Different sizes of rear brake floating caliper guide/slide pins

Why are there different sizes and where to put them. What is their purpose?
Have you ever wondered why are rear brake caliper guide or slide pins are different sizes in the floating caliper braking system? Some manufacturers of course will have the same size caliper pins, but many will have different sizes of these guide or slide pins. This video will try to explain why they are different sizes and where to put them or in other words which goes to top and which goes to bottom. More accurately I will explain which one goes to the leading and which one goes to the trailing position.
The car is a peugeot 307 1.6 petrol version (TU5JP4; 2008), but this is applicable to a lot of manufacturers, especially Honda, although the brake bracket is in the forward position rather than at the rear of the braking system. This video is for rear right of the car.
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[@memo1975]

Lots of people can do. Few people can teach. You're a good teacher, well done! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@anthonydargenio3536]

Your the only guy on you tube that made sense of the different pins good job

[@Networkprofessor]

I hope I saw this video before I did my brake job. I realized this after I finish the brake job. This video prove that I was right. It is too bad I listen to all those people who made video on this subject.

[@annajackson1165]

Thanks for video. I was cleaning caliper sliders, noticed difference in pins but could not think of reason. I now know.

[@joehurba9897]

Great advice, I was perplexed when I cleaned the old sticky grease. You saved my day. Thank You, very well explaned.

[@claybourne7162]

Thank you for the explanation on the different pin designs!!

[@Boffin486]

Nicely explained, thank you! I was scratching my head after I took the Calipers/Pins off my Audi A1 but didn't notice the pins were different till I came to put the new ones on........ 😃

[@iansmeath8674]

Thanks for the information in your video this helped me a lot!

[@RaggaStyle89]

Well explained, thank you 🙂

[@3abdangry]

this is really helpful thank u

[@cafedeltransit]

Very well explained,Thankyou.Ford Transit ones have a rubber sheaf on one of them.

[@djallaltouenti379]

Thank you bro 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@anthonymaier6231]

Great !! Thank You !!

[@MrXxxxSKULLMANxxxx]

¡FUNCIONA! Mis frenos los traían puestos al revés, posiblemente desde la última vez que les dieron servicio, los inverti según tus instrucciones y adios ruidos raros, ahora también frena con mejor potencia "segun yo" MUCHAS GRACIAS, saludos desde Chile! SUBARU IMPREZA OUTBACK SPORT 2.5

[@moremolecules]

Glad to hear you sorted them out.

[@ThomasNappo]

Well done

[@carbman007]

Too late for my trucks brakes but will have to redo them soon as I have to replace a rotor due to wear on in it due to this no doubt. Did not have correct pins. But thanks to this Video o know what it needs. Thanks

[@moremolecules]

I do not think it matters that much, but when I was doing mine could not quite work out which one is where, so spend quite a bit of time trying to work it out, hence the video, in case it helps someone else.

[@lewisheilig3623]

On my 2021Toyota C-HR, the difference between the 2 pins is that one pin has a bushing on the end of the pin and the other pin doesn't. The pin with the bushing always goes on the trailing edge for both front and back calipers. So for my car, the position of the pins are not chosen to make pad replacement easy to do where only one caliper pin bolt is removed and the caliper is flipped upward. The positions of the pins may be chosen by the manufacturer only to allow the brake calipers to function more efficiently. Thanks for your video.

[@moremolecules]

Appreciate the comment. Some of those have a rubber bushing, but AFAIK there are only there to stop squeaking/chatter rather than for efficiency. May be wrong, but afaik these are not for efficiency.

[@roylogie9531]

My understanding from what Lewis said is this: The "efficiency" (more likely safest operation) is achieved by having the non-bushing guide pin placed at the leading edge. Saying that from the point of reference of the guide pin with the bushing, we would say that means having the guide pin with the busing on the trailing edge.

[@johnschembri7811]

I am no mechanic but think that leading pin is more important to have a tight fit not to have movement(chattering) in the caliper assembly during braking. I would imagine leading pin is pivotal while trailing is less crucial

[@moremolecules]

Hi John, yes, it seems logical but it is not always the case. In my case, on the left of the rear right, the leading is the non-floppy guide pin, but in the case of many Hondas, the whole bracket is on the right and the leading pin is the floppy or 3-stepped pin, so the caliper can be pivoted on this one.

[@zteburner5882]

Great video... Thank you. Do you know why there is a rubber boot on one of the two? And on my rear right, the top siezed after 60k miles. Need to figure out how to remove it.

[@moremolecules]

Yeah, the rubber is purely for reducing chatter from the pin. So, kind of reduce noise, nothing else. I have not had experience with removing seized ones, but have seen and heard that one does it with heat, I do not think anything else works.

[@3abdangry]

mines are both hard to push in, the leading one doesn't bounce back when i pull it out is. do they need replacing or that's how they're supposed to be?

[@moremolecules]

They are probably a bit seized and you need to remove them and greese them. It could be that the rubber has perished and let the greese come out, so you may need to replace the rubber as well. They are supposed to be freely moving in/out.

[@dennisthemenace8854]

Nice video back to do brakes fir the third time in 2 days good grief only noticed on last pin after everything was done and auto zone forgetting tbe spring retainers so done with honda brakes every dam 10 thousand miles

[@luisalbertolanda]

I have a problem with a noise when slowly releasing the brake pedal. The guides have a rubber bearing on the front tires and goes on the top. I put a grease that wasn't there and apparently it swelled to the rubber. Do you think this is my problem...? my car is Jetta 2021

[@moremolecules]

Yes, you need to replace the rubber pars and only use grease that is rubber friendly. I think the silicone grease is rubber friendly and will not swell them.

[@csraln6748]

What's the best lubricant for slide pins? Liqui Moly Ceramic paste, silicon grease or copper grease? Do you know the correct torque settings for TX55 and #13 bolts on a Peugeot 308 1.6HDi? 70Nm and 40Nm respectively with or without thread lock? Hub nut 200Nm and rim bolts 110Nm? I don't have a service manual and I get different numbers on the Internet. Should you put any grease on the brake pads and guide pins and between brake disc and hub? Maybe you have a video explaining all of this.

[@moremolecules]

I do not have a video explaining these, as there are a few around that are good. I generally do not do videos that have already been done, unless I can do it better with more details. Sometimes I forget to do a video and then I regret it. I do not know them for the 308 specifically, but I am pretty sure they are the same with the 307. The mounting bracket on the 307 TX55 is 105Nm and the guide pin bolts are 30Nm. I always do both with a threadlock. The rear hub nut is pretty hefty with 210Nm. I do the bolts 95Nm. Mayber there are differences with the 307, so take these with a pinch of salt. A Haynes manual is great for the Nm, but fairly bad with the photos and description. I always use silicone grease, nothing else, as others can swell the rubber. You have to clean them inside out to dry and then apply small amount on the slide pins, no too much and avoid putting on the tip, otherwise you could get sort of hydrolock.

[@csraln6748]

@@moremolecules Thank you very much for the torque settings data. I guess they're all the same for the front brakes. The front brake disc/rotor bolts have a specific torque setting? I don't remember if they are TORX or Phillips.

[@moremolecules]

@@csraln6748 The bracket TX55 & and the guide pin bolts are the same torque for the front and the back, they look the same and as far as I remember they were the same size. The bracket bolts are torx and the guide pin bolts are Phillips.

[@thepiecesfit5049]

So besides preventing rotating the caliper in place the slotted pins don’t serve any other function? Now that I think about it may have mixed them up occasionally on my Acura but I never rotate the caliper I remove both bolts and use a bungee cord to hang it on the car.

[@moremolecules]

Pretty much yeah, not much of a difference how you put it, it is only there for degrees of freedom, not much else.

[@nuntapons]

Thank you for your video, my 2013 accord have one flat pin and one round pin without any taper, which one should be the leading pin. Thank in advance.

[@moremolecules]

I am not too sure if they are a flat one and a round. The taper usually has a bit of freedom to move. If one of the two is a bit more flexible this will the the one similar to the taper.

[@terencejay8845]

@@moremolecules The pins on my 2001 Golf are exactly as you show. Most caliper-pin discussion is about the pins with the rubber sleeve on the end, but mine don't have a sleeve. Now I know that '3-Flats Leading, Taper Trailing'. Thanks for the video. Perfect for me.

[@sonVason]

i have a question ( sr for my bad grammar and english at 1st) - In this case, both 2 pins are made from steel and each has its own function: the cone makes it ez to open the brake calliper to replace the pads. - But as for the pins with rubber bushing inside, what are their functions?

[@moremolecules]

Good question, the rubber is simply an anti-rattle device.

[@sonVason]

@@moremolecules if so, is there any problem if we swap their position. Do they have a certain pore i mean like for example do the pin with rubber bushing has to be at the railing position, like so 👍 Tks for replying so fast

[@moremolecules]

@@sonVason I do not thnk these do matter that much and the other ones as well. It is simply for convenience to have these so one can swap brake pads easier, might be wrong, but i do not think they matter that much.

[@SlackersIndustry]

nice how someone thought of this design to make it easier for pad removal but for those of who did not know becomes an issues when we forget which one went were when we notice they are different 🤣 maybe they thought of this also and design them that even if mixed you wouldnt kill youserlf 😂👍

[@moremolecules]

Haha, yeah, it does not matter that much if one swaps them.

[@titolongo1]

I have a pin guide with a small rubber on the tip, where does it go? To the leading or trailing.

[@moremolecules]

It depends on where the caliper bracket is mounted, i.e. at the back or the front. If it is at the back as mine in the video the one with the rubber tip is at the leading edge. If it is at the front then it is the trailing edge. This thing with the rubber is the same as mine with the two flat surfaces.

[@adryanyyyy]

Can you please explain what does the small rubber? Thx.

[@adryanyyyy]

I find this small rubber gasket very annoying, it makes the pin more difficult to slide, even if properly lubricated.

[@domos112]

If the calipper is located closer to the rear bumper, should the guide with the cone be at the bottom? Yes?

[@moremolecules]

Yes, I think that is correct, but in all circumstances it does not matter that much.

[@Skodra]

Can you explain pins with rubber ring at the tip of One sliding pins?

[@moremolecules]

Pretty much is there to stop chatter sound, that's it.

[@moonpatrolable]

Mine are two different lengths and I think the long one won't fit in the short chamber. This makes it fool proof. I'm not sure but it looked like the chambers were not the same. Toyota.

[@moremolecules]

Yes, some have done it more cleverly with different lengths, kudos to Toyota. Most manufacturers do it as these in the video.

[@ngockhiettrinh3395]

Caliper pins of Honda put opposite sides of your.

[@moremolecules]

Yes, I tried to explain in the video (probably badly) that it is the leading and trailing edge of the caliper that matters, not actual position up/down.

[@bfitnessjoe]

It doesn’t matter ! Take that over engineered rubber sleeve idea off the pin and put them in where ever. It is an upsell tool for dealerships to get you to bring your car in once it expands and seizes your caliper. Can’t trick me.

[@moremolecules]

It should not expand, but I get your point completely.

[@rcarioca]

totally confusing

[@jasonfischer874]

If this confuses you, maybe you shouldn't be working on your breaks.

[@rcarioca]

@@jasonfischer874 you mean brakes

[@supersabrosinho]

​@@jasonfischer874 If you can't tell the difference between braking and breaking, maybe you shouldn't be working on cars either