Moderator drewpy Posted December 1, 2008 Moderator Share Posted December 1, 2008 Don't think its the fork as there would be oil dripping down the fork otherwise. The mechanic is gonna order me a new caliper, or at least find out the prices for one. On top of this some barsteward has taken the speedo cable from my bike, it was detached from the wheel the other day and when I screwed it back on it still didnt work, turns out someone has nicked the cable from inside! tighten the speedo cable up with pliers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spainy Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 tighten the speedo cable up with pliers Wont make a difference they have nicked the actual cable from inside the piping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Airhead Posted December 2, 2008 Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2008 Wont make a difference they have nicked the actual cable from inside the piping. does the"piping" screw on with a knurled ferrule? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spainy Posted December 2, 2008 Author Share Posted December 2, 2008 does the"piping" screw on with a knurled ferrule? do you mean with a metal type of screw end?If so, yes it does...does that help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted December 2, 2008 Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2008 Wont make a difference they have nicked the actual cable from inside the piping. when you get it replaced i mean, then it will be harder to nick in the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Airhead Posted December 2, 2008 Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2008 Thats what i was getting at, how do you know it was nicked? Might have just come unscrewed if it werent nipped up, if this happened the inner cable could fall out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted December 3, 2008 Moderator Share Posted December 3, 2008 Thats what i was getting at, how do you know it was nicked? Might have just come unscrewed if it werent nipped up, if this happened the inner cable could fall out! true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spainy Posted December 5, 2008 Author Share Posted December 5, 2008 true Yep that is true, however it was completely disconnected, do you think that is possible without some kind of human intervention? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Airhead Posted December 5, 2008 Moderator Share Posted December 5, 2008 Yep that is true, however it was completely disconnected, do you think that is possible without some kind of human intervention? I'm not saying it hasnt been tampered with, it might be the case, I'm just pointing out that it might have undone itself if it wasnt tightened up properly, you should be able to judge for yourself if it could come completely off, myself i would think yes it could, given that the forks do a fair amount if bouncing up & down over grids, potholes and speed bumps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted December 7, 2008 Moderator Share Posted December 7, 2008 I'm not saying it hasnt been tampered with, it might be the case, I'm just pointing out that it might have undone itself if it wasnt tightened up properly, you should be able to judge for yourself if it could come completely off, myself i would think yes it could, given that the forks do a fair amount if bouncing up & down over grids, potholes and speed bumps if i don't nip mine up wid the pliers , they undo themselves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spainy Posted January 29, 2009 Author Share Posted January 29, 2009 Getting back onto topic, been quoted 280 euros for a new caliper, thats a third of the value of the bike. Just gonna have to hope that I don't need to brake too hard and carry on as they are. Forks are still dry so it's def not coming from there, but the caliper, especially back of it(the bit you can't see unless you lean over and look at the back of the caliper) is pretty covered in oil...or whatever it is. It has now been the same for 5 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Airhead Posted January 29, 2009 Moderator Share Posted January 29, 2009 Getting back onto topic, been quoted 280 euros for a new caliper, thats a third of the value of the bike. Just gonna have to hope that I don't need to brake too hard and carry on as they are. Forks are still dry so it's def not coming from there, but the caliper, especially back of it(the bit you can't see unless you lean over and look at the back of the caliper) is pretty covered in oil...or whatever it is. It has now been the same for 5 months. Why not just strip the caliper and fit new seals, do you have to keep topping up the reservoir? I'm surprised it passes an MOT test like this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabby Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 at the bottom of the forks, where the axle is clamped in place,, is there not a big bolt in there going up the inside of the fork keeping the inner fork in place? if so, take the wheel off and check its tight. its the only place oil could be coming from other than the caliper seals, brake pipes, or the fork seals or the drain screw. there is nowhere else. the inner cable from your speedo couldve just fallen out it would be very foolish of someone to risk getting nicked just for that,, more than likely they would half inch the whole bike. talcum powder and look for the wet spots the best idea.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gas up - Let's Go! Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 talcum powder and look for the wet spots the best idea.. I went out with a bird once, used this tech...... I'll shutup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabby Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 big girl, then ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spainy Posted February 13, 2009 Author Share Posted February 13, 2009 I have just taken the caliper off the bike and checked it all over and cannot see where this bloody oil,or whatever it is, is coming from. I was hoping that somebody could post a picture pointing out where the seals are that I need to check. The caliper only has the one pipe attached to it which comes from the disk oil box, correct? That seems completely dry on the outside, and inside the caliper there is no immediate suggestion as to where the fluid is coming from....it is all dirty with fluid but not wet. It would be great if someone can put up a picture so that I can eliminate each possible area, this is really pi$$ing me off now. THanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabby Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 buy a new seal kit, undo the caliper from the fork leg, dont remove the brake pipe,take out the brake pads and bin them, hold the caliper so you can see inside it theres a big round bit in the centre, thats the piston. now, gently, and i mean gently pull the brake lever in and the piston should start to move out of the caliper. its not very deep probably only about an inch or so. at some point when its coming out of the caliper it'll start to go loose , thats when its about ready to pop out. ease it out ever so gently now cos theres brake fluid under pressure forcing it out. when it finally is ready to come out lift it out of the way. empty the caliper of all the brake fluid, use a container of some sort, give it all a good clean with a rag, dont get it on you or any parts of the bike, its the best paint stripper going. take the brake pipe off and wrap a rag round the end of it. keep the top on the master cylinder ( where the lever is) and it shoudnt leak too much fluid from the brake pipe. the caliper is now detached and empty so put it on a bench and look inside it where the piston came out. theres a round black rubber seal in there which prevents the oil leaking from around the piston. thats the seal. its probably held in with a circlip of some sort so remove this and gently pry the seal out taking care not to scratch any of the metal surfaces. lay the new seal kit out and see what you've got. remove any bits from the caliper that look the same as the bits in the new kit, and replace them with the new bits, go easy and replace everything exactly as it was. give the piston a clean and gently push it back into the caliper. put the brake pipe back on, a new set of brake pads, and bolt it back on the fork leg and bleed it to get any air out of the pipe and caliper.. remember when your bleeding it to top up the master cylinder resovoir, once its bled and youve got good pressure on the brake lever bobs yer uncle. if any of that is wrong then someone speak up and correct me. i hope it goes ok cos you cant run about with dodgy brakes my friend. they're the most important part of the bike. if your not sure then buy the kit and give the whole lot to a mechanic and get him to do it. ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spainy Posted February 13, 2009 Author Share Posted February 13, 2009 buy a new seal kit, undo the caliper from the fork leg, dont remove the brake pipe,take out the brake pads and bin them, hold the caliper so you can see inside it theres a big round bit in the centre, thats the piston. now, gently, and i mean gently pull the brake lever in and the piston should start to move out of the caliper. its not very deep probably only about an inch or so. at some point when its coming out of the caliper it'll start to go loose , thats when its about ready to pop out. ease it out ever so gently now cos theres brake fluid under pressure forcing it out. when it finally is ready to come out lift it out of the way. empty the caliper of all the brake fluid, use a container of some sort, give it all a good clean with a rag, dont get it on you or any parts of the bike, its the best paint stripper going. take the brake pipe off and wrap a rag round the end of it. keep the top on the master cylinder ( where the lever is) and it shoudnt leak too much fluid from the brake pipe. the caliper is now detached and empty so put it on a bench and look inside it where the piston came out. theres a round black rubber seal in there which prevents the oil leaking from around the piston. thats the seal. its probably held in with a circlip of some sort so remove this and gently pry the seal out taking care not to scratch any of the metal surfaces. lay the new seal kit out and see what you've got. remove any bits from the caliper that look the same as the bits in the new kit, and replace them with the new bits, go easy and replace everything exactly as it was. give the piston a clean and gently push it back into the caliper. put the brake pipe back on, a new set of brake pads, and bolt it back on the fork leg and bleed it to get any air out of the pipe and caliper.. remember when your bleeding it to top up the master cylinder resovoir, once its bled and youve got good pressure on the brake lever bobs yer uncle. if any of that is wrong then someone speak up and correct me. i hope it goes ok cos you cant run about with dodgy brakes my friend. they're the most important part of the bike. if your not sure then buy the kit and give the whole lot to a mechanic and get him to do it. ian. Thats brilliant Ian, thank you very much for the explanation, it's very clear. Before I start to look at doing this, one thing, the piston is completely clean and all around it's edges also, if oil was coming from there would it not be dirty? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabby Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 if the pistons dry its probably ok but its worth doing anyway and you have piece of mind, if the brakes are spongy that'll sort it ,might be worthwile too to get new brake pipes if you have the rubber type replace them with braided pipe, i know it can be quite expensive but theres no point in skimping on brakes. if that doesnt sort the oil leak then i would be looking at the forks and perhaps giving them a rebuild, replacing seals and what have you, there only is two sources of oil around your brake disc, the caliper and the forks. either way its going to cost you but thats the joy of biking i'm afraid. im surprised the mechanic looking at it originally couldnt suss it out, might be worthwhile finding a new mechanic, no disrespect to the guy, but, what the hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spainy Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 if the pistons dry its probably ok but its worth doing anyway and you have piece of mind, if the brakes are spongy that'll sort it ,might be worthwile too to get new brake pipes if you have the rubber type replace them with braided pipe, i know it can be quite expensive but theres no point in skimping on brakes. if that doesnt sort the oil leak then i would be looking at the forks and perhaps giving them a rebuild, replacing seals and what have you, there only is two sources of oil around your brake disc, the caliper and the forks. either way its going to cost you but thats the joy of biking i'm afraid. im surprised the mechanic looking at it originally couldnt suss it out, might be worthwhile finding a new mechanic, no disrespect to the guy, but, what the hell. Thanks again for the info. The mechanic suggested replacing the caliper as he couldn't see where it could possible be coming from either. It's very bizarre and am thinking about going to another mechanic - it's just a hassle as it's my only mode of transport and in Spain they take days to do anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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