How to clean the SMC inside properly? Please help.

Hello all,

My bike had all the symptoms so I have taken apart the SMC. And yes it sticks. I ordered the rebuild kit (came in 1 day here in the Czech Republic).

After a closer inspection it looks like that only the last 5mm of the SMC bore causes the problem. It is coroded (for a lack of better term) and it stops the inner part to be able to release all the way.

My question is, how do you clean the SMC bore? I have tried all the soft stuff as I dont want to scratch the cylinder but I cant get it to come off. Any tips?

Thank you!

MS.

Indeed, that is the situation I encountered when I disassembled the SMC on my bike 18 months ago.

To clean up the corrosion, I used a brass wire brush to clean the piston assembly, and a rolled-up strip of 3M Scotch-Brite to clean out the SMC cylinder bore. At the time I did not have a rebuild kit on hand, so I reused all the rubber bits.

The next time, I'm sure this is not a 'one & done' task, I clean the SMC bore I'll use a bit of wooden dowel, slotted at one end, with the Scotch-Brite inserted into the slot, and a drill gun to hone the cylinder. Probably should replace the rubber bits this time.

Scotch Brite! - great tip! I will try to wrap it around a screwdriver and clean it. Will let you know. Thank you!!!

rossilvr said:

Scotch Brite! - great tip! I will try to wrap it around a screwdriver and clean it. Will let you know. Thank you!!!

Click to expand...

Scotchbrite will scratch the bore. You may not see it, but it will leave scratches and cause drag. You may want to try and use some 1200 grit wet and dry paper or crocus cloth instead. You want to polish it, no scratch it.
Hope this helps.

Why did Honda change it? They had the exact same system on the CBR1100XX EXCEPT the SMC was inverted. No liquid could run into it and rust it out. I never had a problem with it for the 85k I owned it.

Done and done. I have taken apart, cleaned, and inserted the rebuild kit into the SMC. It was really tough to clean. I used everything I could find to get the "grime" off. Sounds easy but it aint. When done, the piston pops right out when pressed. The old one stayed pushed in.