Just leave it. As long as its intact don't worry about it. Clean and lube everything with the correct grease, make sure to clean the slide channels on the calipers where the tabs on the ends of the pads sit thoroughly too.

 

Thanks. So I had a hard time looking up Mazda-specific info for that thing, but on some other brand forums it was suggested that the older ones can swell up and make the pin hard to move. Since my lower pin is hard to move even after lubing, is that a good reason to try grappling with it?

 

Depends on whether or not its actually interfering with the operation of the caliper. I'm not sure why it would swell up unless you are using the wrong lube on it. I don't think I have ever seen that happen.

 

Hmm, so let me keep those bushings around, and get a mechanic's opinion the next time I'm in a shop. The pads still glide freely, which is a huge improvement from the rusted half-seized condition the whole thing was in before. Thanks again!

 

If the pads move freely thats pretty much all you need.......

 

worth mentioning is to give those boots a good inspection. if they're swelling or split anywhere they should be replaced. like when a CV boot is damaged, grease comes out and dirt gets in. slide pins will eventually seize. if there's nothing wrong with them keep the new boots in a safe spot for the future. nice to have on hand if you notice a damaged boot one day.

 

One slide pin was very bound up on my daughter's Mazda 3 and after pulling the boot I found brake dust caked all around it. The boot looked sealed and wasn't torn...can't even guess how all of that got in there. Cleaned all of that out with a brass bristle and a nylon bore brush and pulled a new boot through.