Red Rubber Brake Grease

[Legal Bill]

Other than a supplier in England, I can't find Castrol or Girling red rubber grease that was widely used for packing the area under brake and clutch master cylinder rubber dust boots. This grease did a great job keeping water out of the bores and I believe my old master cylinder failed due to a lack of this grease. I see Moss has a Penrite product that may be a substitute, but I can't be sure from the description. Amazon sells a product called Red Rubber Grease that is represented as meeting Lucas and Girling TS-2-34-04 spec. This sounds promising, and sounds like something I can get in a few days without paying for shipping. What, if anything have you used for this purpose? Please note, I'm not asking about the grease used to lubricate drum brake components, brake pads or brake calipers.

Thanks!

Bill

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[John Turney]

I've been using the Penrite grease for several years and it seems to work fine.

 

[WHT]

Bill,

That is where I purchase mine, and it appears to work well. I have not had a brake failure and I use Girling master and slave cylinders.

I have used Miller Red Rubber Grease with conventional Dot 3 and 4 brake fluid, and use Silicon grease with Dot 5. Most red rubber grease formulations have additives to increase their resistance to oxidation and corrosion (as is specified in Girling TS-2_34_04).

The Miller's is Castor based:

• For piston seals in brake systems
• For lubrication of other rubber components
• Vegetable oil thickened with pyrogenic silica

If you are not comfortable with Millers (slide 2 and 3), as you said Castrol brand Red Rubber Grease is available (slide 3). It states it meets Lucas Girling TS-2-34-04 specifications (corrosion oxidation resistant) and claims to be the original formula. I would think it is a good product.

The Technical Data Sheets for both brands are available online:

Castrol Red Rubber Grease PRODUCT DESCRIPTION Castrol Red Rubber Grease is a medium consistency grease based on a vegetable oil, inorganic thickener technology and an additive system imparting resistance to both corrosion and oxidation, designed for contact with rubber. This grease has been formulated and tested to ensure it will not harm natural or synthetic rubbers, primarily for the automotive market. PRODUCT APPLICATION Castrol Red Rubber Grease is formulated to meet the requirements of Lucas Girling Specification TS-2-34-04 and thus provides superior rubber to rubber lubrication where any adverse effects such as hardening or swelling of material must be avoided. Castrol Red Rubber Grease can be used as a packing grease or dust and water excluder for rubber sleeves on braking systems. It is suitable for use on rubber O-rings and seals to aid assembly of mechanical components and is also an effective lubricant/easing compound for fitting tyres and windscreens etc. Castrol Red Rubber Grease is particularly suitable for use in the assembly of automotive brake systems, clutch components and suspension units where compatibility with natural rubber and SBR material is considered essential. PRODUCT FEATURES & BENEFITS  Will not harm natural or synthetic rubbers  Makes assembly of mechanical components, fitting of tyres and windscreens easier  Solvent and water resistant  Lessens the chance of damaging oil seals and O-rings when assembling components

Regards, Bill