Recently I replaced the front two disk brake rotors and front and rear disk brake pads on my 1995 Volvo 850 Turbo. Thanks to my Haynes manual and Bay 13 , the job was a cinch.

One issue I did run into was the dust boot on the drivers side front caliper had come partially loose from the caliper. As this issue pre-existed my "brake job" I ahead and "closed up the patient" and pondered on what to do later about the loose dust boot.

I was left with a decision to either pop out the caliper piston and reinstall the dust boot (basically a caliper overhaul) or to purchase a re-manufactured caliper.

Thanks to Dave the Volvo Tech I was able to resolve the problem another easier and less costly way !!

Thank you Dave !!!!!

Here is the dialogue - I am am posting it in the hopes that it might help someone else in the same predicament.

Here it is- go to the bottom to start:

Hi Dave,

I think I got my dust boot back into the caliper thanks to your guidance!

You're right - it took me about 4 tries before I got the boot back in the caliper.

Not a job for an impatient or hurried person (both of which I normally am).

I took my time and held the attitude that if I failed - no big deal, I'd gog for the re-manufactured caliper.

Anyhow- I believe I got it back in the groove.

Thank you Sir for the directions on how to do this without taking the whole caliper apart.

Kindest Regards,

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Dave wrote:

Sorry I didn't answer all your questions on the first reply- I have a house full of family with the flu and was rushed this morning when I was typing the first reply. The 90 degree scribe is similar to the pick the dentist uses to scrape your teeth. Use the heel of the bend to avoid damaging the boot. Pull the boot completely off the caliper and piston. Press the brake pedal 5-7 times to move the piston out of the caliper for cleaning/inspection. Push the piston back into the caliper until the groove in the piston is just inside the caliper. This will allow clearance for you to work the caliper-end of the boot past the piston. As you stuff the boot into place, rotate the boot so the installed part of the lip is positioned at the 'back' of the caliper and the uninstalled lip is at the top of the caliper where you can continue to work it into place. Once you have all the lip inside the caliper, push the piston in until it stops. Then depress the brake pedal the 5-7 times to push the piston out and verify the boot is installed correctly and is going to stay in place. Then seat the other lip in the piston groove and push the piston back into the caliper. As I said in the Brickboard post, sometimes it takes a few attempts to get the boot in correctly without it popping out when you run the piston back out. Rebuilding calipers is a difficult repair and in my opinion not worth the potential risk of a brake failure. Much safer to go with the exchange/rebuilt caliper.

Dave the volvo Tech

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I wrote :

Hi Dave, Appreciate your response !! Excuse my ignorance on tools - but can you describe to me what a "90 degree scribe (the smooth bend) " is please? BTW- I hope it is not too late to do this. Last Friday evening I replaced the front rotors and disk brake pads. In the process I noticed the partially loose dust boot - attempted to nudge it back in with the tip of a small screwdriver , but was afraid to push and tear the boot. At that point I had no choice but to complete the job. With new pads in - the caliper piston is effectively all the way in ( or almost anyhow). Will your method still work? If this fails - as a novice, should I attempt the popping the piston out and effectively overhauling the caliper? This is why I figured to go with a remanufactured caliper. Incidently, I did use the Volvo silicone grease- no noise from the brakes at all ! Thank you , Nathan

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Dave wrote:

Nathan-

I see the dust boots out of position on about 20% of the cars when I replace front brakes. With a little patience and some of the silicone brake grease you SHOULD be using on the pad-to-caliper sliding contact points, you can work the boot back into place. First clean everything up- no dirt or pad residue/dust on the piston, wipe off the lip on the boot with a clean, dry shop rag, spread some grease on the boot, push the piston back into the caliper, and using a 90 degree scribe (the smooth bend) work the boot into the groove in the caliper. Have the piston pushed into the caliper far enough to use the groove in the piston as additional clearance for the lip to slide by the piston and into the caliper groove. If you get it into the correct position with enough grease (a little dab's do ya) you should be able to spin the boot in the caliper. Press the piston ALL the way in to seat the boot, and as a final test, press the brake pedal 5-7 times and see if the boot stays in or pops out. I've done this countless times, but am not always successful the first attempt. (or second or third, sometimes) The cars I have reinstalled the boot on don't seem to be any the worse for wear, and it does keep water and dirt out of that delicate seal area. Good luck, and save your money until the caliper develops a fluid leak.

Dave the Volvo Tech

'99 V70R AWD, '93 854 GLT, '82 242 DL

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I Wrote:

When I recently did my front rotors and pads I noticed the dust boot had come partially loose from the caliper (does not appear torn or otherwise damaged).

I was not able to figure out how to reinstall dust boot into the caliper.

The brakes are working fine- but if there is a method (short of overhauling the calipers) I would like to "re-open my patient" to fix it properly.

Perhaps I did not look closely enough, bit it appeared to me that one would need to remove the caliper and pop the piston completely out before the dust cover could be correctly installed. I hope that there is an easier way!

Thanks !