[Vwdiesel] Brake Grease?

[Val Christian]

Well, I guess I'm going to show either contrarianism or stupidity.
On brakes, where shoes are involved, I don't use any lube.

Neverseize will cook off at high brake temps, but there is a high
temp neversieze which will work.  It's used on chains going through 
furnaces.  Seen it, I just don't know where to buy it.
Regular Neversieze works well on splines, as Hagar points out.
Use on the CV joint retaining nut (the 32mm one).

Rather than compressed air (never mind asbestos, the brake dust is 
small and not good for you), I use these neat cans of "brake cleaner".
Two of them is fine for one car, and you might just use on can.
[The solvent in them boils off quickly, especially when it gets in 
your eyes (happened two weeks ago, working on a mower).]  The solvent
in the brake cleaner is handy for cleaning other things; I've even 
cheated and used it for starter fluid on a 2 stroke engine.

Back to brakes.  Clean with solvent.  Make sure that the backing
plate doesn't have rust at rub points.  200 or 400 grit sand paper
if it does.  On VW shoes, I clean up the adjuster wedge with the 
cleaner.  On a couple of cars, I've replaced the adjuster wedge.
But not often.  (Doing a non-VW (Caravan), I was able to buy complete
springs and and the adjuster screws (which had siezed up, without 
visible corosion) for about $20 for both rear drums.)

I find it necessary to use a hammer to tap drums on and off periodically,
even though the adjuster is properly set.  Don't bang on things, just
tap.

On rotors, I always make certain that the sliders are working smoothly.
On domestic cars, new sliders are usually cheap.  Ditto with the slider boots.
I also wire brush and file smooth the guides for the pads.  With a file,
I remove the flashing from stamping the pad backing plates.  I bevel it
slightly.  If I have hi-temp paint (gas grill paint) on hand, I'll hit the 
area I filed with a shot of it.

Replacing rotors and drums, I like to paint them.  Including the insides 
of vented rotors.  Again, gas grill paint.  It reduces rust, and keeps 
the heat transfer up.  Smooths the surface a little reducing dust buildup,
which I assume affects heat transfer.

For disc pads, since they're cheap, and AutoZone and Advance offer lifetime
pads, I tend to go with the standard semi-metalic breed.  On my current older
VW, I've replaced the pads twice, and the drums are original. 200k miles.

On my 2003, with 36kmiles, the rear rotors are chirping.  According to the 
dealer, that's pretty common, and they offer a brake "service" option where
they grind the outer ridges off, and flake rust off.

Just a few additional pointers.  For drums, a vice grip pliers or two, and
a long 12" screwdriver, and a 6" needle nose pliers, will mean that you
really don't need any special brake tools.  A brake spoon is handy,
but screwdrivers work on the VWs.  For the rotors, most of the time 
I end up using a torch and then a hammer to free rotors off the hubs.
Remember, western NY is the salt capital of the world.  Another tool
that is REALLY handy on the rotor calipers, is a 4" jaw, 16 or 20"
arc joint pilers.  Before you pull the old pads from the caliper, use 
the arc joints to compress the piston(s).  Gentle pressure.  With the old
pads in place, you'll be less likely to accidentally damage the 
piston dust boot.

Rather than hang the calipers by a coathanger, as some books show, I use
a spackle bucket upside down, or a plastic recycle bin upside down.  It 
gives a modified work surface, and supports the caliper.

When I first started working on cars, I broke caliper retainer bolts 
all the time.  On some vehicles they are rather beefy.  After a while, I got
smart and borrowed a friends oxy-acetylene torch, and then got my own.
That helped.  But the best help was using impact.  The friend who 
generously loaned me the torch, also had a 120V powered 1/2" impact tool.
As soon as I bought my first house, I bought a compressor.  Still use it.
Every day, even if for blowing grass off of me after mowing.

Generally, I don't use anti-squeal goos.  One time when I did have an
unsolvable squeal problem, I waited until the pad was worn down a little,
and then put a shopmade insert made from a beer can.  The squeal 
disappeared, and the beer went just above my beltline.

My driving doesn't have allot of braking, so I probably get away with things
that others might be advised against.  For example, if I bleed a brake 
system, replacing fluid, it's more likely that I do that after 10 years of
owning a car.  On VWs, I probably do it sooner, because for some reason,
I used to go through master cylinders on the Rabbits.  But it could be 
because I didn't bleed them.  About 150kmiles, for a master cyl.  My luck
is much better with Caravans.

Finally, for many vehicles, Chinese steel is cheap enough, so that 
replacing rotors and drums is easier, and not much more expensive than
turning them.

Oh, if anyone is in the Rochester area, and needs a new rear Rabbit/Jetta
drum with new bearings, let me know.  Such a deal.


Happy Memorial Day.

Val







 
> So, what type of grease should be used on the backing plate where the
> sides of the shoes contact and other contact points? =20
> 
>   --  Gavrik
> 
> 
> IMHO    the VW that you got is not critical  ------ here is what I do :
> 
> I like to use a blast of air to clean things. So I use dry lubes.
> 
> Any number out there like graphite ,moly  etc.    Around a Rabbit the =
> most
> powerful lube that I tested so far is  Dow-Corning  "molykote" G-rapid  =
> spray..
> 
> It works like the dickens on brakes ---starters ---steering racks..  My =
> four
> Rabits were hard to steer when I got them  A good spray on racks and =
> what
> not.   Like power steering now ---compared.
> 
> Bentley recommends -- Dow Corning Molykote # 321  or its equivalent. on =
> racks.
> 
> I had used it for years before reading that. --- so maybe experience =
> does count ?.
> 
> On the pictures I sent you , all that silvery stuff is Neversneeze. =
> Marine grade.
> I use that on all threads.  Nothing to sneeze at let me tell you. Salt =
> around here
> is a problem. Put lots on front wheel splines.
> 
> Hagar.
> 
> PS:  I discover a nifty way to do the rear brakes on Rabbits  1980 to =
> 1986. due to
> the fact that I had no Bentley at the time.----Bloody good thing , =
> because I always
> try to do by the book.  Now it is a pure joy to do the brakes. No =
> special tools of any kind.
> Springs  are fun to remove and install. NO special pliers. --Believe it =
> or not. HA.
> 
> One last thing Gavrik  ---did you put the wedge dimple pointing in or =
> out ?
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