Replacing rear caliper seals

[owr084]

When I was changing the rear pads of my Passat, I found one of the rubber dust(?) seals was torn. The caliper is undamaged and it is not leaking any fluid, so I am not going to pull the piston to replace the seal.

My question is what should I use to clean the area around the piston and under the dust seal - brake cleaner or something less harsh?

 

[owr084]

bump...

 

[Seatman]

Hi bud, I would use brake cleaner and a small screw driver to get into the groove where the dust cover sits because it'll more than likely have a bit of crud in there. Once you've got it clean you could then give it a little rinse with brake fluid before you reassemble it. If you have the tools, I would make a blank for the brake pipe so you can remove the caliper once you've pumped out the piston. It can save a lot of bleeding hassle.

 

[craig01b]

They are a snot to install, brake cleaner will be fine. Make sure groove is very clean.

C

 

[owr084]

The seal around the piston was easy. Getting the outer seal into the groove was a pain in the hiney. If the piston is not full retracted, it is difficult to push the seal into the groove. After I pushed the piston all the way back with the tool, I was able to seat the seal.