Yamaha4ever Posted September 16, 2009 Share #1 Posted September 16, 2009 Hi all! A new member here with a question for the guys who know. I unseized the pistons, cleaned the calipers, polished the bores and pistons with 2000 Wet O Dry but I think the seals are shot. I actually believe them to be the originals. Haha. The Question: Where do you get your caliper rebuild kits and what do they come with, IE: pins, pistons, dust seals, etc? Any details would help! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted September 16, 2009 Share #2 Posted September 16, 2009 Go online to www.partshark.com . Look up your bike on the oem parts finder and it will show you everything you can get. If you cleaned up the piston and bore with no pits or scratches, you should be able to just go with oring and seals. Good luck and welcome to the site, we'll help you all we can, even test riding your bike when you get it done! Feel free to ask any questions you need answered. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobcat Posted September 17, 2009 Share #3 Posted September 17, 2009 Email Rick at www.buckeyeperformance.com He is a fellow Venture rider and a square shooter.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydoc_17 Posted September 17, 2009 Share #4 Posted September 17, 2009 Welcome to the site, I'm glad to see that you are not afraid to "get your hands dirty" I usually split the halves and use a brake cylinder hone on the caliper bores. Unless you damaged the pistons with vice grips during the removal, you will need to buy 2 seal and O'ring kits. (1 kit does one half of the caliper) Hold on to your hat when you hear the price for the kits. If you damaged any of the pistons, PM me, I have extras. Be sure to lube the seals and o'rings with brake fluid before you try to install the pistons. The flat bottom goes into the piston bore. Keep asking questions, Earl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamaha4ever Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted September 17, 2009 Thanks for the suggestions! I think I definitely need new seals since the pistons are creeping to a closed once the brake pedal is pressed down. I was hoping I was just missing something with the brake bleeding and that's why I can't get enough pressure built up! Any thoughts? This bike has been a fun way to "get my hands dirty". After I tore into the carb rack and replaced all the gaskets, cleaned, polished and bench synched it, it fired right up and was super easy to vacuum synch. Much easier than my Maxim! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiCarl Posted September 17, 2009 Share #6 Posted September 17, 2009 If the seals are leaking you should find fluid on and around the caliper. The rear brake is integrated with the front left. If you're spongy you might need to bleed the rest of the system. There is a bleed nipple on top of the frame just behind the steering neck that lets you get air out of the high point in the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamaha4ever Posted September 17, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted September 17, 2009 Hey Carl, I don't have any leaks as far as I can tell. If anything It seems that the seals are too tight. Do they swell and distort over time? The brakes are extremely spongy so I'll continue bleeding and let you know how it goes. Thanks for the tips! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cimmer Posted September 18, 2009 Share #8 Posted September 18, 2009 Not sure on the year of your Venture but if it is a 86-93 there is a bleeder up near the steering head on the right side as you sit on the bike. This will help to bleed the linked brake system between the left front and rear brake. You should bleed this one last but it will most likely have alot of air there. Once that is done, you should have a better brake feel. Just be sure to keep the rear master cylinder almost full as it doesnt take long to empty it. Dont fill it completely full as it needs to have some room for expansion of the fluid when it gets hot. You can also find the service manual in the tech section and that might assist you in bleeding the brakes also. Good Luck and let us know how it goes.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozlander Posted September 18, 2009 Share #9 Posted September 18, 2009 If anything It seems that the seals are too tight. What did you clean them with. Oil and gas are a no no. May be why they are swollen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamaha4ever Posted September 18, 2009 Author Share #10 Posted September 18, 2009 Not sure on the year of your Venture but if it is a 86-93 there is a bleeder up near the steering head on the right side as you sit on the bike. This will help to bleed the linked brake system between the left front and rear brake. You should bleed this one last but it will most likely have alot of air there. Once that is done, you should have a better brake feel. The bike is an '83. Does this year have a frame-neck bleeder for the high point of the system? To answer the other question, I lubricated the seals with silicone lubricant which is specifically for rubber seals and diaphragms but now i realized I should've used brake fluid for the lubrication. I think I'll pull the caliper and re-lube them with brake fluid and try to bleed the rest of the system. Do I press the foot brake pedal and crack the front Left caliper bleeder as well as the rear caliper? I guess it comes down to... I'm not sure how to fully rid the air from this system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venturous Randy Posted September 18, 2009 Share #11 Posted September 18, 2009 The bike is an '83. Does this year have a frame-neck bleeder for the high point of the system? To answer the other question, I lubricated the seals with silicone lubricant which is specifically for rubber seals and diaphragms but now i realized I should've used brake fluid for the lubrication. I think I'll pull the caliper and re-lube them with brake fluid and try to bleed the rest of the system. Do I press the foot brake pedal and crack the front Left caliper bleeder as well as the rear caliper? I guess it comes down to... I'm not sure how to fully rid the air from this system. No, the 83 does not have the frame neck bleeder. One of the functions of the seal is to slightly distort with the piston moving forward and the seal pulls the piston back slightly when the pressure is reduced. Putting silicone on the seal may have hurt that. In bleeding the brakes, I have found that since I have not bought speed bleeders, that I just loosen the bleed valve on the front caliper and have someone pump the brake lever as I use my finger as a check valve. This allows a lot of fluid movement and helps push the air to the caliper. Just keep the reservior full. When I believe there is no air in that system, I will go to the back and do the same thing. Then I will go back to the front and use the pump up, release pressure with the valve method a couple of times. I then do the same thing on the rear. As far as rear reservior fluid level, it is important not to have it too full. What I have been doing is when bleeding the rear that last time, I will turn the ignition on and bleed it down until the low level icon comes on and then add a little to make it go off. This keeps me from having too much fluid and shows me the low level warning works. RandyA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camos Posted September 19, 2009 Share #12 Posted September 19, 2009 I'm going to jump in here with something that may be totally obvious, my apologies if that is the case. When bleeding brakes, the hose from the bleeder valve to the waste container should go up before it goes down to the container. The obvious reason for the hose is to help prevent making a mess. The not so obvious reason is, if it goes up, it will make a seal to prevent air from getting re-introduced at the bleeder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamaha4ever Posted September 19, 2009 Author Share #13 Posted September 19, 2009 Thanks guys, One more question... and forgive me if i missed it. Is there a "high point" bleeder on my '83 or do I just bleed the front left caliper then the rear and keep checking both for air bubbles? I will lube the seals with brake fluid and try bleeding the system again tomorrow and let you know how it goes! Thanks for your patience! Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dthomso1 Posted February 4, 2010 Share #14 Posted February 4, 2010 Welcome to the site, I'm glad to see that you are not afraid to "get your hands dirty" I usually split the halves and use a brake cylinder hone on the caliper bores. Unless you damaged the pistons with vice grips during the removal, you will need to buy 2 seal and O'ring kits. (1 kit does one half of the caliper) Hold on to your hat when you hear the price for the kits. If you damaged any of the pistons, PM me, I have extras. Be sure to lube the seals and o'rings with brake fluid before you try to install the pistons. The flat bottom goes into the piston bore. Keep asking questions, Earl Hi Earl, I noticed in the service manual that it states that the calipers should not be split - why would that be? I was about to split them when I saw this and now I wonder what the deal is. Thanks for your help as usual! Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skydoc_17 Posted February 4, 2010 Share #15 Posted February 4, 2010 Hey Doug, You have asked a very Good Question. When the Calipers are assembled at the factory, there are two Round, flat, rubber Gaskets (for a lack of a better word) that seal the ports that let brake fluid pass from one side to the other. When you look at a Yamaha Parts diagram for ANY of the two piece calipers YOU WILL NOT FIND THESE TWO PARTS on the diagram! I spoke with a Yamaha Service Rep. and long time friend and asked him about this. His answer was "the caliper halves are matched at the factory, the caliper bolts are Locktited and torqued, And Yamaha doesn't feel that the average Mechanic will take the time to insure the quality of assembly that Yamaha Factory does." Thats why they don't have the two gaskets on the parts diagram. So to make a long story short, either install the seal kits with the caliper in one piece (good luck getting the old brake fluid cleaned out properly) or for goodness sake, DON'T LOOSE THOSE TWO RUBBER GASKETS! On a personal note, I machine and assemble Military Aircraft for a living and there are not to many things on a motorcycle that are more complicated than that. I have taken over 100 of these two piece calipers apart and as long as you don't loose the gaskets, Loctite and torque the bolts properly, you won't have a problem. I will add that I have had to scrap a few caliper bodies because the piston bores were damaged, corroded or I just could not get the piston out. I have an ad in the Classifieds for rebuilding First Gen. Calipers: http://www.venturerider.org/classifieds/showproduct.php/product/2443/cat/6/date/1156391368 I stand behind every part I rebuild or sell. I hope this answers your question. Earl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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