...........as in brake seals!

Got a really strange/puzzling/p**sing me off problem

Seals for my KAD 6-pots have grown they have been stored in a tub for a couple of months while I've p**sed about refurbing calipers All seals were cleaned with Bilt Hamber water based de-greaser on removal.
The external dust seals are fine,and have been stored in the same tub,and fit perfect.The main fluid seals have expanded and will go nowhere near fitting in the calipers
I've tried freezing them,and boiling them in water and it makes no difference.

This is how much extra seal there is that has got no chance of fitting in the caliper,you can see the outer dust seal fitted:


Piston in seal:


They have expanded so much the smallest seal now fits in the middle piston hole,and the middle piston seal now fits in the largest piston hole


Just doing my head in needing to know/understand how this has happened

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Red GTB1756 powered Fabia VRS daily driver,LBSC Gti6 eater........

Mac1 ZR R1 kit car build in progress.

I've boiled slider gators in the past to shrink them.

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'90 1.6 205 GTi, '98 306 GTi-6

Absorbed solvents from the brake fluid?

Would make sense I suppose, hence why the dust seals haven't expanded, cause there not in contact with the brake fluid?

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Red GTB1756 powered Fabia VRS daily driver,LBSC Gti6 eater........

Mac1 ZR R1 kit car build in progress.

brake cleaner / silicon grease

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306 rallye reproduction decals (full sets/individual decals) | 306 b-pillar textured vinyl weatherstrips
306 slam panel esso stickers | 306 yellow / orange / pension fund red side door badges
gti6 inlet manifold badges | 306 rear boot badges (p2/p3)
winner of Extraction of toys from prams with outstanding vigour award 2009 [source: gti6 owners club]

Put the seals in brake fluid then try to fit into the caliper.
If you haven't tried already?

All brake seals I've seen you're supposed to soak them in brake fluid for several hours before fitting them. Never known them to swell up before, or shrink when you put them in brake fluid but will be worth a go before buying a new set. Petrol and other solvents usually makes rubber swell.

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Oulton Park in a BTCC 306 vid 1
Oulton Park in a BTCC 306 vid 2
Lap of the 'ring

I thought brake rubbers etc are all resistant to solvents etc due to them withstanding brake fluid.

Iv seen rubber expand but never that much, is it possible its the wrong seal?

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Pug fee`ver,

Pick a Bogey, buy a Pug.

Black 306 GTI 6 Standard, was 60k mileage, bargain!!

Clicky: [url =http://www.306gti6.com]click here[/url] remove the space between [url & =

Seals aren't resistant to all solvents, most solvents will cause them to swell up afaik.

I'd say the Bilt hamber did the damage tbh, get some new seals and try again.

Will check the blt hamber stuff,but why didn't the dust seals expand as they were washed with same stuff?

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Red GTB1756 powered Fabia VRS daily driver,LBSC Gti6 eater........

Mac1 ZR R1 kit car build in progress.

Strange, I've been running DOT 5.1 in my car since 2008 and I've not had any problems with my Brembos, how odd. Glad a new set of seals fixed it for you though.

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"Supercharged - 454.1bhp/317.5lb/ft"
Peugeot 306 GTi-6
2000 (X), Moonstone

Iv used it too on standard brakes and all is fine, I don't believe whats been said above about 5.1. For a start silicone is used to protect rubber on many things like tyre shine etc.

Sounds like a batch of dodgy rubber in the making process.

________________________________________

Pug fee`ver,

Pick a Bogey, buy a Pug.

Black 306 GTI 6 Standard, was 60k mileage, bargain!!

Clicky: [url =http://www.306gti6.com]click here[/url] remove the space between [url & =