fixed locked front brake.....maybe?

[Stig / Major Tom]

60 °F today - ladies are gone for a few days - plenty of garage space - so I'd run out of excuses for tackling my locked front brake on my 14 yr old LIKE200iLX.

I'm no expert on brakes, (cars or scooters) - though I've changed pads, shoes and rotors a few times on both - with some success.
Never dealt with a locked brake before. Not sure if it was related to my brake fluid R&R....or a few dozen too many rides in the rain, or the frigid temps - or all the above?

First I removed the dirty brake pad pins,



cleaned them with brake cleaner, then scrubby - then lubed them.


I gave the caliber a whack with a board and hammer - to push the pistons in and loosen it's grip on the rotor.
That worked - and also proved that it was not the wheel bearing binding the wheel. The brake was dragging - but the wheel could turn now.

I removed the caliber, then the bracket. And with both shoes in place I pulled the brake handle and the pistons moved out as far as I dared.
They looked like this.


I used a strip of green scrubby and some brake cleaner to polish the pistons - to very nearly new looking. Applied a coat of Super Lube. (if you want new pistons - you must buy the caliper) The lube here makes them look a mess  - but they were pretty shiny and smooth after using the scrubby.


Pressed the pistons in with the C clamp, assembling everything and getting the caliper slipped over the rotor is always a small adventure. I used high temp grease on the slide bracket. *the posts were actually clean and still well lubed after so many years!)

I attempted to use a new set of pads I had purchased when assembling spares 10 or 12 years ago. Glad the originals were still good - because the holes in the non-kymco pads were too small!
I did replace the mounting bolts with like-new ones from an eBay purchase years ago - a few pounds of hardware from a wrecked LIKE200i.



  So, does the brake work now? I pumped up the lever a couple times, bthe brakes worked - and they released afterwards!
Nevertheless - I will try a nearby ride first before heading out on the road at night.


Stig
no animals were hurt in the making of this post..... just don't ask me how many hours it took.

[Iahawk]

so problem solved? seems to be a cruddy slide pin or sticky piston?  The one thing I'd have liked to see you do before removing the caliper is to crack the bleeder screw loose. If you had a strong squirt of fluid out of that it would indicate the brake line holding pressure and not releasing it.

If you can now squeeze your brake, making sure it holds the wheel and release it and the wheel rolls...a few times...I think you're good to go!

All of our calipers could benefit from a regular cleaning like you just gave yours. Lots of crud can build up in there.

[Neil955i]

All of our calipers could benefit from a regular cleaning like you just gave yours. Lots of crud can build up in there.

You're so right Hawk.  The road salt used over here in the UK over winter means calipers get cruddy and rust sooo quickly that regular (at least every other season) strip down and clean is essential.  On my X-Town it was the rear brake which suffered the most.

[Neil955i]

Glad you've managed to sort it Stig.  I won't ask how long, but I will hazard a guess most of that was spemnt looking for that $@m% 10mm socket and getting up and down to locate the other essential items!  Ain't getting old a bugg3r?

[Stig / Major Tom]

so problem solved? seems to be a cruddy slide pin or sticky piston?  The one thing I'd have liked to see you do before removing the caliper is to crack the bleeder screw loose. If you had a strong squirt of fluid out of that it would indicate the brake line holding pressure and not releasing it.

If you can now squeeze your brake, making sure it holds the wheel and release it and the wheel rolls...a few times...I think you're good to go!

All of our calipers could benefit from a regular cleaning like you just gave yours. Lots of crud can build up in there.

In a couple of days I'll give it a try down our driveway. I know it will stop - but will it release?!
Hawk - note the little box wrench in the pile of tools, for the nipple - yeah, before I started, I placed a rubber band on the lever (NOT a massive one) cracked the bleeder at the caliper. It released some fluid and collapsed the lever. Always leery of opening the bleeder without first putting some pressure in the line. My concern is letting it some air. So, the rubber band.....

I'm sure lots of bits on my scooters would benefit from preventative servicing. I like to think with regular checks of TPR, oiling and belts on schedule the scoot is good enough. Never had one leave me road-side - other than a slashed tire, since taking delivery of the Kymco, May, 2013.

I'm a few years past the age of tinkering, and if it's not going to strand me - my thinking is, "fixing it is little more trouble than PMmming it."

"Did I say that out loud?!"

Stig

[randyo]

I have discovered, many bikes, it's cheaper to buy a new caliper, of course DIY that wouldn't apply IF you have the tools, like a brake hone

[Stig / Major Tom]

I have discovered, many bikes, it's cheaper to buy a new caliper, of course DIY that wouldn't apply IF you have the tools, like a brake hone

Agreed RANDY. Sometimes popping a new part on seems to be the way to go. A person's back and hips reach a certain age where squatting for a few hours next to a scooter isn't much fun. I ached for 2.5 days after kneeling next to that caliper! Worst part was my family was out of town, and I had no one to listen to my complaints!

Stig

[Neil955i]

Can surely identify with that Stig.  The arthritis I have in my hips makes squatting a thing of the past for me - I even struggle bending down far enough to pick up our dogs' poop!  (Not helped by my short arms, wife's teasing nickname for me is T-Rex!)

Always worse in the winter I'm still waiting for the first 20C day finally to get around to changing the scoot's transmission oil.  Mileage is still under 10K miles so no harm done.

[JJJoseph]

Disc brakes that won't release is always stuck pistons.  They look just like yours! I find it's a longer lasting fix to take the pistons out completely for cleaning.  Usually you need an Amazon tool or maybe compressed air to extract the pistons.  The downside is you have to bleed the line afterward, and it takes about 1/2 hr of patient squeezing to finish bleeding.  If you have short arms and can't reach the lever, you'll need some clear plastic tubing to keep the brake fluid from squirting all over the house. Good exercise!

[Stig / Major Tom]

Gave the LIKE200i with the frozen front brake a 50' test ride.
No issues - braked released correctly.
Have to plan a very local ride around the reservoir - when I have a back-up driver available - before I risk a coffee run into the dark of night out in the countryside. Meantime I'm riding the Liberty - and, after 13 yrs,  thinking my rain rides might be a thing of the past.
If it acts up again - will probably order a new whole new caliper assembly, @$112. Other than sched. service parts - THAT will be the first part in memory that I've had to buy for this scooter. No other part has failed that was not covered 100% by warranty.
Stig

[Neil955i]

Meantime I'm riding the Liberty - and, after 13 yrs,  thinking my rain rides might be a thing of the past.

Stig

Whaaat?!  Have I missed something Stig?  Have you had something occur to put you off rain riding?  (I was out Monday in wet weather running an errand (40 mile round trip) to eldest son's narrow boat.  (Diesel bug problems, but that's a whole other story!)

[Iahawk]

Whaaat?!  Have I missed something Stig?  Have you had something occur to put you off rain riding?  (I was out Monday in wet weather running an errand (40 mile round trip) to eldest son's narrow boat.  (Diesel bug problems, but that's a whole other story!)

I just saw that, too! No rain rides due to it just being the right time to end them...on a high note?