Brembo Front Brake Master Rebuild

K

Kozy_750

Well-known member
Has anyone ever rebuilt their Brembo master cylinder? I know the outer pivot shaft can be replaced but I'm talking about the piston / seals. Been looking but can't find piston rebuild kits for a 19x20 forged master, I got two of them that need attention.

I've been told a couple of times that you send them back to Brembo and they have to rebuild them but haven't been able to find out how, no luck searching their web site.

If anyone has dealt with Brembo front master cylinder rebuilds in any way, or know what dept to contact at Brembo, please reply and let me know.
Thanks.
 
Kozy_750 said:
Has anyone ever rebuilt their Brembo master cylinder? I know the outer pivot shaft can be replaced but I'm talking about the piston / seals. Been looking but can't find piston rebuild kits for a 19x20 forged master, I got two of them that need attention.

I've been told a couple of times that you send them back to Brembo and they have to rebuild them but haven't been able to find out how, no luck searching their web site.

If anyone has dealt with Brembo front master cylinder rebuilds in any way, or know what dept to contact at Brembo, please reply and let me know.
Thanks.
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I contacted Brembo USA about getting internal parts to fix my billet 19x20, they told me they sell nothing past the push rod. To get anything past that internally, I would have to send my master to Brembo Italy for repair
 
Thanks for the info.
I'd be willing to at least contact them just to see how much it would cost me since I have 2 of them. I guess thats why I'm having trouble finding a rebuild kit. It just seems ridiculous to send my masters to Italy though. I'll see what I can find and if I get any info about what it will cost, I'll post it up.
 
Kozy_750 said:
Thanks for the info.
I'd be willing to at least contact them just to see how much it would cost me since I have 2 of them. I guess thats why I'm having trouble finding a rebuild kit. It just seems ridiculous to send my masters to Italy though. I'll see what I can find and if I get any info about what it will cost, I'll post it up.
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Whats your issue? I have had a Brembo 19x20 that I bought in 2001 that is still being used today, and had never been rebuilt. Generally I have never had to rebuild the internals on a Brembo master, even after years and years of abuse. The most I have ever seen happen, is sometimes people let their brake fluid get dirty with contaminants, they can get lodged between the seals and cause a loss of pressure. Seems like the seals are toast but they actually are fine its just the debris causing the problem.

Also keep in mind if you dont already know and choose to open the master yourself, make note of the timing of the threaded cap that holds the piston in. Its very important it gets screwed back in to the same spot that Brembo set it to when they manufactured the master. If you dont go back to where it was it wont work properly
 
JohnnyP636 said:
Whats your issue? I have had a Brembo 19x20 that I bought in 2001 that is still being used today, and had never been rebuilt. Generally I have never had to rebuild the internals on a Brembo master, even after years and years of abuse. The most I have ever seen happen, is sometimes people let their brake fluid get dirty with contaminants, they can get lodged between the seals and cause a loss of pressure. Seems like the seals are toast but they actually are fine its just the debris causing the problem.

Also keep in mind if you dont already know and choose to open the master yourself, make note of the timing of the threaded cap that holds the piston in. Its very important it gets screwed back in to the same spot that Brembo set it to when they manufactured the master. If you dont go back to where it was it wont work properly
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One of the masters is letting the lever go to the bar when I apply the brakes with minimal pressure, but works fine when I press hard on the lever.
Not good for trail braking!


The other master screwed up after a crash. the first 10% of the stroke has a dead spot that feels similar to a rubber o-ring being rolled or sticking. There is no visible damage to the master but the lever hit pretty hard. The lever is free and not hitting or binding anything. I did pick up a crash repair kit but can't get the retainer in front of the rubber boot out. If I try any more I'm going to totally butcher the retainer and possibly the threads on the master. This sucks because it is new and was only used for 4 track days before the bike went down.
 
Kozy_750 said:
One of the masters is letting the lever go to the bar when I apply the brakes with minimal pressure, but works fine when I press hard on the lever.
Not good for trail braking!


The other master screwed up after a crash. the first 10% of the stroke has a dead spot that feels similar to a rubber o-ring being rolled or sticking. There is no visible damage to the master but the lever hit pretty hard. The lever is free and not hitting or binding anything. I did pick up a crash repair kit but can't get the retainer in front of the rubber boot out. If I try any more I'm going to totally butcher the retainer and possibly the threads on the master. This sucks because it is new and was only used for 4 track days before the bike went down.
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Are you heating up the master before you try to un thread the retainer? Brembo uses a sealing compound on there and it usually needs heat before it will let go

This is part of the reason I contacted Brembo, on the billet masters the push rod is behind a retainer ring that is different then the forged masters. It needs a pin tool to un thread it. So I contaced them asking if I can buy the tool from them so I dont have to make one. Thats when they told me they dont sell any internal parts, and to open that without voiding anything Id have to send to Italy...LOL Long story short I made the tool myself

For the one where it goes to the bar, my friend had the same issue if he just grabbed the lever there would be pressure. But if he held it with steady pressure it would go all the way to the bar. That one was debris stuck on the seal, simply taking it apart, cleaning it, and putting it back together solved that issue...
 
JohnnyP636 said:
Are you heating up the master before you try to un thread the retainer? Brembo uses a sealing compound on there and it usually needs heat before it will let go

This is part of the reason I contacted Brembo, on the billet masters the push rod is behind a retainer ring that is different then the forged masters. It needs a pin tool to un thread it. So I contaced them asking if I can buy the tool from them so I dont have to make one. Thats when they told me they dont sell any internal parts, and to open that without voiding anything Id have to send to Italy...LOL Long story short I made the tool myself

For the one where it goes to the bar, my friend had the same issue if he just grabbed the lever there would be pressure. But if he held it with steady pressure it would go all the way to the bar. That one was debris stuck on the seal, simply taking it apart, cleaning it, and putting it back together solved that issue...
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Do you have any contact #'s or an email address for a contact at Brembo? I found their North American head office number but haven't called yet. I'm really curious to find out what the cost to send to Italy for a rebuild will be. My hopes for it being cheap exceed my expectations though lol.
I'm going to make my own tool for it, just gotta find a socket with the correct diameter. Thanks for the advise about applying heat, I didnt know that.
 
Kozy_750 said:
Do you have any contact #'s or an email address for a contact at Brembo? I found their North American head office number but haven't called yet. I'm really curious to find out what the cost to send to Italy for a rebuild will be. My hopes for it being cheap exceed my expectations though lol.
I'm going to make my own tool for it, just gotta find a socket with the correct diameter. Thanks for the advise about applying heat, I didnt know that.
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Sorry I dont remember exactly where I got the contact Email, that was back in like 2010.
 
Do NOT open the master cylinder. Is $280 worth the chance of a front brake failure? I opened mine and it ended up causing the front brakes to seize up on me at Shannonville causing damage to my knee that took a LONG time to heal. Thank god it was at Allens and not coming off the back straight. I now keep a crash kit and complete spare master in my trailer because my life is worth more then saving a few dollars on a master. Send it to Italy and get it repaired if you can but don't do it yourself.
 
the masters are sealed with epoxy at the set ring, this is to ensure proper travel. if you get that distance wrong the brakes will lock up, as Dricked stated. leave it be. Blue streak has great prices delivered to your door.
 
Thanks for the opinions, it's good to hear different reasoning. In the end I'll probably buy a new one. I still want to make the tool for that darn retainer ring so I can at least install a crash kit if needed. Was pricing out master cycl's online this afternoon, Blue Streak is the cheapest so far.......
 
Kozy_750 said:
Thanks for the opinions, it's good to hear different reasoning. In the end I'll probably buy a new one. I still want to make the tool for that darn retainer ring so I can at least install a crash kit if needed. Was pricing out master cycl's online this afternoon, Blue Streak is the cheapest so far.......
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You don't remove the retainer ring to install the crash kit, that was where I went wrong and gained experience. You just pull the rubber cover off and remove the snap ring behind it which removes the disk (probably the broken part on your master). I used a pair of needle nose pliers opened up and they fit perfectly into the retainer but again, DON'T DO THIS lol.
 
what we need is someone to copy and make those disks. thats the usual part that breaks. and you gotta buy a whole kit for just that.
 
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