Has anyone rebuilt ATE front calipers? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

crashone · #1 04-22-2007, 12:00 AM

I rebuilt some for the front of this SD. Now I am having a tough time getting them to work right. If you have rebuilt some of these before please PM me. I would like to talk to someone who has done this with success to walk through the process so I can determine where/ if I went wrong. Thank you.

Brian Carlton · #2 04-22-2007, 01:09 AM

What's the symptoms of "not working right"?

Rebuilding the caliper requires patience and cleanliness. There are no specific procedures for ATE versus Bendix.

crashone · #3 04-30-2007, 09:08 PM

Thanks for the help Brian. I ended up taking them apart and reworking them, don't know but they stop on a dime now!! The bleeding with the coke bottle worked great also.

Brian Carlton · #4 04-30-2007, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crashone

Thanks for the help Brian. I ended up taking them apart and reworking them, don't know but they stop on a dime now!! The bleeding with the coke bottle worked great also.

Good job!!

Nothing nicer that a new set of brakes with new seals, fluid and pads. The bleed with a bottle works very well.

mtldieselguy · #5 05-01-2007, 12:09 AM

Quick question to add - can stiff calipers be rebuilt? Mine are a bit stiff in the front and I think I want to take care of them before I install new pads / discs....

crashone · #6 05-01-2007, 08:23 PM

Get the rebuild kits and go at it. They are very straight forward to do. You will need an air compressor to "pop" the cylinders out. While you are at it clean out the resevoir on top of the master cylinder real good, you won't believe the crud that can get in there over the years.

MarkM · #7 05-01-2007, 10:14 PM

I just rebuilt Ate front calipers a couple of weeks ago...very easy. I do have an air compressor, but I was just probing around the pistons with a screwdriver, and I was able to do both by just prying them out that way....there is a recess around the rim of the piston into which the rubber boot fits.....when taking apart old ones, just jam the screwdriver into the boot and get a hold on that lip...work around the piston to pry it out a little on each side and they will come out easy...mine werent siezed though...in that case, air pressure may have been needed.

The rest of the job is easy....do the following with each caliper and pistons

1. pull out old o-ring
2. clean insides out real well, including all crud in the grooves for the o ring and the rubber boot
3. Put a little brake fluid on the o ring and press it into the groove
4. While the piston is out of the caliper, clean any surface crud or imperfections with a brass brush and some very fine (1500) grit sand paper
5. While the piston is still out, mount the rubber boot into the groove, then position the metal boot shield lightly onto the piston (make sure the metal thing is oriented so it does not cover the high portion of the piston...it is very obvious). Then put the piston face down...with the metal ring down...onto a flat surface and push down...this will evenly seat the metal shield flush with the piston
6. Put a little brake fluid around the piston, position it into the caliper with the metal shiels oriented the correct way, and press it in...when I did it, I could push in all four pistons (in two calipers) with hand pressure.
7 When the piston is all the way in, push the outer rim of the rubber boot onto the lip

I forgot to mention, before you first remove the pistons from the calipers, clean the outside of the calipers with wire brush, screw driver, file, etc...This will make it easier to do the rest without getting crud inside the caliper.

This was all very easy and straigt forward

Mark