L400 Brake Slider Pins- Cleaning and Regreasing

[CREGAN]

Hey guys- I am going to undertake my first brake job on my van tomorrow (Can't afford the $800/ wheel to get them fixed here) and I have a few questions for you.

When I have everything apart how and what do I have to clean up. Also what type of grease do I use to regrease those stupid slider pins? I have had lots of problems with the calipers seizing in the past so I am trying to be preventative here since I think I am starting to hear some squeeking.

My last major brake issue happened this past December when I realized my driver side front brake was squeeking pretty bad, so I booked it into a shop but my schedule and theirs wouldn't meet up for a couple weeks. By the time I got in, when I hit the brakes all I could hear was metal grinding on metal and what I beleive was brake fluid was burning on the rims. It also left a nice orange tinge on my vans pretty white paint on the drivers side. Needless to say, I beleive I waited too long and it ended up costing me $800 to get it done here in Deadmonton.

I don't want a repeat performance, and neither does my wallet.

Craig

[psilosin]

Also what type of grease do I use to regrease those stupid slider pins?

Astroglide. It is made for Chevy Astro vans but should do the trick on the Delica as well. Any parts person will know what you are looking for if you just go in and say "I needs me a tube of Astroglide to stop my slider pin from seizing and squeeking".

[CREGAN]

Also what type of grease do I use to regrease those stupid slider pins?

Astroglide. It is made for Chevy Astro vans but should do the trick on the Delica as well. Any parts person will know what you are looking for if you just go in and say "I needs me a tube of Astroglide to stop my slider pin from seizing and squeeking".

I thought you only use Astroglide for you rear...calipers?

I will go in and ask them " Hey, you got any Astroglide for my rear and maybe a little for the front- if the mood hits me?"

Craig

[nxski]

Also what type of grease do I use to regrease those stupid slider pins?

Astroglide. It is made for Chevy Astro vans but should do the trick on the Delica as well. Any parts person will know what you are looking for if you just go in and say "I needs me a tube of Astroglide to stop my slider pin from seizing and squeeking".

I thought you only use Astroglide for you rear...calipers?

I will go in and ask them " Hey, you got any Astroglide for my rear and maybe a little for the front- if the mood hits me?"

Craig

...not that there's anything wrong with that...

[madmazda]

Use silicone grease for the sliders and be careful of the rubber bits on the end of the front ones. Or get new ones. Also to clean the hole that the pins go in I used a .5 inch copper plumbing brush and wd40 to get rid of the corrosion in the female side.

[macro]

If you're doing the rotors as well do some reading on the subject before hand, when I took my hubs apart I just sat there and stared at them for awhile hoping they would come apart on their own.

[CREGAN]

If you're doing the rotors as well do some reading on the subject before hand, when I took my hubs apart I just sat there and stared at them for awhile hoping they would come apart on their own.

No-no rotors this time. I have already replaced 3 on the front. I need to stay on top of these pins and pads. I am hoping to not have to do it anymore.

Craig

[thelazygreenfox]

Cregan
Good luck on your brake job. I'd like to hear from any owner that has driven 2 years without changing rotors on either the L300 or L400. I like the L400 4 wheel disc brakes but they are plagued with rotor and caliper problems too.

Brakes seem to be the only ongoing maintenance on my van. Both my L300 and 400 have needed ongoing brake work over the 5 years I've owned Delicas. Rotors and calipers are easy to change but they continue to be the weak link on these fine steeds.

TLGF

[trecar]

Further to this where can one find sliding pins since they are such problems?

Trevor

[mac_stang]

Syl glide, best brake parts lube I've ever used. Available at any parts distributor.

Good luck Craig, wish I could come up and give you a hand.

Brad.

[Dino]

At work I use a silicone grease (similar to Syl Glide) on the pins. Even if they are seized they can still be saved with a bit of heat and rust cleaning.

The pins are crucial, but don't forget about the anchor. Use a wire wheel or at least a wire brush to clean the pad contact points. There should be shims there as well. Pop the shims off and brush underneath. Rust build up underneath with push the contact points closer together and essentially pinch the pads tight. The forces of the caliper will still apply the pads, but they won't bounce back like they should, causing excessive wear and heat.

Once the anchor points are as clean as you can get them put a thin coat of Anti-seize (the silver colour works best, but the copper stuff is fine too) on all the surfaces of the pad contact point. This will prevent rust from returning for a while.

Other small things that can help when doing a brake job are putting an anti-squeal coating on the backsides of the pads, and cleaning/greasing outside of the wheel hub to prevent corrosion from sticking the wheel on.

Working on cars in Southern Ontario has given me lots of experience in rust prevention/maintenance. I've brought back some pretty rotten stuff that I'm sure would've been condemned in other parts of the country, every little bit goes a long way to keeping stuff working.

[FalcoColumbarius]

I will go in and ask them " Hey, you got any Astroglide for my rear and maybe a little for the front- if the mood hits me?"

Craig

Good luck Craig, wish I could come up and give you a hand.

?

[CREGAN]

Sorry it has been so long with the update.

My father in law and I pulled each brake apart and there was tons of meat left on the pads. everything looked good so we just re-greased the slider pins and re-assembled. One thing we did find was that the two pins are different on the front brakes. Pay attention to which pin goes in which spot when you pull them.

I realized how actually simple it is to do a brake job. I am so pissed that I have been paying a fortune for brake work! Now I know for next time. It really is not that difficult (no rotors were changed though so that might change things)

Now back to the sexual innuendo-
I lubed them up so good that they slid right in.

Craig

[FalcoColumbarius]

I realized how actually simple it is to do a brake job.

Still... having that extra hand can be helpful.