Brake Caliper Problem

[Michael Fling]

Final touches before body shop and noticed a leak on front brakes/ leaking around banjos washer in front calipers. Removed banjo to inspect and noticed that threads in caliper were gone! Dang it. Not sure if banjo was wrong size or what. So, now what? Helicoil, or should I look for a larger diameter banjo and tap for that size?

 

[John]

Ug.... I would not be comfortable with tapping a brake caliper due to the fluid pressure there, but that's just me. The calipers are about $250 each so it would be worth the effort to find a repair solution.

The banjos I got with the kit were the wrong ones for my calipers. If you have the Brembo calipers I have, they are GM part numbers 92233176 and 77.
The correct banjo for those are GM 11569590

 

[Fraser D]

I had a similar problem with a set of calipers. Turned out I used the wrong thread banjo, (metric vs standard) so I heli-coiled them with stainless inserts with no issues in two years of road and track use.

 

[Frank Clark]

RCR Sent me the wrong Banjos. Figured it out before I boogered up the threads.

I would be fine with Heli-Coil or threading to a larger size as the banjo does not use the threads to seal. Just be sure to get it CLEAN before assembly.

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

InlineTube the manufacturer and supplier of the brake line systems and fittings for all of our cars was made aware of this issue and has since replaced the banjos in the brake line kits with the correct threaded ones.

 

[Dan Carter]

Any idea when the corrected delivery started? What thread is correct?

Best to double check before tightening them down.

Sorry it happened Mike, but glad you posted for the rest of us.

 

[Alex]

I once stripped the threads in a wilwood caliper (NPT) ... or more, specifically, i over-tightened the fitting, which caused it to break in half, and then damaged the threads extracting the broken fitting :/

I tapped it ... results were not good.

I would replace caliper.

 

[PeteB]

RCR sent me replacements, but it was after I'd already installed the banjos that came with the kit. No leaks, so I figured I was better off leaving them alone than removing and messing up the threads. Should I just leave them alone? Hmmmm...:huh:

 

[Grant S]

Hi Mike,
I wouldn't worry about it just tap them out to the next size up, If your not sure about taping them yourself take them into a machine shop or a brake and clutch shop they might charge you an hours labor much cheaper then buying new ones.

 

[Michael Fling]

InlineTube the manufacturer and supplier of the brake line systems and fittings for all of our cars was made aware of this issue and has since replaced the banjos in the brake line kits with the correct threaded ones.

Do they supply a solution to fix the problem with the supplied banjo?

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Mike
They will supply you the correct thread pitch banjo bolt.

 

[Howard Jones]

Just a little bit of advice. I have been using this stuff on pipe threads forever. Its made to seal the joint, PROVIDE LUBRICATION DURING ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY, work well in high temps, and disassemble easily.

It will PREVENT GALLING when you use steel fitting in aluminum bodies.

Do not use PFE tape. Little pieces can end up everywhere inside the system you are trying to seal. This is the same stuff, PFE, but will not breakup.

Perfect for steel brake fitting into a Wilwood aluminum caliper. Use just a little dab on the male threads and the assembly process will spread it all the way around the fitting.

Don't get mixed up with thread locker. Don't use thread locker for brake pipe thread into caliper bodies...........EVER.

https://www.jbtoolsales.com/loctite-37396-pst-565-thread-sealant/?gclid=CJq3rv6xjdECFQ-1wAodOZkIEg

 

[Cliff Beer]

It should be OK to re-bore the hole and cut the threads with the appropriate tap. One thought though, as the banjo fitting depends on the bore and threads being precisely perpendicular to the mating face for proper sealing it's important to do this carefully. You may be able to get away with doing this on a good quality drill press for both the bore and the tapping steps. Of course, watch the filings and clean the caliper thoroughly afterwards.

 

[Michael Fling]

Mike
They will supply you the correct thread pitch banjo bolt.

I don't want to replace the calipers. They have been powder coated already $$$. Any idea what head size I was supplied with, and what size I should increase to? How would I contact the vendor for replacements? I assume the rear would be the same way and should be replaced too?

 

[Scott]

Just a little bit of advice. I have been using this stuff on pipe threads forever. Its made to seal the joint, PROVIDE LUBRICATION DURING ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY, work well in high temps, and disassemble easily.

It will PREVENT GALLING when you use steel fitting in aluminum bodies.

Do not use PFE tape. Little pieces can end up everywhere inside the system you are trying to seal. This is the same stuff, PFE, but will not breakup.

Perfect for steel brake fitting into a Wilwood aluminum caliper. Use just a little dab on the male threads and the assembly process will spread it all the way around the fitting.

Don't get mixed up with thread locker. Don't use thread locker for brake pipe thread into caliper bodies...........EVER.

https://www.jbtoolsales.com/loctite-37396-pst-565-thread-sealant/?gclid=CJq3rv6xjdECFQ-1wAodOZkIEg

Howard, I'm not sure what instructions came with the OEM Brembo brakes, but I got the Brembo GT upgrade. It came with a sizeable manual which had the following warning:

WARNING! Do not use sealants or thread locking compounds on any of the pipe fittings.

So I wouldn't use that sealer on my brakes, but to your point on galling I would like to use anti-sieze. While the manual does indicate that the banjo bolts should be torqued to 20Nm, there is no explicit mention of anti-sieze so I'm not sure what to do...

 

[Alex]

Howard, I'm not sure what instructions came with the OEM Brembo brakes, but I got the Brembo GT upgrade. It came with a sizeable manual which had the following warning:

WARNING! Do not use sealants or thread locking compounds on any of the pipe fittings.

So I wouldn't use that sealer on my brakes, but to your point on galling I would like to use anti-sieze. While the manual does indicate that the banjo bolts should be torqued to 20Nm, there is no explicit mention of anti-sieze so I'm not sure what to do...

just use a few wraps of teflon tape if NPT

the trick is to not wrap the first thread - this way there's no worry about pieces breaking off and getting stuck in brake system.

 

[Howard Jones]

If you only want to prevent galling. Apply a little brake fluid on the threads of the fitting and screw it in the caliper body. If you really want to be super safe use isopropyl alcohol instead of brake fluid as a temporary lubricant.

They might be warning the buyer away from thread lockers and included sealants to be safe. I stand by my warning on tape. We went so far as to remove it from the parts catalog where I worked. Lots and lots of critical brake and electronic sensor components. We found that the contamination came from disassembly and leaving bits behind in the thread cavity. I guess if you are careful like Alex and don't take it apart you will be OK.

Not sure about anti-seize. That stuff has fish oil in it, doesn't it? I wonder how it will react with brake fluid.

 

[Michael Fling]

I just received an email from RCR Customer Service. Because of the expense I have in already powder coating the calipers etc. , they asked that I send them back to RCR so that they can repair them at no charge. That indeed is customer service, TY RCR!

 

[Dan Carter]

Checked my Brembos. My banjo bolts are M10 x 1.0. Perhaps someone else can confirm this is the standard.

 

[Ken Roberts]

The stock bolt #11569590 as installed on the Camaro SS is M10x1x27.5