Typical cause of a sticking rear caliper?

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MJJ_ZX6RR
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Post Thu Sep 27, 2012 12:13 pm

Afternoon all,

I have a sticking N/S rear caliper on my cab. I don't have many opportunities to work on it, and the car is stored elsewhere, so I would like to go armed with the likely things I need to fix it.

Can they normally be freed off by sanding the corrosion off the piston, then pushing it back in or is it typically new seals needed? Worth buying a spare caliper just in case?

Thanks all,

Martin.
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Lots of bikes, the odd modern BMW, and now an 88 e30 335i Cab project with E32 running gear
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e30mreg318i
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Post Thu Sep 27, 2012 12:34 pm

new rubber hose, spare calliper, wd40 type stuff, c-clamp to work the piston back in, brake bleed kit, brake spanner. If your having to travel distance, why not get a refurb calliper and put that on, should n't be more than £60, job done. You could get a second-hand calliper of someone on here and clean it/service it ready to fit.
mcbonio
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Post Thu Sep 27, 2012 12:37 pm

My cab also had a stuck rear calliper, it just took it all apart, cleaned it and lubed it then reassembled and bled. Never had a problem after that.
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Brianmoooore
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Post Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:37 pm

Sticking in what way? I've yet to see an E30 calliper where the piston is stuck in the bore.
The usual problem is lack of lubrication on the guide pins, resulting in the pad on one side of he disc wearing much faster than the other.
MJJ_ZX6RR
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Post Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:41 pm

Thanks guys, hopefully a good clean coupled with lubricating the slider pins will help.

@Brian, sticking as in not fully releasing and thus that particular brake gets very hot after 3-4 miles. It passed the MOT like that, but was flagged as an advisory.

The car gets very little use, which I am sure contributes.

Martin.
----------------------------------------------------
Lots of bikes, the odd modern BMW, and now an 88 e30 335i Cab project with E32 running gear