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Against all good advice I am once again rebuilding the front brake calipers on my 940 Turbo Wagon. There is a reason I prefer to rebuild the calipers rather than buy rebuilt. I'm sorry to say its the money.
I can re-use almost everything and I've even been able to save the slider boots.
The only thing I am missing is the piston dust boots and they seem to be very hard to find. I would also replace the rings, if I could but I don't mind reusing the rings I have.
FCP Groton has the boot and piston ring kit for rear calipers, but tells me the same items for the front are not available.
I plan to call IPD, but I'm not encouraged.
Why would these common items be so hard to find. I know everyone says its much more sensible to just buy a rebuilt or even a rebuilt loaded caliper, but its not like the difference in price is insignificant between doing that and just replacing the dust boot.
A couple weeks ago I did a brake job and could not get the rear dust boots seated into the caliper. Because I needed the car right away I just installed the caliper without the boot.
An online site I found has a discussion of this subject and a contributor says he never uses the boot and hasn't had a problem. In some way it make sense to me. If water and dirt can get past the piston ring, then hydraulic fluid will go the other direction and be evident as a leak beneath the wheel.
While I would prefer to use the boot, if I can't find it, I am considering going without. Based on a dozen calipers I've removed with ripped boots and pistons still working, I question the benefit. My experience is the sliders are the big problem. Almost always one of them is frozen so solidly in place, you wonder how an important device like a brake caliper can be engineered with such a routine problem.
Still, I'd like to find the boot.
Bob Franklin
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