rear brake caliper Options

[dax1969]

Hi,

My 1973 2.0 failed inspection yesterday morning and was diagnosed that the flexible hose on the rear caliper (passengerside) leaked when the brakepedal is pushed hard. I thought, no big deal and immediately bought 2 (L + R) new flexible hoses and called up the mechanic who prepared my car for inspection.

With a day to go before he leaves on holiday for 2 weeks I stood at his door at 06h30 this morning hoping that he quickly installed the tubes so I could go back for inspection. Peeking through the rim he first confirmed that the tube was dry but after I pushed the pedal he indeed noticed some oil escaping.
I assumed he would take his tools to install the tubes but for me it looked like he was not in the mood. He said that he noticed some oil on the outer adjustment screw (the screw with the plastic cap on) and advised me to buy a new caliper !! Perhaps in his world (bug, busses and other VW stuff) you can buy a new one right of the shelf but a new one for a 914 is not to find. I am in search of a company now who can rebuild the rear calipers but my question is :

* can the brake oil indeed escape through this adjustment screw and what does this mean ? Failure of an inner seal or worn out adjustment screw or....

Thanks your help/advice

krgds
Dax

[ClayPerrine]

Hi,

My 1973 2.0 failed inspection yesterday morning and was diagnosed that the flexible hose on the rear caliper (passengerside) leaked when the brakepedal is pushed hard. I thought, no big deal and immediately bought 2 (L + R) new flexible hoses and called up the mechanic who prepared my car for inspection.

With a day to go before he leaves on holiday for 2 weeks I stood at his door at 06h30 this morning hoping that he quickly installed the tubes so I could go back for inspection. Peeking through the rim he first confirmed that the tube was dry but after I pushed the pedal he indeed noticed some oil escaping.
I assumed he would take his tools to install the tubes but for me it looked like he was not in the mood. He said that he noticed some oil on the outer adjustment screw (the screw with the plastic cap on) and advised me to buy a new caliper !! Perhaps in his world (bug, busses and other VW stuff) you can buy a new one right of the shelf but a new one for a 914 is not to find. I am in search of a company now who can rebuild the rear calipers but my question is :

* can the brake oil indeed escape through this adjustment screw and what does this mean ? Failure of an inner seal or worn out adjustment screw or....

Thanks your help/advice

krgds
Dax

You can get a rebuilt caliper from Eric Shea here on the board. I suggest you buy them in a pair and replace both rears. Be sure to adjust the venting clearance.

[dax1969]

I know but shipping (and taxes) into Europe (and shipping again to send mine back) will make it quiete an expensive deal.

thks for the idea

greets
Dax

[ClayPerrine]

I know but shipping (and taxes) into Europe (and shipping again to send mine back) will make it quiete an expensive deal.

thks for the idea

greets
Dax

Then contact Eric about a rebuild kit. If you are at all handy, you should be able to rebuild the caliper in short order.

[DRPHIL914]

I know but shipping (and taxes) into Europe (and shipping again to send mine back) will make it quiete an expensive deal.

thks for the idea

greets
Dax

You can buy a rebuild kit from Eric at PMB, there is an O ring behind that adjuster, that is why it is leaking when you go to loosen it. Get the kits and rebuild them but think about this: Eric has them cleaned stripped of rust and re-zinc plated, they are remanufactured, like new, not just rebuilt. I did this on all 4 of mine this past winter, and i can tell you it is worth it!! also check your hard lines becasue i had one that was also rusted thru so i ended up doing all the hard lines with the hoses and calipers. It was really not that expensive. but as another memember said you need to set the venting and if you do not set the inner venting, then you will have a soft pedal, as you are having to ppress the pedal down further to move the inner piston far enough to engage the pad. Hope that makes sense.

I am sure you could order most of this stuff from someone in germany, maybe even a Porsche dealer. But Eric's company does good work. I had a mechanic(porsche trained from Germany 40 years experience) say after setting my clearance that the car drives and stops like new now!! better than any other 911 912 or 914 that he has worked on in years-

pw

[cary]

http://m2.facebook.com/ArnoWienands914Part...%2Flanguage.php

I don't remember the name of his shop/store.
Found it ..............

http://www.914parts.nl/

[Eric_Shea]

Buy some cores here locally and make arrangements to have them shipped here. Old 914 core calipers should be cheap and shipping here is $12.00

Then we'll send you new ones without the core charge. International flat rate boxes make things very affordable.

[stugray]

Dax,

Too bad you just noticed.
I have at least two complete sets and know how to rebuild them.

I could have rebuilt them and sent a set with the rest.
Maybe part of your next order :-)

[dax1969]

Thank you all for the advice and ideas ! I'm still not sure if the caliper is realy leaking or if the "sweat" on the caliper comes fm the wornout flexible hose... There is no oil on the floor and no oil on the inside of the wheel.
Only when the brakepedal is pushed hard a tiny drop escapes (but still good reason to renew the hoses !)

I have to investigate further this weekend. In the meantime I took an option on a complete replated, refurbished caliper (same like Eric is doing) located in the UK which is much closer to home...

The Dutch company 914parts.nl I know very well unfortunately their prices are sometimes quiete high.

dax

[Cap'n Krusty]

The hose is about .5m from the caliper, so it is unlikely that the fluid you see on the caliper is from there.

As for the cost, these are your brakes! You have to ask yourself what value you place on your life, and the lives of others. Small leaks like this eventually grow into larger leaks and a loss of braking ability. That's why many jurisdictions mandate inspections.

The Cap'n

[Valy]

Any able mechanic should be able to rebuild the calipers. I did mine few years ago and they're working like new.