coldest it's been for at least a year, anyone think the cold has something to do with problem?

I've never rebuilt a caliper. Seems like it would be easy to do?

You've been given great advice and guidance already, so I'll just add.  Rebuilding calipers is a great way of learning something new without too much risk of causing issues. It's an easy job and can be accomplished by anyone with the basic tools and following the great advice on here.

On one point, I will add my advice: removing the Pistons.  Use an air compressor, but DON'T just shoot them out.  What will happen is ONE of the pistons will eject and the other will be a PIA to remove because the air won't hold pressure anymore.

Steps:  Place the old brake pads in their OEM position and then add AIR.  The pistons will settle partway out at the same distance.  Remove one of the work brake pads and repeat... the pistons will again settle together a little further out.  Repeat this with something to block them and the pistons will eventually be close enough to the edge that both can be removed by hand.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes!

Jersey

[CoreyP]

Corey, can you tell me where you bought your rebuild kit and everything because I probably should do mine this winter.

https://www.brakecrafters.com/

[CoreyP]

I have one brake caliper sticking making the bike unrideable. Too cold today to play with it but I'm think this is going to call for a caliper rebuild? This is the coldest it's been for at least a year, anyone think the cold has something to do with problem?

I've never rebuilt a caliper. Seems like it would be easy to do?

On one point, I will add my advice: removing the Pistons.  Use an air compressor, but DON'T just shoot them out.  What will happen is ONE of the pistons will eject and the other will be a PIA to remove because the air won't hold pressure anymore.

Steps:  Place the old brake pads in their OEM position and then add AIR.  The pistons will settle partway out at the same distance.  Remove one of the work brake pads and repeat... the pistons will again settle together a little further out.  Repeat this with something to block them and the pistons will eventually be close enough to the edge that both can be removed by hand.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes!

Jersey

A couple of posts up is the end results.

[Tfrank59]

Corey, can you tell me where you bought your rebuild kit and everything because I probably should do mine this winter.

https://www.brakecrafters.com/

Thanks very much.