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1972 Mercedes 280SEL 4.5


Packard Don

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I am working on our original and very beautiful Mercedes' ATE brakes, which have calipers that have become stuck from disuse while in storage, and I have some questions.

First, I read online that to separate the caliper halfs is something that should never be done but then found other postings that called that an "Internet myth" and that not only could they be disassembled, but that they SHOULD be disassembled - and then yellow-zinc plated. Any comments about that?

Also, my experience is with drum brakes (as my user name may indicate) and this is only the third time I've ever worked on disc brakes, the first was almost 40 years ago on a friend's Triumph TR6(?), and once about 30 years ago on a motorcycle. These systems are much simpler than drum brakes but what is the orange stuff that looks like high-temperature engine sealer on the back of the pads? Do the pads actually get glued in place or is it some kind of anti-squeak material?

Any other hints, tips or generally helpful comments? Anything I should know about reassembly that may not be obvious?

Thank you!

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I've owned a number of 80's Mercedes W123's and they used the same calipers. It's not an internet myth. In fact the factory shop manuals stated not to disassemble them. I went ahead and disassembled a set of rears for the same reason. They were stuck too. I never had a problem afterward and I didn't plate them either. I would add that you do this at your own risk though.

Mercedes brakes tend to get stuck if the car is left to sit for a while. They will also get sticky if you change the brake fluid on a scheduled basis.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/ is great forum if you a Mercedes Benz. I was a long time member up until a few years ago when I sold my last Mercedes Benz.

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Thank you for the info! The "Internet myth" quote was actually from a professional brake restorer who specializes in Porsches in regard to the ATE caliper. As I understand it, the main risk of disassembling is in reusing the old square o-rings but, as new ones are readily available, there is no real risk as long as they are replaced too. By the way, I am a recent member of the peachparts.com forum too but thank you for the suggestion!

I had a surprise when I went to a Napa store last week to buy the front caliper hardware as it's in their catalog but is no longer available although they were able to get the rubber parts. I found the hardware parts elsewhere. My hardware is in good condition but was a bit too dingy and, as it's cheap (so is the zinc plating), it was easier to replace it than to try to clean it up since it needs kingpins too.

Are the rotors attached to the hub or can they be removed without disturbing the wheel bearings? In the photos I've seen of replacement rotors, they appear to be separate from the hub but, as my car and I are temporarily separated by a mountain range, I'm not there to check. The pads are excellent and appear to have very few miles on them but I see a ridge on the edge of the rotors so they should either be resurfaced or, if necessary, replaced and I'm trying to decide if I want to do it now or have it done by a regular shop after the caliper work has been completed.

Edited by Packard Don (see edit history)
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I don't think the rotors are removable from the hub without disturbing the bearings. It needs to be removed from the spindle as an assembly. After removing it from the spindle, you can then remove the rotor from the hub. I don't recall exactly at the moment how the rotor separates from the hub but I think there are some hex head bolts that need to be removed.

I was lucky to have found an OEM parts distributor locally. Their prices were very reasonable. Their prices made me feel like I was working on a domestic make. If I could phone in an order in the morning, by the afternoon they would have my parts ready to pick up.

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