Rear Brake caliper question

[rger8]

So I took the 4 bolts off the caliper and the one off the brake arm thingy. I am getting ready to apply the high Temp RTV stuff to the back side of the pads to hopefully stop the screaming brake issue.

Anyway, now that I have the caliper in two I noticed that there is a port hole on the inside of each calipers.  The inboard one has an "O" ring in it. I have never seen calipers this way but can I assume I have opened the system to air now? I guess brake fluid flows from one side to the other when they are bolted together, therby activating the pistons. I noticed some brake fluid weeping around the area after I took it apart.

Does the "O" ring go bad? I think it may have had a leak before I bought it from the previous owner. If so can I get the "O" ring at a good harware store or does it have to be a Suzuki replacment part? I guess this also means I have to bleed the system, right?

How do you do that? I don't have a manual yet.

Thanks for any help!

[ineedanap]

You didn't need to remove the 2 bolts that hold the caliper together to get to the pads.  If I remember right you don't need to remove any bolts at all, just pull 2 pins.  Doesn't really matter now, though.  

You should replace the o-rings since you have it apart.  Old o-rings don't always seal up like you would hope, especially if the bike is more than a couple years old.  My 90 caliper o-rings were literally as hard as a rock and deformed.  The genuine suzuki oring costs a couple bucks.  

If you go to the hardware store for an o-ring you might be asking for trouble.  O-rings come in lots of different materials and some might not react well to brake fluid.  

Yes, you'll have to rebleed the system.