Wilwood Dynapro/dynalite maintenance
 

<p>Recently ran across these</p><p>And it got me wondering. How should I take care of my dust boot-less dynapros. How often should the be cleaned/rebuilt. How should I clean them when I swap pads and push the pistons back in.</p><p>Or should I just try and get some of the dust boot versions. Anyone have experience with them?</p><p>My car is definitely still a street car.</p><p>&nbsp;</p>

While I'm reading this on my phone, is there a significant price difference between the booted and non booted versions?

<p>About $20 a caliper.</p>

run the bootless and replace them every 3 years. they only cost 200 bucks for a pair. boots like to catch fire on track.

if the calipers where real expensive i would rebuild them. but for the sake of rebuilding a caliper for 60 or buying a new one for 100 bucks i'll spend the extra cash and have a body that isn't fatigued.

<p>Dynapros are more like 300. And if you can spend 340 and get more than a 10% increase in lifetime why not get the dustboot ones.</p><p>And suggestions on maintenance?&nbsp;</p>

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/wil-120-9703
dynapro 140 bucks.

if you track your car do no run dust boots. they catch on fire.

<p>http://www.summitracing.com/parts/wil-120-11481</p><p>50 dollars more total. If I get even another year without replacement aren't they worth it?</p><p>What is wrong with the dust-booted ones.</p>

with track use the dust boots catch on fire.

<p>Ok yeah. Thats a pretty good reason.</p><p>What about maintenance and cleaning?</p>

Just a random thought on my end, but even if you clean them, they're going to get covered in brake dust again in short order, right? You wouldn't be cleaning the inside, so I kinda doubt it would matter.

I would think the best maintenance would be to just flush the brake fluid to keep it clean/happy and inspect the pads. So say if you track the crap out of it one weekend, maybe flush the fluid after that for example and check the brake pads.

<p>My track pads dust, my street pads, not as much.</p><p>Also, dirt grime, etc. Brake cleaner?</p>

Did you fall and hit your head?

<p>No. He edited that post. When I saw his response all it said was. Both of them actually. He didn't say they catch on fire until I specifically asked what was wrong with them.</p><p>&quot;run the bootless and replace them every 3 years. they only cost 200 bucks for a pair.&quot;</p><p>Which tells me nothing of why not to, other than they are cheap.</p>

I would not spray brake cleaner on them. Just go find some rubber and spray it down with brake parts cleaner, watch it swell up big time and get really soft. That would be your O-rings inside the caliper if you spray them with brake parts cleaner.

<p>That is why I ask these questions instead of doing. Thank you.</p>

Are you actually just asking how to clean them to make them pretty? Or to improve reliability? I assume reliability. If you just want them to not look dusty, I'm sure soap/water is fine and shouldn't hurt anything. I wash the Brembo calipers on my C63 with car soap whenever I wash it, it's never hurt them. I'd be willing to be they have boots though, but i've never checked.

<p>Reliability. Grime around the pistons.</p><p>Street cars have dust boots for a reason.</p>

No worries. Brake parts cleaner is nasty stuff. I've had it take paint off before... I use it when building engines to final clean parts before assembly. Actually I rarely use it for brakes...

<p>I use it to clean my rotors from the oil they pack them with.</p><p>And washing my hands when they get real grimmy.</p>

Yeah but a street caliper with boots and regular fluid flush will last a very very long time. My 99 miata has all original calipers with ~160K miles on it, they work perfect. All I've ever done is grease the pins once when I bought it, and flush the fluid every year or two since. I would bet with no maintenance other than fluid flushes those calipers you run will work 3 years without an issue.

This is probably a dumb question, but can you buy calipers that have boots, and just remove the boots before a track day? Sorry, no experience with the calipers you're running so I dunno if this is possible, but perhaps?

Be careful doing that, I've done it too, but there's some bad cancer-causing chemicals in that stuff. I wear gloves now when using it.

<p>Not sure. @OGRacing would know the answer to that.</p>

Don't ever set it on fire, it makes stuff that smells like fresh cut grass. If you inhale it, you die. Phosgene is the word, or the bad stuff. I agree with pat as well, that shit is not to be fucked with. I bet you can't even buy it in cali.

That means don't weld parts cleaned with brake cleaner, either. Don't do lines off hot brake rotors cleaned with brake clean.

I plan on pulling my pads and blowing out whatever dust gets between the pad and caliper as I rotate the wheels. I plan on using air, because you really don't want to pack dust down in the bore between the piston.

<p> </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>I actually laughed out loud, and had intended on making a similar post as Andrew did. Glad you clarified :laugh:</p><p>Seems like best bet is just to use the crap out of them and replace them every 3 years or so. Not too bad.</p>

It's tetrachloroethylene that makes phosgene when you heat it, and no, you can't buy it in California. :) Brake cleaner here is basically heptane and acetone.

--Ian

I've never had issues with the Bootless. Many years of service and no maintenance on the pistons. I've seen lots of dust boots turned to charcoal.

Those are are mean for track use, stock 1.8 calipers boots melted while on track.. I assume any boots will do the same... and you got the feedback info that they will BBQ even on Wilwood's calipers.

Check the pistons for wear and replace if you can...

I think I got the catching on fire thing figured out.

So walk me through this noob style.

When changing pads I want to make sure to clean the piston off real good before pushing it back into the caliper. So compressed air? Wipe it clean?

Can I push them in one by one?

Stupid questions but I've never dealt with wilwoods before.

I would just wipe them off with a rag and push them back in. I have always used an old brake pad and a c-clamp to push the pistons back in, not sure if that's the proper way but it's always worked for me.

You're gonna need to support all ze pistons when you try reinserting them, otherwise they'll go pop again and that's no fun.

I have no idea on the dust, I was gonna cross that bridge when I came to it.

I've had Dynalites on my car for 10 years now and never bothered to clean the pistons, seems to be doing fine.

As for retracting the pads, it's best to do it by pushing all of them at once, but I've done it before with just a screwdriver and it works fine. The best way of it is to buy one of these, though:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1443247816
Lisle Tools 29100LISLE Disc Brake Pad Spreader

Insert it in the caliper, squeeze 3 times, wiggle it to pop it out, and insert new pads. Done.

--Ian

Thats like $20 too much. Wish harbor freight had a version.

If i could buy it locally at that price and have it now I'd do it NAO. But unfortunately it won't arrive before Laguna so... maybe later. maybe.

Caliper spreader is choice for fixed calipers multiple pistons. Works great on my lotus calipers as well as 6-8 piston gigantic bmw/porsche calipers. Worth it's weight in gold

EDIT : wrong pic

How would that work for something like a dynapro?

It doesn't, that's for a single piston sliding caliper like the factory one.

Swapped pads today and I couldn't find my caliper speculum, had to make do with a screwdriver instead. Took a few minutes longer, but still works fine.

Found the spreader 10 minutes after I was done with the brakes, while getting out the heat gun.

--Ian

sorry i was out of town all week with the SCCA runoffs and racing with NASA @ Savannah.

generally the pistons will move outward, so keeping the pistons clean isn't that much of a concern. if you want, during pad a change (when the pistons are moving inward).. hit the pistons with brake clean and wipe them off with a lint free rag. that should keep them clean. but like i said before you shouldn't have any problems with dirt, and stainless pistons shouldn't rust.