Topic: Anyone use Sil-Glyde for front caliper reassebly?

[MrHellpop]

Has anyone used this product?

http://store.royalenfieldusa.com/sil-glyde-compound

I bought it for use when reassembling my front caliper because the 100% silicone stuff was $32 a can. Too rich for my blood. I'm wondering if anyone here has used this and if it's ok for caliper reassembly. I don't want to die.
Thanks!

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

My 4oz tube of Sil-Glyde is labeled by NAPA. Reg. TM of A.G.S. Co. Muskegon, MI
Item number 765-1351   Go to your local NAPA store and avoid shipping. My tube is white.

Applications: Fan belts ; other V belts ; weather stripping ; trunk seals ; rubber bumpers ; speedo cables ; BRAKE PARTS ; etc

I've had this tube damn near forever and it's been used exclusively on my 750F calipers front and rear. Good #$%* IMO.

[TwoTired]

Absolutely NOT!!

Sil-Glyde only "contains silicone".  It is mostly a petroleum product and it WILL bleed/melt onto your brake pads, giving them a nice anti-friction coating and rendering them near useless.  As far as I know, there is no substitute for the real thing pure silicone grease that won't melt, bleed, or run at temps up to 500 degrees.

I did an oven test some years ago. Put a dab of Sil-Glyde (cause the label says it is ok for brakes) and the real Dow corning silicone grease on an aluminum sheet.  As I recall, at about 250F the Sil-Glyde started puddling, followed by smoking and by 300F it was pretty much like a light brown tar-like substance/stain. I continued to raise the oven temp to 500F (my oven limit) and the Dow corning stuff was in the same condition as it was at room temperature.

I actually used Sil-Glyde on a caliper before doing the test, and sure enough, it bled/ran into my brake pads and ruined them.  Also, impeding braking power.

I don't see how anyone could use Sil-Glyde successfully on any SOHC4 caliper, anywhere near the vicinity of the piston/brake pucks.  Better to use nothing, but then be prepared for lots of corrosion latter on down the road.

[MrHellpop]

Jerry, have you ever had any of the problems with leaks that TwoTired described? I have a feeling the napa stuff will be fine especially since I plan on draining and cleaning the brake after every riding season... I can't afford the Dow corning high vaccum grease and might end up just using only brake fluid if the sol-Clyde is going to cause me any problems...

[Duke McDukiedook]

Pop the extra for the Dow Corning, better to pay a little more up front than a lot later.

[mrblasty]

I've been using the sil-glyde for several years(same tube) without any problems.

[TwoTired]

Jerry, have you ever had any of the problems with leaks that TwoTired described? I have a feeling the napa stuff will be fine especially since I plan on draining and cleaning the brake after every riding season... I can't afford the Dow corning high vaccum grease and might end up just using only brake fluid if the sol-Clyde is going to cause me any problems...

Jerry (or anyone), I dare you smear some on some aluminum foil, form it into a cup and stick in your oven at 200 degrees, then 250 for a minute, then 300, for a minute, and so on.  The package advertising is lying, per my testing.

As far as not being able to afford it.  Jeez, that's like saying you can't afford the tires, gas, and oil.  The bike needs what it it needs, if you can afford what it needs, you simply can't afford a motorcycle.

The silicone is used between caliper seal and brake pad to coat metal parts so that water cannot reach the surface.  Silicone will not combine with water, so if water gets behind the puck, the silicone will simply shed it.  It is not needed for lubricant purposes.  Just a layer to repel water.  Dot 3,4 and 5.1 Brake fluid is exactly the wrong thing to use here one it is too thin, 2, it combines with (actually attracts water out of the humidity in the air. and will actually promote the corrosion of caplier piston and brake puck backing.  Even Dot 5 is a poor choice as it is too viscous to stay where placed, easily running into and contaminating the friction portion of the pads.

Check out the MSDS (You can't find real product specifications only marketing hype).
http://www.imperialinc.com/msds0075150.shtml

Sil- glyde is mostly:
1    Polypropylene Glycol                     25322-69-4        30-60%
2    Methylated Silica                        67762-90-7         7-13%


Product spec for Dow's grease:
http://www.dowcorning.com/applications/search/products/details.aspx?prod=01018817&type=PROD

There is a reason why Honda specified pure silicone grease.  See page 146 of the CB750 Honda shop manual.

[Dave-and-his-550]

Listen to TT!!

If you can't afford Dow's stuff, how about this:

http://www.itwconsumer.com/catalog.aspx?prodID=67

100% Silicone brake caliper grease. I bet it's cheaper.

I purchased this product:

http://www.itwconsumer.com/catalog.aspx?prodID=69

But haven't used it yet, because I'm afraid it contains petroleum?? And might do what TT said. Even though it says 'Synthetic' I'm not sure if it might, or might not contain petroleum...? Maybe TT you could give me your opinion on it? I didn't find anywhere on the label where it told me the contents.

I want to do the least amount of work needed. I don't wanna piss around with rebuilding my caliper sooner then needed.

Edit: lol i found the MSDS on the synthetic brake grease...It says "Synthetic Oil (Trade secret)"

[Dave-and-his-550]

Versachem SILICONE Brake Grease for $1.98???

^Link to Advanced Auto Parts website, sounds like a good deal to me! How much is that Dow Corning #$%* anyway?

[tygrant]

Advanced auto has ketchup sized packets for 75 cents of brake grease... i walked in grabed two the line was long and the kid working told me take am dont worry about paying for em i said arighty thanks. its purple and says its good for all break aplications one packet goes along way to, i did my 550 caliper and saved the rest

[Dave-and-his-550]

Advanced auto has ketchup sized packets for 75 cents of brake grease... i walked in grabed two the line was long and the kid working told me take am dont worry about paying for em i said arighty thanks.

 

thats funny!

[TwoTired]

http://www.itwconsumer.com/catalog.aspx?prodID=69

But haven't used it yet, because I'm afraid it contains petroleum?? And might do what TT said. Even though it says 'Synthetic' I'm not sure if it might, or might not contain petroleum...? Maybe TT you could give me your opinion on it? I didn't find anywhere on the label where it told me the contents.

Edit: lol i found the MSDS on the synthetic brake grease...It says "Synthetic Oil (Trade secret)"

Based on the test failure of Sil- glyde using my very simple test, it is clear that label marketing claims are there primarily to separate money from your wallet.  I don't think I would use your posted product without an oven test.  Note: I tested Sil- glyde AFTER I ruined a set of brake pads with it's contamination.  Yes, I stress tested the brakes and got them really hot, shortly thereafter braking power diminished markedly.  Close examination showed the cause to be grease contamination.
Being the exorbitant spender that I am  , I borrowed a tube of the Dow product to test them both in the oven.  It raised my eyebrows.  At my oven limits of 500F, the Dow stuff appeared slightly shinier than at room temp.  The Sil- glyde had mostly vaporized and left a brown stain on the foil.  At lower temps, it turned quite fluid first and ran into a corner of the little aluminum cup.

I returned the borrowed Dow tube to my friend and then bought my own.  I still have an extra unopened package of Sil-Glyde out in the garage, as I bought two of the lying packages.  It does work great on car door hinges.

You guys using untested products and relying on sales advertising are on your own.

[Inigo Montoya]

So 2 for and 2 against, though the oven test does not really simulate the braking environment. After all, there is airflow around the brakes while the bike, not so in an oven. I know tt will probably come back with some remark but he has poo - pooed other peoples test cause they were not "scientific" enough so he should remember that his wasn't either.
As for his results on his bike, Jerry did not have that so maybe there are differences such as jerry using a different brake fluid.

If I remember correctly, jerry uses dot5 and maybe that makes the difference.

[Duke McDukiedook]

Advanced auto has ketchup sized packets for 75 cents of brake grease... i walked in grabed two the line was long and the kid working told me take am dont worry about paying for em i said arighty thanks. its purple and says its good for all break aplications one packet goes along way to, i did my 550 caliper and saved the rest

I wouldn't recommend using that stuff for this application.

[Inigo Montoya]

I might have to agree with that. It is made for cars, usually light weight cars to boot.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

I won't dispute TT's test by any means but I'm not lubing my oven either. I understand where TT is coming from, from an analytical standpoint. I totally respect TT's knowledge and experience. Second to none.

I have had no problems using Sil-Glyde. Perhaps pure silicone doesn't have problems either. Neither will replace/repair a #$%*ty brake system/brake job. I have my almost original pads in the rear. There was a recall and they were replaced the first year. Metal particles eating rotors I believe. The rear has DOT3. I just replaced my front pads when I rebuilt and powder coated the front probably close to 1000+ miles ago due to a leak that ate up my paint. There was no problem with the front pads other than 30,000 miles. Still have miles on them. Just as I replaced the seal, I replaced the pads. I considered these both as wear parts. I do have a new set of pads for the rear for my restore. The front has DOT5. My brakes do not stick and work fine.

IMO this subject is like an oil thread. Ideals vs my practical experience. You can not go wrong with TT's suggestion to use "pure" silicone however my experience has been good but I do not road race my bike to the extremes. I do jump on the brakes on occasion.

It's your call to make. TT and I have made ours. Thanks for the info TT.   

   

[Beans]

its garbage used it on my trucks brakes and well im not gonna go their.

[tygrant]

would you care to elaborate why your not supposed to use "brake grease" on brakes? if its made for light weight cars... why wouldnt it work on a couple hundred pound bike...?

[Inigo Montoya]

Car rotors are vented differently, they generally receive more forceful airflow to keep them cool plus there are 4 of them to stop. You got the one rotor in the front and that's it and it can get hot if not adjusted right.

[tygrant]

my truck weighs 4400 lbs, spread out over 4 thas 1100 lbs per wheel and when you break 80% is front.. my bike weighs 400 lbs, with a drilled rotor. I very much disagree that bike brakes get hotter than a cars. im not geting into this argument I will use brake grease for brakes.

[tlbranth]

I've had the same tube of Sil Glide since the 60's and after reading threads here about being sure to use only pure silicone, didn't know if Sil Glide was pure or not. So anyway, I used it when I restored my 750. I haven't had any problem with the brakes working less than perfect. Maybe just lucky.
Another good use for Sil Glide is on the rubber boots on top of my K0 carbs. It helps get the things over the brass adjuster without resorting to hydraulics. And it doesn't pull the cable back out afterwards.
Probably works on hemorrhoids too.

[Inigo Montoya]

It is not just weight, it is the cooling aspect and the size. A car rotor is much thicker and is slotted down the middle to allow cooling. Also the air flow in the wheels cools the rotors. Our rotors do not benefit from any of this cooling and are not nearly as thick. On top of that, our brake components are not as large or thick either. So what happens is there is less material to heat up and less surface area for cooling.
The stuff you got "might" work but lets hope you do not find out it doesn't after hitting the back of a car when you cant stop. Just cause you got it for free does not mean you need to be hell bound to use it.

[I Zombie]

My big question is how much are you using?
If it's just used for assemby, mainly o-ring & caliper pistons, how/why would i get to the pad materal. Aslo if your brakes are 500 degrees isn't there another more pressing problem?
I've used Sly-Glide & synthetic cal grease on my cars for years & never noticed an issue. Seeing how it's used only one the slides & on the ears of pads, never had a contamination problem either.

[tygrant]

My big question is how much are you using?
If it's just used for assemby, mainly o-ring & caliper pistons, how/why would i get to the pad materal. Aslo if your brakes are 500 degrees isn't there another more pressing problem?
I've used Sly-Glide & synthetic cal grease on my cars for years & never noticed an issue. Seeing how it's used only one the slides & on the ears of pads, never had a contamination problem either.

I agree, a rotor on a cb 550 doesnt get as hot as a car rotor period and if you want me to I will borow a laser thermometer and prove it with stopping distances. when ever I stop on my cb I sometimes touch the disc to see how hot it is to see if im having a sticking issue its hot dont get me wrong but its not so hott it instantly seizes my fingers to it. cars on the other hand get so hot they sizzle water with ease. I know how vented car disks work and I would lay down some cash on a bet given equal stoping distances and equal speeds that a cars disks are hotter than a bikes sorry.

[Dave-and-his-550]