Changing brake pads, mechanics say to clean the carrier. Why is that so important?
The following is by my understanding.
Brake pads are a wearing surface: they are meant to wear out and be replaced. Calipers, however, are not. When one needs to replace brake pads, one hopes not to have to replace the caliper as well, since it makes the job more expensive.
Calipers, as I understand, wear out because of heat: because, in particular, the brake pads aren’t moving in and out like they should be. One reason for that can be jammed caliper pin(s), from insufficient lubrication. (Needless to say, when replacing brake pads, the caliper pins and their housings, including the boots, need to be cleaned and regreased.)
However, another reason the brakes might not be opening and closing freely can be that the pads themselves aren’t moving well on the tins – those metal liners between the carrier and the ears of the pad.
One reason the pad can become sticky against the tin is that dirt and corrosion have gotten behind the tin, between it and the carrier body, effectively pushing the tin inward against the ears of the pad. Hence, as I understand it, the reason to clean up the carrier, then grease where the tins will go: so corrosion won’t start there.
Therefore, to protect the caliper, one must clean and maintain the carrier: that’s why mechanics emphasize cleaning up and regreasing the carrier when replacing brake pads.
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