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Re: Spit Brakes - Pressure differential valve

To: triumphs@Autox.Team.Net
Subject: Re: Spit Brakes - Pressure differential valve
From: nolan penney <npenney@concentric.net>
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 1997 17:54:29 -0500
>  have a 77 Spitfire.  I was bleeding the brakes the other day after
> replacing a rear wheel cylinder, and when I was finished there was quite
> a puddle of brake fluid under/around the Pressure differential valve. 
> I've had the car 1.5 years and have noticed some wetness there before,
> but after bleeding it was quite a lot.  I've only occasionally had to
> add brake fluid and the brakes are fine with a good firm peddle.  I
> checked the unions into and out of the valve and they seem ok.  However,
> the connection for the brake warning light was practically dripping
> wet.  Is this common?  Is there a fix without replacing the entire
> valve?  I've considered just bypassing the valve.  It is my
> understanding it doesn't do anything but tell you that you have a brake
> pressure problem, which you have probably already figured out anyway.

I took mine all apart to admire it.  There is a center rod which is
turned down in the center.  An o ring seals it on each side, with the
center area being open to the atmosphere.

I haven't installed it yet, but I did observe several things, neither of
which I particularly liked.  One is the o-ring.  That's the only thing
sealing the brake line there.  Get any damage to it (like dry rot) and
you've got a leak that will bleed through the center and out the
switch.  The other thing I didn't like was that when you pushed the rod
all the way to an extreme position the turned down center section seemed
to go under the o-ring on the oposite side.  Which seemes like a heck of
a way to ensure leakage and air entrainment upon attempting to bleed the
brakes with any force on the pedal.



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