Still leaking from caliper banjo bolt?!

So I replaced both calipers w/ reman Auto Zone units (only store that had them in stock when I needed them). Also replaced the lines with StopTech Stainless lines. I used the banjo bolts that came with the lines and not the calipers. Crush washers are installed correctly. Driver side does not leak. Passenger side has a slow seeping leak. I've tightened it tighter than I really feel comfortable and it still leaks.

1. Can I safely use the banjo bolt that was included with the caliper? The openings are different size between the StopTech bolt (larger openings) and caliper bolt (smaller openings) so my concern is that if I use the caliper banjo bolt, it might restrict fluid flow.
2. Is there anything else to check or try?
3. Is it just a crappy reman unit with messed up threads?

Oh, this is 5 lug single piston caliper if that is helpful info.

 

Take it back I have had 3 bad calipers out of 5 recently purchased from Auto Zone. One leaked from the bleeder screw no matter how hard you tightened it, one was MISSING the banjo bolt. I dunno who rebuilds them for Auto Zone but I question the actual "pressure testing" they claim. I bought mine from a different supplier.

 

damn, that's not a good track record!

 

The banjo bolts use crush washer's, make sure you are using new ones and that you torque them to spec. Also I have gotten bad calipers from auto zone myself. I have had better luck ordering them from rock auto, but sometimes you can't wait for shipping.

 

No telling what the problem is Take it back

The different size will cause each caliper to be a little different .

Enough to notice who knows

You could do math and figure it out if you wanted .

 

Thanks, I used new crush washers that came with the hoses, torqued bolt to 22 ft lbs (don't have FSM so that was the result of my googling skills which lead me to this TW post!). I tightened it twice after that to see if tighter would stop it. Nope... Hmmm, just realized that the washers that came with the calipers were ever so slightly larger in diameter than the ones that came with the brake lines, I may try those before taking the caliper back.

Yeah, math and I don't get along.

 

That's why I buy the re-build kit from Toyota for my calipers, or whoever's they are. If it's a chebby then I buy chevrolet re-build kit. Easy to re-build and you know they're going to fit. As long as it's not pitted inside works great. I think I paid a little over $20 for my taco kit from Toyota.

 

That was how my day started - rebuild the calipers. It ended hours later with reman calipers...

The originals were a little pitted inside and the piston didn't want to go back in. At least not well enough to where I felt comfortable putting them back on.

 

My experience with autozone calipers is that they only last a short while if they last at all. For parts store remans, Napa Eclipse is the only answer.

 

I won't buy critical parts from Autozone anymore. I've had to take far too many off and return them.

 

Rockauto PowerStop calipers with wheelers SS lines. No problems here.

Sometimes a little waiting is better than problems down the road which would cause more time wasted and headaches. I know from experience, just saying.

 

And check that the banjo bolt hole threads are chased. I had calipers from Autozone for another car, and they coated the caliper with something like paint. Well, this coated the threads so the banjo bolts wouldn't thread in. Yeah, quality control is terrible.

 

no offense meant to anyone... just because the torque wrench clicked does not mean the fastener has done its job. I will bet that if you were to take the banjo bolt off and thread it into the caliper body that you will find the bolt bottoms out* before it reaches the point to where the crush washers actually crush. They make copper and aluminum crush washers. I have seen both used in flex line to caliper applications.

* I had one stock Tacoma front caliper do this and the other side was fine... I have no explanation for this. I ran a tap down the hole and "finished" the hole and all was good.

 

Yeah, I started off with the intent of rebuilding the original calipers and when that didn't go as planned I had to settle for someone close that had them both in stock.

This is my only vehicle so Sunday night at 6:00, beggars can't be choosers! Gotta go back together!

Thank you for the suggestions. The bolts that came with the brake lines were shorter than the ones that came with the caliper. I screwed them in before installing to make sure they threaded in OK and they didn't bottom out. The washers that came with the lines were copper. My guess is bad sealing surface is allowing a tiny bit of fluid to seep past the washer. it doesn't drip, it's just enough to leave some residual fluid on the caliper around and below the bolt. Luckily it's such a minuscule amount that the fluid level in the reservoir hasn't changed at all so it should make it to this weekend so can address it.

 

Do you still happen to have the part number for the kit? When I tried to buy a kit from my "friendly" Toyota dealer, the parts man couldn't find the kit number. That was around 15 years ago, maybe things have changed...

 

I should have my old receipt, I'll look,,, this is for a 95 4wd, so i don't know if it'll be different for you. let me look and i'll get back to you.


here it is, it's gone up in price since 2014, I paid 21.99 and it's now 30.53, imagine that.
Overhaul Kit - Toyota (04479-35021)

 

If it leaks a little, then if you press the brake pedal very hard it might actually squirt out. Don't try this unless you wrap it in plastic or you'll have brake fluid all over paint and rubber parts. But even weeping out indicates a problem.

 

I bedded the pads and have driven probably 60-70 miles since then (including a few hard stops to see if the stainless lines were worth the fuss) and so far, nothing has changed. It's less a leak than it is a very slow weep.