Rear calipers

[Engineer]

MOT time again and handbrake lousy !
Stripped caliper down and piston hardly any
wear at all but handbrake pivot isn't freeing off this time as it has in previous years.

I'm thinking of removing handbrake spindle but no doubt seal will get ruined in the process.

Has anyone sourced this seal  ?

Caliper looks like Girling and the seal ought to be a standard Girling part - can't see them making a special seal just for Golf Gti !

Any help on original seal or alternative. as I don't see sense in throwing two decent calipers away for sake of a couple of seals - looks like replacements will cost
40 odd quid + VAT each at least which certainly makes no sense to me !

[richandhazel]

Hi 'Engineer', welcome to the forum.
Which seal are you talking about?
Is it the piston seal as shown in this diagram here?.........

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/richandhazel1/ParkBrake/ESIS.htm

[Engineer]

Hi,

The short answer is nope !

It is on the shaft for the parking brake actuating
lever !

It is not easy to see but using a wide bladed screwdriver between the caliper body and the actuator and you can get the shaft to move out
a few millimetres. You can then just see the seal
on the shaft if you peer between the caliper body
and the actuator lever itself !    

Regards,


Engineer
 

[richandhazel]

If its not in this picture, although bare in mind I have gone for a 1987,  then I'd be very suprised if its available:-









However if its just an O ring, it is possible to source one.........I had to replace an O ring on the hydraulic pump of my Audi..........have a look here for the story behind that:-

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/richandhazel1/image.html

[Engineer]

Thanks,

I'll try the Supaseal route.

The thing is, Euro parts are supposed to do
reconditioned calipers. The handbrake
problem is well known  on the Mk 2 Gti and
nearly all must have failed for that reason by now.
If that is the case, then Europarts must have a
solution otherwise  they would have loads of calipers
they couldn't recondition !

I dunno when an O ring is a seal and vice versa -
then again I'm not a mechanical engineer !

[richandhazel]

If its not a complicated cross section
i.e. if its 'o' shaped, then it should be cheap to replace..........

[Bdub]

I have heard the Mk3 Calipers are the way forward and will fit to a MK 2.
Not sure if the mounting plate is the same though or the cables - Could do with finding
out as I have the same problem - Any one know any further info?

[Engineer]

Stripped both calipers tonight (about 2 hours to remove free off handbrake and refit.)
Thought things were going well until found nail in tyre and when I removed it ......
At least I didn't need an O ring - though until I see one out I can't be dure that
is what it is. I suspect it is probably something sort of like  avalve seal !
Now I been saved this year I will have to keep my eye open for an old caliper
and remove the seal for further investigation. Turns out my calipers were Girling
after all.

This time I had to pull prise the mechanism out about 10mm ! Expected seal to
come with it and fall apart but it didn't ! Cleaned up spindle and put brake fluid
 on while I wound it back in again. Did this a few times on both sides - being
careful not to wind out piston as it can be a b*stard to refit,expecially if rubber
boot rips or gets dislodged !

Result. Hadbrake  full on after 3 clicks and loads of adjustment left - as opposed
to before when no adjustment left and handbrake totally inoperative !!!

Euro parts have calipers for ?47 + VAT (and ?30 surcharge if you don't hand over
your old ones ) each.

Found a nick in one of the rubber boots but it aint worth buying a kit when I  will
probably need new calipers next year - and boot fitting really is a pain.

[modulater]

Don't believe that replacing the calipers will be the end of your worries, a friend of mine replaced the calipers on his MK3 VR6 and the replacements were leaking air in through the piston seal, the cure in his case was to get a caliper seal kit from VW and rebuild the so called new ones with new seals, The brakes have been fine ever since. I'm just warning others that sometimes the re con or new calipers aren't up to the standard they should be.