You see, that's exactly my point... it doesn't make any sense that they (who operate as online-only - no stores) refund you $20 for returning a couple of calipers (core) that are going to cost you about the same to ship... (even more, if you want to include the cost for the packing and the waste of time involved).

Rino

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1979 240D, W123, 105K miles, stick, white w/ tan interior.

Also available at Kragen (I just checked) for about that prize... good suggestion, thanks.

Yes, that's correct... (your "Second" paragraph)

Man, I wish I had the tools to try that, I'd do it right away... I have no air compressor (how do I push the pistons out without it?) I'd love to save some serious dough, and as a matter of fact it is ridiculous to me to have to spend all this money for a pair of calipers (I paid $1,100 for the whole car) Do you know of a way to attempt that without the need for workshop tools (air compressor, etc.)?

Thanks,
Rino

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1979 240D, W123, 105K miles, stick, white w/ tan interior.

I wish... you are a the type of guy who is not found around here... I am in So. California... everyone is fakey and flakey around here... you can count on no one to give you a hand when you need one... and I am not that type of guy... I think one of these days I'm gonna move to someplace where people are more real...

Rino

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1979 240D, W123, 105K miles, stick, white w/ tan interior.

You must have different sources than I... I've seen those kits around (and on the net) for $29.95... Which makes me kind of uneasy about taking the risk of a DIY caliper repair (if unsuccessful, there goes another 30 bucks down the drain...)

Rino

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1979 240D, W123, 105K miles, stick, white w/ tan interior.

The pads were worn unevenly, the thinnest side down to about 3mm (thank God not yet worn down to the metal, which would have damaged the rotor...) with the less worn-out side measuring about 6-7mm on the same pad. After pulling them all out, I realized that all the pads have that pattern (and not as I stated before that the inner ones were worn out more than the outer ones). What varies is, for instance, the inside pad being consumed more on its bottom part while the outside pad in the same caliper shows more wearing in the upper part...

There was evidence of leaking brake fluid only in the form of slight rings of rust in the shims, which tells me that the fluid that escaped must have been sort of watery for some time... (I changed the whole fluid in the system this morning)

What do you mean, I may have usable calipers? If I install new pads in these ones (which I was about to do this morning), the damaged (uneven) rubber pushing on them will cause the pads to be pushed again at an angle against the rotor... I don't know how safe or desirable that can be...

Thanks,
Rino

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1979 240D, W123, 105K miles, stick, white w/ tan interior.

Identical actually. interchangeable even...if you swap the rotors too.
well, there is more space between the pistons to make room for the vented rotors...
John

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

It just hit me, Larry, is it possible that it is the rotors on both sides to be positioned at an angle to the calipers and therefore to the pads? I have no idea if this makes any sense at all, but it would explain that pattern (inside pad worn out in the opposite way as outside pad in the same caliper) on both the RL and RR sides of the vehicle... And if conceivable, what is it that could make it so?

Rino

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1979 240D, W123, 105K miles, stick, white w/ tan interior.

your mounting points could be bent. this could happen if the car hit something that impacted the caliper.

or if a ham hand jacked the car up maybe by the caliper.

but if not too severe i would probably live with it. it will be very difficult to repair.

probably the only practical thing is to replace the spindle/ hub carrier.

i am not sure if i have named the part correctly.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

How about the fact that the sway bar link's lower mount is destroyed on the right side... so basically the car has only one SBL connected on the left side. Could this cause that? Meaning... when I fix the sway bar links, will that also fix the tilted rotor/caliper angle and therefore take care of the caliper problem? If that were the case, I'd just need to fix the SBLs and introduce new brake pads and I would be set... God, I hope so...

Rino

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1979 240D, W123, 105K miles, stick, white w/ tan interior.

Where were you quoted $300?

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http://superturbodiesel.com/images/sig.04.10.jpg
1995 E420 Schwarz
1995 E300 Weiss
#1987 300D Sturmmachine
#1991 300D Nearly Perfect
#1994 E320 Cabriolet
#1995 E320 Touring
#1985 300D Sedan
OBK #42

About $150 each x 2 = $300...

I remember seeing several places with about that price (for new) on ATE and Bendix.

Rino

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1979 240D, W123, 105K miles, stick, white w/ tan interior.

You can find it right here (I just found it and am happy to share it), with accurate descriptions and plenty of self-explanatory images:

http://www.astrosafari.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=6;t=19210

It is not specific to our calipers, but the principle and steps are nearly identical...
It shows you how the right mental attitude and a little creativity can take you a long way...
I would definitely do it if I had an air compressor and accessories at this time.

Caliper rebuilding is really easy, even for a beginner, when someone who has done it is willing to share their know-how and help others, as the guy who wrote this tutorial demonstrates. And I suspect the same is true for every fix imaginable relating to our old MB diesels. All we need is people with a true desire to help one another in this forum...

Rino

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1979 240D, W123, 105K miles, stick, white w/ tan interior.

You've offered a reference for a floating caliper with a single piston and no heat shields. The rebuild of the floating caliper is a walk in the park as compared to what you have on the Mercedes.

For all others reading this post, rebuilding M/B calipers is not easy, even when someone has done it many times. It's a tedius and frustrating job, usually made worse without the proper tools.

I've done it several times and will probably purchase the front calipers completely rebuilt if I do it again. The rears are somewhat easier without having to deal with the heat shield.

OK, thanks for the clarification... So doing it with our calipers is a bit more complicated. There have been others in this forum saying that they have DIYed their caliper rebuilding for their MBs and that it is not at all complicated... Maybe it is to some and not to others... My point, though, was to commend the good intentions of someone like the guy who took all the time to write that tutorial with a genuine desire to help others and to say that that type of mental attitude is also a very precious asset in a forum like this one.

Rino

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1979 240D, W123, 105K miles, stick, white w/ tan interior.

The only person stating that it was "not complicated" was Matt.

However, if you understand and read his post, he never even needed to rebuild those calipers because the pistons were easily moveable within the bores. He extracted them with his fingers.

The typical caliper rebuild is done when on piston is frozen in the bore and you cannot remove it..........even with 125 psi..........from a shop air compressor.

Matt makes no mention of this issue and it requires some careful planning and thought........and time.........to free the piston. Even after it's removed, the condition of the piston is in question due to corrosion and all of you work may have been for naught if there is any corrosion on the piston that cannot be polished away.

Installing the pistons back into the bores with a standard C-clamp is extremely difficult because of the shape of the caliper. There is no solid surface to park the jaw of the clamp and it tends to apply pressure off center on the piston. This can cause the piston to bind in the bore and refuse to fully seat.

Matt makes no mention of the heat shields which must be pressed onto the piston and sit at least .004" below to top of the piston face. This is effectively impossible without the proper tool, and, anyone who tells you that they did it properly without the tool doesn't understand the specification.

Matt also makes no mention of the precise 20 degree angle between the piston and the bore that is required per the specification. In reality, you have no tool to measure this angle and can only estimate it.

Trust me when I tell you that it's a long and tedius process and when you are finished it's still not done to the specifications of a proper rebuild house.