Leaky Shimano brakes.... Recommendations??

[breamster]

On my MTB both calipers now have leaky seals which I understand is a common problem on The br-m615 calipers.

I could replace just the calipers but once I pay for new pads I might as well just replace the lot.

The best price I've seen is xt which works out about £75 each end.

Do the xt ones leak over time like the other the 3 sets of Shimano brakes I have had?

Is there anything better for the money? Much as I would like Hope my budget won't stretch to them

Bike is for xc and trail riding rather than chucking down big hills.

Any suggestions greatly received!!

Also, when do I need to replace the rotors? The ones I have are three years old and visually look ok but obviously need a good clean.

[lufbramatt]

Second hand hopes can be picked up for around £150-£180 for a pair. All the parts are available at reasonable prices so they pretty much last forever. That’s what I’m planning to do in a couple of weeks time to replace the old avid elixirs on my mtb.

[J886ATV]

breamster said:

On my MTB both calipers now have leaky seals which I understand is a common problem on The br-m615 calipers.
do I need to replace the rotors?

Watching this with interest - I think I have a similar problem - leads to squealing brakes. Change pads / clean rotor and it will fix it for 1 ride, but everything gets contaminated after a week of the bike standing.

Tried putting the disk through the dishwasher to properly clean it - helped a bit, but suspect new pads / disks if I change the caliper will be the way to go

[shouldbworking]

breamster said:

On my MTB both calipers now have leaky seals which I understand is a common problem on The br-m615 calipers.

I could replace just the calipers but once I pay for new pads I might as well just replace the lot.

The best price I've seen is xt which works out about £75 each end.

Do the xt ones leak over time like the other the 3 sets of Shimano brakes I have had?

Is there anything better for the money? Much as I would like Hope my budget won't stretch to them

Bike is for xc and trail riding rather than chucking down big hills.

Any suggestions greatly received!!

Also, when do I need to replace the rotors? The ones I have are three years old and visually look ok but obviously need a good clean.

I went from Deore 615 to XT 785 and have to say it wasn't worth it. The XT ones are a pita to bleed and no better at stopping. Got some new deores for another one of my bikes and I'd much rather have them than the XTs.

Haven't had any leaking problems with any of mine (except for not tightening the olive enough after trimming hoses) so can't comment on that front.

[breamster]

Well I did consider the 2nd hand hopes and various other options.

In the end I have just ordered a set of calipers only. Man maths failed me in trying to get something a bit more bling on this occasion.

The deciding factor was reading about the i-spec-b shifter I have fitted. Trying to find a compatible brake in the right budget was not easy. If i had an i-spec-ii shifter I would have had numerous options.

Also, I managed to find some new calipers which includes pads for about £22 each which is very cheap. I'll just have to accept that they will only last 2-3 years before needing replacing.

I'm probably going to clean the rotors up and hope for the best. The wife is away this weekend so I can use the dishwasher with impunity. I also have a large bottle of isopropyl alcohol so they should be ok.

[stuarthat]

Had my 615s for a few years change the fluid each year and have been good so far .

[Kermit power]

Are the seals not serviceable?

From reading this, I think I have a similar problem...

[breamster]

Kermit power said:

Are the seals not serviceable?

From reading this, I think I have a similar problem...

My symptoms were brakes not working great and horrendously noisy. Obvious contamination. So I clean the discs and lightly sand or replace the pads. Brakes are then great for another ride or possibly two and then back to noisy again. Feel of the brakes also getting spongy.


It may be possible to replace the seals but from pics online it looks like the bores corrode rather than the seals failing. I can't imagine it'll be cost effective when a new caliper is £22 which includes new pads. Assuming the ones I ordered actually fit! It seems there are two types of connection for the hydraulic line into the caliper so hopefully I have got the right one.

[Kermit power]

breamster said:

My symptoms were brakes not working great and horrendously noisy. Obvious contamination. So I clean the discs and lightly sand or replace the pads. Brakes are then great for another ride or possibly two and then back to noisy again. Feel of the brakes also getting spongy.


It may be possible to replace the seals but from pics online it looks like the bores corrode rather than the seals failing. I can't imagine it'll be cost effective when a new caliper is £22 which includes new pads. Assuming the ones I ordered actually fit! It seems there are two types of connection for the hydraulic line into the caliper so hopefully I have got the right one.

Makes sense! Could you put up a link to those, please?

Also, isn't all hydraulic hose the same? Not quite sure how there could be multiple connection types?

[dodgyviper]

I had the same issue with m375 calipers - replaced both with SLX M7000

Had to replace cables and shifters due to the new cable spec, but was able to get half price ones. One of them was a European rear caliper/cable/lever set, which was great as I shortened the cable and used it as my front brake.

Got both front and back for less than £40 each (if I remember correctly)

MUCH improved braking all round - also helped by upgrading the front to a 180mm from 160mm disk

[PomBstard]

I changed to a set of Shimano Zee a couple of years ago and they have been faultless. No leaks, consistent modulation, plenty of stopping power, and not much more than XT.

Have a squeal on the front at full squeeze but there’s still enough power to put me over the bars so I can be arsed to fiddle with something that works so well.

[breamster]

Kermit power said:

Makes sense! Could you put up a link to those, please?

Also, isn't all hydraulic hose the same? Not quite sure how there could be multiple connection types?

These are the ones I bought....

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-deore-m6000-disc-...

I've no idea if they are the right ones yet. I tried to strip down the brakes and a few other bits whilst I'm at it. I discovered two things; 1. The maxle thingy is seized. 2. The maxle thingy is made of soft cheese and now chewed up and I can't get the front wheel off - decided to leave it before I lose my rag and chop the bike up with an angle grinder. I'll try another day.

If you look at where the pipe enters the caliper its a hex nut. On the later calipers I believe it is something else. Good luck with getting yours sorted.

[Craikeybaby]

I'm in this boat with a leaky Deore M615 caliper, compounded by iSpec B shifter and internal cable routing to deal with. So I have just been ignoring the squealing brakes for the last few months.

[breamster]

Just for completeness, it worked. I now have brakes that work. First ride out today and the brakes seem good. Hopefully they will stay squeek and squeel free.

[Craikeybaby]

Nice. I went all out and ordered XT brakes, will swap the Deores on to my old bike, but good to know calipers can be swapped to the new model. Hopefully that leaks less.

[Craikeybaby]

Did the swap, rear Deore calliper is leaky, and front Deore lever has stripped the thread on the bleed screw, so I think I'll make one good Deore brake and get an SLX for the front.