i did a brake job recently (replaced rotors and pads) and i noticed that the passenger side rear brake caliper piston boot was slightly torn. has anyone replaced one of these in the car. thoughts? concerns? the only thing i was worried about after looking at the fsm was limiting how far out i allowed the piston to go when i pressed on the brake pedal.

 

You can use a block of wood to control how far the piston moves out.

I've replaced boots without having to sliding out the pistons. But then, I've also never had any damages to my boots.

 

well i noticed that the boot had a slight 2mm tear in it when i took it off, i figured it would probably be alright until i got the new boot. so what is the basic procedure to do this in the car? obviously you can explain once one caliper bolt is removed and the caliper rotated upward...

 

you just pull the old boot out and squeeze the new one in. You will have to shove the tapered edge into the groove :

 

ok i see whats going on in there now, remove the c-clip and pull the boot out... but, does the piston have to be removed to do this? if so thats gonna mean im gonna loose brake fluid and need to bleed that rear caliper. thats not an issue as far as technical skill goes but i dont have anyone i trust to help me on this so ill have to get one of those mittyvac vacuum bleeders. lmk if this can be done without removing the piston.

 

You don't have to bleed the brakes just to replace the boots.
There's no snap ring around the boots. They just go off and on and fit snugly by the groove. You don't have to slide the piston out either.

 

wow thats great news. tyau i want to thank you very much for all the help and guidance with this project. you have been very helpful. i just ordered the replacement boot and ill let you know how it goes. the brakes on this car are so easy to work on im just amazed. one last thing. do you start taking the boot off from the inside or outside? also, what type of tool are you using. let me know and i should be good to go. ill let the forums know how the install went in this thread after i get it done. thanks again!

 

I am very sorry. I forgot that the rear is slightly different from the front, it has been years since I've rebuilt rear calipers. There is a C-ring in there. Other than that, the process is as described above.

When replacing the boots, you only need a screw driver to pry out the c-ring that holds the piston boot in place. Try not to use tools to pry out the piston boot. You don't want to damage the boot just in case, for whatever reason, that you may not be able to replace it.

The manual instructs you to remove the piston when when removing the boot because the manual assumes that when you are replacing the piston boot, you would also be replacing the piston ring as well.

Once you remove the c-ring, which you simply pry out with a screw driver, you just pull the old boot out. The new boot will require pushing into place with your finger tips. You will just have to work on it. It is possible.

By the way, it is okay to reuse the old c-rings. Many caliper boot kits do not come with the c-rings. The manual says not to reuse the old ones, but they can surely be reused if your new boots do not come with the rings. .

Clean the inside of the calipers with brake cleaner. Chance is that there's probably some dust in there. Apply some brake rubber grease to help slide the boot on easily.

 

so do you have to take the piston out to get the boot off or not? earlier you said no, and also that the manual says you have to, but only because they assume you are replacing the internal seals as well. im assuming you dont, but lmk for sure. thanks!

 

You don't have to take out the piston.

Imagine having to rebuild a perfectly fine caliper every time you have a ripped boot! It's very straight forward. Remove and install kind of deal. I am sure you will be fine. No fluid will come out just from taking out the boot. It helps to have strong finger tips when you replace them.