healeys
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Brake Fluid Vanished Without Trace; BJ8.

To: "Bob Spidell" <bspidell@comcast.net>, <GLWilkieAlaska@aol.com>,
Subject: Re: Brake Fluid Vanished Without Trace; BJ8.
From: "Bob Spidell" <bspidell@comcast.net>
Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 22:01:18 -0800
Graham,

Upon further review, it sounds like your "pedal to the floor" problem is caused 
by
the lack of fluid, the seal in your MC might still be OK.


bs
********************************************
Bob Spidell         San Jose, CA        bspidell@comcast.net
'67 Austin-Healey 3000             '56 Austin-Healey 100M
********************************************



> Graham,
> 
> 
> Sounds like you may have two problems:
> 
> 1) the pedal to the floor is often caused by failure of the small seal in the 
>MC piston 
>    that allows fluid into the MC when the pedal is released then seals that 
>path
>    when the brake pedal is pressed.  Usually, you can verify this by pushing 
>and
>    releasing the pedal, if the fluid falls (pedal released) and fluid rises 
>(pedal pressed)
>    this confirms this problem, but since you've lost your fluid you can't 
>test this (maybe
>   you can fill the reservoir to test this)
> 
> 2) there is a seal in the servo called the "gland seal."  This seals around 
>the shaft for 
>    the vacuum piston.  If this fails or gets hard and brittle fluid will be 
>sucked into the
>    vacuum canister.  The Moss rebuild kit supplies this seal and everything 
>else to
>    rebuild the servo, but some Listers have had a problem with the vacuum 
>piston
>    sticking ... there is a special dry lubricant on the inside of the vacuum 
>piston and if
>    this is gone the vacuum piston can stick.  There is an moly-epoxy dry 
>lubricant 
>    available but it's expensive
> 
> 
> bs
> ********************************************
> Bob Spidell         San Jose, CA        bspidell@comcast.net
> '67 Austin-Healey 3000             '56 Austin-Healey 100M
> ********************************************
> 
> Subject: Brake Fluid Vanished Without Trace; BJ8.
> 
> 
>> Hi Listers,
>> 
>> I have encountered a mysterious problem with my brakes. While checking the 
>> brakes with the engine finally running again, the brake pedal went straight 
>to 
>> the floor without any resistance. 
>> 
>> I checked the fluid reservoir. To my surprise, the brake fluid has vanished 
>> without trace. (No puddles on the floor, or any signs of leaking fluid.)
>> 
>> I flushed and bled the brake system about one month ago, using Castrol 
>GTLMA; 
>> this was accomplished without encountering any problems, so I know it was 
>> full.
>> 
>> I have a BJ8 with, I believe, the original Girling Brake Servo installed. 
>> 
>> I have heard that the brake fluid can somehow leak into the Brake Servo. Is 
>> this possible? Which component of the Brake Servo would fail to cause this? 
>> Would the Moss repair Kit rectify this problem?
>> 
>> If someone can please help me, I would be most grateful. 
>> 
>> Regards, Graham Wilkie.
>> HBJ8L / 32382




<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>