I have a mechanical hayes which has started an annoying habit of either being insanely loud or does not work at all. I've noticed a black residue on the rotor, so I've cleaned the rotor several times and changed the pads. The residue returns within a few minutes of riding. I think the caliper may be contaminated. Should I try soaking it in a solvent or will this only make matters worse?
Caliper cleaning
- Thread starter TRON
- Start date
Calipers themselves don't ever really become "contaminated" as such. They can get dirty though. Since you're dealing with mechanical brakes, messing around with the caliper isn't a big deal since you won't need to bleed it afterwards.
Try taking the half-caliper screws out so the caliper is in two pieces. Remove the pads and just scrub out the whole caliper with bike wash or just plain old soapy water. Dry it off and put it back together. Make sure you're using clean pads and a clean rotor as well.
Once you've got everything back together make sure the caliper is aligned properly. The last thing you want is to find out that the black stuff you're seeing is paint off the caliper. There should be NO rubbing when the brake is not on. You should also be able to see 2-3mm of inner (non-moving) pad showing on both sides of the caliper. Once that's all done adjust the outer (moving) pad accordingly and see what happens.
If something is still up, you may have real serious problems or perhaps you've simply just broken a mirror in the last 7 years. Either way, if problems are still persistent, it's time for a trip to the LBS.
Good Luck!
Try taking the half-caliper screws out so the caliper is in two pieces. Remove the pads and just scrub out the whole caliper with bike wash or just plain old soapy water. Dry it off and put it back together. Make sure you're using clean pads and a clean rotor as well.
Once you've got everything back together make sure the caliper is aligned properly. The last thing you want is to find out that the black stuff you're seeing is paint off the caliper. There should be NO rubbing when the brake is not on. You should also be able to see 2-3mm of inner (non-moving) pad showing on both sides of the caliper. Once that's all done adjust the outer (moving) pad accordingly and see what happens.
If something is still up, you may have real serious problems or perhaps you've simply just broken a mirror in the last 7 years. Either way, if problems are still persistent, it's time for a trip to the LBS.
Good Luck!
Well I should have added that it's an old neglected part that was not moving as smooth as it once did, so I took it apart and worked some penetrating oil into the mechanics (didn't mention this before in an attempt to avoid looking like a dumbass oiling his brakes). I thought I had cleaned it all up. Just to be sure I thought of soaking it but I was afraid I'd use the wrong solution and escalate my problems. This brake has not worked right since I got it in 03 and I don't know why I keep thinking that I should resurrect it.
Well keep giving it a shot....it's not stupid. When I have some free time I always try and get old non-working stuff to work, that's why I'm a mechanic. What model Hayes Mechanical is it, feel free to PM me or post some pictures if you want any further advice. Oh and Tri-Flow on brakes is totally ok, it's Tri-Flow on brake pads, rotors & brakewall surfaces that's dumb.