T-Series Sloooooowwwww leak in Clutch hydraulics

[Nunyas]

This is not so much a problem as much as this will be a minor gripe. Apparently, I have a super slow leak in my clutch hydraulics. It's a top it off every two or three months slow kind of leak. I find this annoying because the slave cylinder, master cylinder, and flex line are all under 1 year old. I know my leak isn't the master (I'd have fluid on my feet if it were).

The hose I had before this one went bad within a year. So, I suppose that makes it the primary culprit. And here I was thinking I had finally paper trained my B. When secretly it's been taking tiny tinkles all over the place and not telling me about it!

Any suggestions for a high quality clutch hose that won't need to be changed in one year's time?

 

[DrEntropy]

Find a hydraulics shop and give 'em an old or 'counterfeit' hose and ask 'em to duplicate it. Check the cup of the slave as well for fluid. Should be NO fluid past the cup into the outer boot.

 

[Gearhead]

go with the braided steel line if you can get them for the "B" I also sell the remote bleed line in braided steel it has held up great for me any local hydraulic shop can copy them for you as long as you have a sample as mentioned b4

 

[Nunyas]

Well, I changed that clutch slave cylinder and flex line this weekend. When I unbolted the slave cylinder and let it dangle by the old flex line, I was greeted with an good chunk of hydraulic fluid being poured out of the the slave cylinder boot. Lucky for me I was not laying under the durn thing when I let it go.

Removing the old flex line was a bigger PITB than I remembered. The old line wasn't leaking, but I could see it was already starting to dry rot, and it was only a year old /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/nonod.gif. So, I replaced it. The new line is a Mossmotors sourced, via Tony, stainless steel braided line.

The new slave cylinder is a Lockheed part sourced again from Moss, via Tony. It cost twice my last slave cylinder, but the last slave cylinder lasted barely over a year before the seals began failing. I'm confident this Lockheed unit will last a lot longer.

 

[tony barnhill]

Hope it all works out...did you remeber to replace the little washer between the hose & the cylinder?

 

[Nunyas]

yup, the new braided SS flex line came with one on it. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[Steve_S]

Better a slow leak than what I was greeted to the other morning. A 4-foot pool of brake fluid. Left caliper is a genuine factory part. Right caliper is an after market caliper. Both are 8 months old. Guess which one leaked?

 

[Nunyas]

Yup, I, for one, am certainly unimpressed, possibly even disenchanted, with any and all "after market factory replacement" parts available for our cars. There was a time when I didn't think twice about using the after market part. These days, however, I'll spend the extra cash for a genuine part.

 

[Steve_S]

I've been preaching the same thing for years. Unfortunately I dropped the car off for repair and didn't specify factory parts only, so I got one Lockheed caliper and one Brand X caliper. I'm sure I paid the same price for both, too. Even if it was cheaper, there is no way I'd buy a budget brake caliper for the very reason you see in the photo above!

Aside from the hassle, the driveway now has a huge stain as well. The wife won't be happy about that one so I better get some acid etch and do the whole thing. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif

 

[Nunyas]

I suppose the "bright side" of your current situation is that it didn't happen while you were driving the car!

 

[Steve_S]

I had the same thought.

 

[DrEntropy]

Aftermarket brake calipers may be a good argument for a two sided master cylinder... hmmm... <eyes +2 languishing across the lot>

 

[Steve_S]

The only argument I see is against using them at all. In 20 years I've never had a brake caliper commit suicide. And in 20 years I've never used an after market caliper... until this one.

 

[Nunyas]

Sooooooooooooooo, the big question is, you need to give it a good test run this weekend after you fix it? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

 

[DrEntropy]

You know durn'd well I have the same feeling about counterfeit parts. "Rebuilds" of any description are suspect too, IMO. QC for most of those guys seems to be a foreign term. I'm better off doing it all right here.

 

[Steve_S]

Sooooooooooooooo, the big question is, you need to give it a good test run this weekend after you fix it? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

What weekend ever gets by me without a test drive? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[Nunyas]

I need to give my radiator a good work out to see how much of a difference it made, if at all.

I replaced the T-stat while the system was drained. I went from a 160 to a 180. The first difference I've noticed is it warms up slightly differently. The warming of the engine use to slow down just before it reached N. Now it gets to mid N before it slows and settles on the right leg of N. And post shut down start ups are easier (i.e. I don't have to choke 10 minutes after shut down anymore).

So, I'm thinking about a run up Angeles Crest to the end since it's mostly uphill going in for my radiator work out.

 

[Steve_S]

You need to get rid of that gauge and put in something that doesn't use letters for temperature.

 

[DrEntropy]

mehheh. NUMBERS!

 

[Nunyas]

yeah, I know. I just lost the used dual gauge I was bidding on because didn't wanna bid over $80 when I can get a new one for around $150.