• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

Brake Fluid Decisions

Share this page

V

vettedog72

Jedi Knight
Offline
The best decision for brake fluid is to have the master cylinder rebuilt by Apple or White Post. After the rebuild, you don't have to keep topping up the reservoirs and spilling the brake fluid. Also. your shoes and carpet stay cleaner too.

If you are having trouble with boiling the DOT3 fluid, you must be racing and that brings a whole new set of rules in to play.

DOT5 has all ways had the reputation of NOT causing the paint to peal when it is spilled.
 
What is the total cost to send your master cylinder to one of those places? I have often wondered how the rubber on the piston knows weather it is pushing against a stainless steel re-sleeve or the alloy that the cylinder body is made of.
I recently rebuilt mine myself. My original cylinder sleeve was like a mirror inside, looked perfect. The kit was $24.00 and after my complete brake overhaul including wheel cylinders, pads, shoes, and complete flush and re-fill with DOT 4 synthetic, the total cost was less than $200. My brake pedal is nice and firm and right there at the top constantly.
 
I replaced all of my clutch hydraulics and silicon fluid. I plan to do the same with the brake system this winter. I see nearly all positive and very little negative in doing this.

I don't race so those issues are meaningless to me. I like the idea of not having to deal with the fluid issues and I can finish my detailing/overhauling with this last step. I don't think that my old system owes me anything after 33 years.

I decided to do this because I noticed that the fluid in the front of my reservoir has started to turn black.
 
Stirkle said:
I have often wondered how the rubber on the piston knows weather it is pushing against a stainless steel re-sleeve or the alloy that the cylinder body is made of.

My original cylinder sleeve was like a mirror inside, looked perfect.
Click to expand...
And there you have it. I believe the problem is that the stainless sleeve doesn't wind up with that mirror finish. The relatively soft brass (and original alloy) will polish in use, but the harder stainless doesn't (or at least takes a lot longer to do so).
 
I would think that a person doing the re-sleeving would choose a tube that has a minimum of a 32 RMA ID finish, if not better, which is very common in 300 series stainless drawn tubing. A 32 RMA or better finish is medical instrument/aerospace grade and will be a perfectly smooth and functional sealing surface. Odds are, that they will probably end up with a 16 RMA, which again, is not uncommon in that alloy series.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]And there you have it. I believe the problem is that the stainless sleeve doesn't wind up with that mirror finish. The relatively soft brass (and original alloy) will polish in use, but the harder stainless doesn't (or at least takes a lot longer to do so). [/QUOTE]

There I have what?????

My brakes are fantastic!
 
TR3driver said:
Stirkle said:
I have often wondered how the rubber on the piston knows weather it is pushing against a stainless steel re-sleeve or the alloy that the cylinder body is made of.

My original cylinder sleeve was like a mirror inside, looked perfect.
Click to expand...
And there you have it. I believe the problem is that the stainless sleeve doesn't wind up with that mirror finish. The relatively soft brass (and original alloy) will polish in use, but the harder stainless doesn't (or at least takes a lot longer to do so).
Click to expand...

Years ago, I worked for a rebuilder that did master cylinders that they sleeved in both stainless and brass. After the sleeves were installed, they were burnished with a Cogsdill Roller Burnisher. (If you're interested on how the process works, click on "overview of roller burnish" in the link). This sized the bores perfectly and made a fine finish on both the stainless and brass. I must have 40 of these burnishers at work that are used mostly for sizing bushings after installation. Once set up, their consistancy is outstanding. Great tools. Anybody sleeving cylinders should be using these.
 
martx-5 said:
Years ago, I worked for a rebuilder that did master cylinders that they sleeved in both stainless and brass. After the sleeves were installed, they were burnished with a Cogsdill Roller Burnisher.
Click to expand...
Cool link, Thanks Art. Any idea what those things cost ?

Any comment from those with SS sleeves on whether they appear to be burnished or not ? Seems unlikely, given the other things I've heard, but ???
 
Stirkle said:
There I have what?????
Click to expand...
You said <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]I have often wondered how the rubber on the piston knows weather it is pushing against a stainless steel re-sleeve or the alloy that the cylinder body is made of.[/QUOTE] which I took to mean you wondered why the seals supposedly last better with brass than stainless.

My theory is that the surface finish is the difference. I could be wrong of course, but that still seems more likely to me.
 
Back
Top