Brake cleaner

[Alistair C]

Calipers are squealing quite annoyingly now & warrant a clean if not re-build.

But I've no brake cleaner spray......

Is carb cleaner the same stuff ???

[newsh]

Brake cleaner smells like isopropyl alcohol, a fairly weak solvent, carb cleaner is altogether more volatile, so it can dissolve the gummy stuff left by dried out fuel, I wouldn't use it on the pads.

Prob worth chamfering the leading edge of the pads with a file and copper grease on the backs.

[dan_b]

I don't know what carb cleaner is, but I just use the Brake cleaner stuff you get in Halfords, it's stinks like living hell but it's an incredibly good solvent. I'm now resigned to pulling my pads out every 3-months or so and basically cleaning the whole pad/caliper area: the amount of gack (technical term!) that builds up in there is quite extrordinary and is obviously the cause of the recurrent noise/ vibration I keep getting on these 968 calipers, even after replacing the sprung plates etc. In fact I'm due to do this today - a good clean out and re-greasing with copaslip should see me through until January I reckon...

If you can't find any of it in Halfords there's some on ebay for about 3 quid.

[Alistair C]

cheers dan - I think I'm resigned to the fact I'll have to switch to 996 calipers ASAP.

Had a quick look today, but coudn't free the RS2 lines without risking rounding off the fittings so had to do it all in situ..... not ideal but its the best I could do on a sunday. I also don't think it helps having the anti-squeal shims unstuck from the pads.
Might have another go some time later depending on today's results, but for now - I've got to get to the beach - its the London-Brighton Landrover run........ !
I love living here - every week it seems theres another car / bike event!

[dan_b]

I've got it down to a 20-min job. Liberal squirting of brake cleaner and an even more liberal application of copaslip seems to keep things quiet.