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Crap Rebuild kit!

vping

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What could have made my rear brakes fail? Hmm. I checked the MC and the rear resevoir is empty. Hmmm ohh lookie here there's brake fluid all over my new Superlight rims how lovely. Jack it up in the air and remove said wheels. Remove drums hmmm ALL 4 OF MY BRAKE CYLS HAVE HOLES IN THEM. It looks as if they blew up and then popped. They are all stretched out on the side. The inside of both drums are covered in brake fluid. Now I need new Cyls and new shoes. This was all put in less than 600 miles ago.

Anybody ever hear of this?

If Hap reads this post I wonder if Superlight has touch up paint?

9-06-08-BrakeFailure003.jpg
 
They look like they've been pinched either during installation or afterwards during operation.
 
What in the world could it pinch on? If you saw them up close you can see how thin the rubber got as if it was filled with high pressure air and then exploded. Can't see how this was pinched unless this has happened to someone else and I am way off base. I had this rear on the bench and took my time building both sides to perfection.
 
They look ~melted~ to me. What fluid did you have in there, Vince?
 
Castrol LMA as recommended by all youse fellas. I have it in the clutch and in the GT as well.
Look kinda melted to me too. How could this have heated up?
 
Those are only dust boots. There should never be anything behind them but air. It looks as though the primary seals failed, allowing the pressurized fluid to rupture the boots.
The white boxes strike again.
Jeff
 
Tha's what I wuz leadin' to.... No fluid should ever get to the boots.


LMA is STILL what should be used, Vince. But it appears the piston seals failed. When you disassemble one, note if the edges of the seal appear "rounded" or the seals look "melted" as well.

...but I fear Jeff hit th' bobbin onna noggin. Junk outta th' box.

A suggestion: go to a local NAPA for another set. At least you can rail at a counter person if it happens again.... :devilgrin:


Chances are it won't.
 
Point taken. Fluid blowing past the seals and then caused the boom. I've got a friend ordering me a complete set of cyls - not kits, from MOSS. We'll see if that does any better. I took great care to rebuild these but I guess my $5 chance did not work. Sucks that I gotta gets shoes too!
 
I saw the title and thought "wow - some people will rebuild anything" :wink:

Sorry about the brakes though...
 
:lol:
 
Even the new ones can fail quickly. Nothing like the fresh memory of thoes blasted c clips still in your mind and then finding a puddle under a rear wheel.
 
I was young! Actually it only takes a few minutes and I had the kits. If I'd know it would turn out this way...
 
Vince, just a curious question. Did you power hone the cylinders before inserting the internals or just clean them with something else?
Oh, how old was the rebuild kit?
 
Good question on the age of the kit. I got it from a friend who sells parts and it looked brandy spankin. I did hone the cyls with a drill but ever so slightly just to give it some cross hatches and no more. The insides looked fiarly decent.

I've got a set of Lockheeds on order and new Shoes. I'm not going to take a chance on the new albeit soaked in LMA shoes that are in there. Shame.
 
Scott_Hower said:
You rebuilt wheel cylinders?

They're like $20 each; not worth the effort/hassle IMO.

yes $20 each, but you better take them apart and check if they were assembled correctly. So, in a sense you get to rebuild a "new" assembly.
 
Why would I need to do that? Do you really need to check them?
 
angelfj said:
Scott_Hower said:
You rebuilt wheel cylinders?

They're like $20 each; not worth the effort/hassle IMO.

yes $20 each, but you better take them apart and check if they were assembled correctly. So, in a sense you get to rebuild a "new" assembly.
Never - ever - had a problem with the rebuildt ones I buy from Moss for myself or customers....& I've never opened one up to see if it was assembled correctly!
 
That's where I'm getting mine and I don't think they are $20 any more.
 
Lemme rephrase that: I don't buy rebuild kits...I buy cylinders....& I recommend to all my customers that they do the same if they ask me.
 
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