cleaning disc brakes with white spirit ?

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Linford

Guest
Wrong. You shouldn't use automotive disc brake cleaner on bicycle brakes. Because they also contain oil as a surface protector. Car brakes being iron and all.


I've never had a problem with using this as a degreaser. I've got a couple of cans at home. I'll take a look at them later. The brake disk rotors on my motorbike are steel and they rust very easily.

I'd be surprised to see anyone using Stainless steel as rotor material as it is generally very soft.
 
I've never had a problem with using this as a degreaser.
.... on the disc rotors of your bicycle?
 

zexel

Veteran
Location
Cambs
Wrong. You shouldn't use automotive disc brake cleaner on bicycle brakes. Because they also contain oil as a surface protector. Car brakes being iron and all.

You are wrong and are in fact talking bollards. Halfords brake cleaner doesn't contain any oil. It is designed to be sprayed on all brake components including rubber seals and pad material.

Edit: Apologies mickle, it shouldn't be sprayed directly onto pad material.
 

Linford

Guest
You are wrong and are in fact talking bollards. Halfords brake cleaner doesn't contain any oil. It is designed to be sprayed on all brake components including rubber seals and pad material.

Edit: Apologies mickle, it shouldn't be sprayed directly onto pad material.


This is what Wynns say about their product. from the Halfords website

features & benefits of Wynn's Brake & Clutch Cleaner

  • Removes oil, brake fluid, grease & other dirt from metal parts
  • Powerful spray application
  • Eliminates dust from brake & clutch parts
  • Restores the friction of brake & clutch lining material
  • Leaves no residue
  • For use on brake parts: drum & disc brakes, lining material, brake pads, block pads, springs, cylinders etc.
  • For use on clutch parts: clutch lining, pressure plate & all other clutch parts
  • Also suitable for all mechanical & other parts of the car
 
You are wrong and are in fact talking bollards. Halfords brake cleaner doesn't contain any oil. It is designed to be sprayed on all brake components including rubber seals and pad material.

You clearly have a great deal of knowledge on the subject and you may well be right. And Im not saying that you're wrong. All I can say is that I aquired my information from a good friend who owns of the countries most highly respected mountain bike shops and also happens to be one of Europe's top pro down-hill race team mechanics.
 
I've long since ceased to be amazed at what others don't know and the things that I find I don't know even when I thought I did. I'll also talk internet 'smack' with the best of them I just don't think it's great on this section of the site. I know you can ask a question on other sites and be abused to high heaven, from your basic UTFS to specualtion about your immediate ancestry, and you can see that sort of traffic die right off on those sites.

Just my take on it, you don't need to agree

point taken - I was assuming too much.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
Once you've got the pads contaminated there's not much to do other than bin them and replace them. Superstar components are cheap replacements. At a fiver a pair that will be cheaper than squirting a can of Wynns at them.

I use Wynns on my discs after I washed the bike as it gets additive residue off the discs.

Halfords sell muc-off hydrating brake cleaner to reduce squeal. It eliminates squeal completely, along with 95% of the braking power. Avoid it at all costs.
 

Linford

Guest
Once you've got the pads contaminated there's not much to do other than bin them and replace them. Superstar components are cheap replacements. At a fiver a pair that will be cheaper than squirting a can of Wynns at them.

I use Wynns on my discs after I washed the bike as it gets additive residue off the discs.

Halfords sell muc-off hydrating brake cleaner to reduce squeal. It eliminates squeal completely, along with 95% of the braking power. Avoid it at all costs.

At a fiver a pop, replace and bin the old ones. It is a farly cheap lesson to learn. Brake pads on my motorbike are about £100 a set for the front wheel if I buy OEM ones
 
OP
OP
007fair

007fair

Senior Member
Location
Glasgow Brr ..
At a fiver a pop, replace and bin the old ones. It is a farly cheap lesson to learn. Brake pads on my motorbike are about £100 a set for the front wheel if I buy OEM ones
I think this is what I will be doing
Looks like I am not the first to be so stupid :wacko: http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=16366645
 

Night Train

Maker of Things
When I was a mechanic, back in the early cretaceous, we only ever used petrol to clean brake parts (not pad or shoe friction material) as it would evaporate without leaving an oily residual. White sprites and similar would leave a residual that reduced friction and resulted in having to clean and change the pads or shoes.

Apprentices who used diesel for cleaning brakes were usually jet washed in the corner of the yard made to jet wash the underside of lorries!
 

zexel

Veteran
Location
Cambs
This is what Wynns say about their product. from the Halfords website

Thank you for informing me about the Wynn's product.

I was talking specifically about 'Halfords' brake cleaner which had been referred to earlier in the thread, which advises, "... do NOT spray directly onto linings".
 

Linford

Guest
I think this is what I will be doing
Looks like I am not the first to be so stupid :wacko: http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=16366645

I've done a fair amount of work over the years both on disk and drum brakes with both cars and motorbikes (hydraulic systems). It is a bit of a learning curve - especiallly when stripping and rebuilding hydraulic calipers. Just have to work very very clean, and use red rubber grease on the rebuild.
 

Linford

Guest
Thank you for informing me about the Wynn's product.

I was talking specifically about 'Halfords' brake cleaner which had been referred to earlier in the thread, which advises, "... do NOT spray directly onto linings".

I'd say that the Halfords stuff isn't then best product for the job.
 

Linford

Guest
When I was a mechanic, back in the early cretaceous, we only ever used petrol to clean brake parts (not pad or shoe friction material) as it would evaporate without leaving an oily residual. White sprites and similar would leave a residual that reduced friction and resulted in having to clean and change the pads or shoes.

Apprentices who used diesel for cleaning brakes were usually jet washed in the corner of the yard made to jet wash the underside of lorries!

The problem with using any oil based fuel as a cleaner or using copperslip is that it makes rubber swell - more specifically. the seals in the slave cylinders. they run at such tight tolerances anyway, any alteration in this can cause them to stick.

Most of the problems I've come across are becaause brine from the road salt gets into the seal grooves, starts growing crystals due to the heat cycles, and these crystals make the eseal pinch the pistons (seizure)

They aren't rocket science, but petrochem products are well iffy. Grease based Copperslip is sold as a brake anti squeel compound, but people use it all over. I've even had conversations with trained mechanics who don't understand this - which is a bit unnerving.
 

Night Train

Maker of Things
At the time there wasn't much in the way of 'off the shelf products' for the job. Brake drums and discs were wiped round with a petrol damped rag to remove the greasy fingerprints during reassembly. Rubber seals on cylinders were refitted with brake fluid as a lube and then wiped clean with a dry rag after.

There are products for doing stuff like that now.

Copperslip, if used at all, was a very light smear on the back face of the brake pad where the piston contacted it. I've seen numpties smear it on the friction face of the pads!:wacko:
 
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