Brake caliper — removal and installation
Warning: The dust created by the brake system is harmful to your health. An approved filtering mask should be worn when working on the brakes. Never blow the brake dust away with compressed air. Do not, under any circumstances, use petroleum-based solvents to clean brake parts. Use brake system cleaner only!
Removal
1. Loosen the front or rear wheel lug nuts, raise the front or rear of the vehicle and place it securely on jack stands. Block the wheels at the opposite end. Remove the front or rear wheel.
2. Pinch off the brake line flexible rubber hose (gently). Use only enough force to prevent the fluid from coming out of the hose when it is disconnected. Remove the inlet fitting bolt and disconnect the brake hose from the caliper. Discard the old sealing washers (see illustration). Plug the brake hose immediately to keep contaminants and air out of the brake system and to prevent losing any more brake fluid than is necessary. Remove the pinch clamp off of the flexible line.
5.2 There is a sealing washer on either side of the brake hose inlet fitting; be sure to replace these with new ones when reconnecting the hose
Note: If you are simply removing the caliper for access to other components, leave the brake hose connected and suspend the caliper with a length of wire — don’t let it hang by the hose.
3. Remove the caliper mounting bolts and detach the caliper from the mounting bracket. When removing a rear caliper on a 1500 model, hold the slide pins with an open-end wrench to prevent them from turning when the mounting bolts are unscrewed.
Note: On 2500 and 3500 models, the rear caliper mounting bracket will have to be removed in order to remove the upper caliper mounting bolt/slide pin.
Installation
4. Installation is the reverse of removal. Don’t forget to use new sealing washers on each side of the brake hose inlet fitting and be sure to tighten the fitting bolt and the caliper mounting bolts to the torque listed in this Chapter’s Specifications.
5. Bleed the brake system (see Brake hydraulic system — bleeding).