Last Brake Question
 

Gentleman,


Does the brake reservoir drain by gravity when the calipers are removed?

Yes, it slowly dribbles out. I don't know if this is the fastest way to change the brake fluid if that's what you're after. If you don't want the fluid to dribble out, you will need to cap the line with a rubber hose or something.

I'm really reluctant to yank the calipers then, I'm worried about screwing up my perfectly working brake & clutch at a time when I have no income. I'm not sure how important it is to keep air out of the system, I would think the motive would correct any air bubbles, anyhow thanks for the input I guess for now the project is on hold unless someone has more advise to offer...

it would help for us to know what it is you are trying to do. why are you removing your calipers? you mention a Motive in your post; do you have a Motive bleeder?

Somewhere else I read he wanted to paint his calipers... could be more though.

I wanted to paint my calipers, change my brake fluid, bleed my clutch, (have not locatedthe clutch nipple on car yet) and upgrade to cross drilled Zimmermans. I was being treated bad at work so I buried myself into my Boxster in an attempt to ignore the upheaval around me. It didn't work and they moved me out anyhow, now jobless and not knowing if I can keep my toy, I'm a bit less enthusiastic about a project I was already unsure of. I can't see selling it really because I like it so much but taking it to another state, especially if I'm living in an apartment is not too appealing, I'm not sure if I can stay in my town, I may have to move to find work in my field.

Well if you move out onto long island you can come get payed to party and work for me. :) Good Luck

Sounds like a great gig already...

If you push the brake pedal down an inch or more, the master cylinder piston is pushed past the inlet hole from the reservoir. This will keep the fluid from draining.

I sometimes I jam a screw driver under the gas pedal over the brake pedal and under the clutch pedal.

Or sometimes I use an ice scraper (piece of wood, etc.) jammed between the driver's seat and brake pedal.

Wow, thanks, I've been looking for the easy way to remove the calipers without making a mess or introducing air into the system. I would have thought any depression of the brake pedal would make the system drain even more profusely, in fact it's hard for me to see how this can be true. I want to do the job so if you have done this sucessfully I will have to try it, is there a particular "sweet spot" or just 2 inches?

I've been doing it this way since the 70's.

Think about it, how could the brakes work if the path to the reservoir was not sealed when the pedal is pushed?

Some fluid will drip out of the lines but using this method the reservoir will not be drained. You will still have to bleed the brakes after the hoses are installed since you will also be losing the fluid that was in the calipers. (The calipers must be drained before you even think about painting them.)

So here's how I usually do it:

Put a box wrench on a bleeder nipple, install a hose on the bleeder, place it in a bottle. Open the bleeder about 1/2 a turn. Block the brake pedal. Remove the caliper hoses.

Notes for the next guy.....

1) The #10 bolt that holds the brake line bracket to the Aluminum is easy to snap, I broke one. drilling it out is out of the question as it's dissimilar metal so the drill will just walk into the Aluminum. The plan I have is to put a new one in next to it since it's not stress bearing a Stainless screw should work. (still pissed me off, it's always the dumb stuff)

2) The method of the stick on the pedal works great but I recommend removing the calipers first then using that method, otherwise the brakes are applied and that makes disassembly very tough. Almost zero loss of fluid though and the bracket should be easy enough to repair....

If you open a bleeder as I posted, the brakes are not applied.

did it. the brake was still on a bit, don't get me wrong i'm not complaining it worked awesome.

Great, glad it worked out for you!

What color did you paint the calipers?

Yellow with black decals, the kit was the hardest paint & brush combination I ever used. Does anyone know if I can lightly wet sand 600 or 800 on the finished paint? I'd like to improve on a few small brush marks otherwide they look pretty good.