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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
January 2003
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 No brakes in my car :(
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Sun, 24 August 2003 08:12
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Hey guys,
Well currently my TA23 has no brakes  , quite annoying to tell the truth. Basically what happened is over the last week I felt the peddel getting softer and softer and on wednesday night my brakes only worked when I pushed the pedal to the floor, so checked the tanks and one of them was empty, so I assumed that I had a leak in one of my brake lines. So took the car to the mechanic and got all the lines checked, no problem, got all the calipers checked, no leak, got the brake booster checked, no problem. In the end mechanic couldn't find anything so we topped up the tanks, bled the lines and I had a nice solid brake pedal again. There was some residue down near the fluid tanks so we thought we'd wash the brake fluid off and monitor it to see if we could identify the leak.
I was about to drive it to work this morning, when I was backing the car down the driveway the pedal was soft again, checked the tanks and again the same tank was empty, the other(main) tank was full but every time you pressed the brake pedal down brake fluid would ooze from the top seal on this main tank, so I figure this is where I am loosing my brake fluid.
So what could some solutions be here? Put new top seals on the brake fluid tanks? Replace the tanks altogether? What could be the cause of this leakage? Is there too much pressure on the seal and its just leaking(the seal appears to be in good condition), or could the seal have perished away over time?
Anyway I've attached some photos so you can see what I am talking about, any comments/suggestions would be great.
This is the top view, you can see the brake fluid around the top of the tank.
This is the side view, you can see the tank that is empty, but this doesn't appear to be where the leakage is.
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I supported Toymods
Banned User
Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Sun, 24 August 2003 08:22
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I tink the master cyl is rooted 
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Toodyay, WA
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Sun, 24 August 2003 09:12
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Yeah, best bet would be to get a master cylinder rebuild kit, they only cost about $30.
we did Rala's this weekend! (only takes about 1hour)
Cam
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Sun, 24 August 2003 12:40
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We actually checked master cylinder aswell, checked for leakage down the bottom of it inside and couldn't find anything? Would a leakage in the master cylinder be what you were thinking of as a cause of the problem, or something more serious with the master cylinder? I'm gonna goto howstuffworks.com and try to do some reading on how brakes work so I can talk more intelligently about the problem, as its my only gripe with the car, its goes great, just doesnt stop  I could grab one of these rebuild kits from Repco or AutoOne yea? Thanks for the input guys.
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I supported Toymods
Banned User
Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Sun, 24 August 2003 12:44
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If I am correct There is a piston(obviously) in the master cylinder, and if the fluid can get past that piston the pressure wont be in the brake lines any more, but will be in the reservoir!
Thats my guess
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Sun, 24 August 2003 12:48
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Ahhh...that does sound very plausable, cause those seals dont look like they are designed to really take any pressue, especially hard braking, cause this was done by reversing down the driveway.....I was only dabbing at the brakes.
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Location:
Mornington Peninsula
Registered:
September 2002
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Sun, 24 August 2003 22:27
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The cap's are desinged to do that,it's kinda like an over flow, mine was doing it last weekend when I had brake problems. I'd just replaced my pads and they still weren't working. The reason it was doing that was because there was air in the lines. I had to pump my brake pedal a few times then I would get enough pressure for the brakes to work but after a few seconds the pedal would travel all the way to the floor. We bled the brakes and then it worked fine. Try it again.
I was told if bleeding the line's didn't work then get the car up on stand and take all wheels off and clamp all brake lines. If your foot can still travel to the floor on the brake pedal then you've got a problem with your master cylender. Just a simple test to try and figure out what is wrong.
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Sun, 24 August 2003 22:54
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Yup, almost certainly a rooted master cylinder. Just because there are no external leaks doesn't mean it's OK. Your mechanic must be pretty dim if he can't figure this out.
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Location:
Cabramatta, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Mon, 25 August 2003 00:08
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Yep, sounds like a rooted m/c. New rubbers doesn't cost much (about $15 for my car from memory). It's a bitch of a job swapping them all though.
Have plenty of boiling hot water (to soften and expand the rubber so that it slips on more easily) and plenty of arm strength handy.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
I renounced punctuation
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Mon, 25 August 2003 00:33
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Definitely a stuffed master cylinder. The fluid is recirculating and going to the reservoir and overflowing, hence the leak over the top.
Rekit it. Write down the orientation of all the little rubbers in there - it's very important they all go in the right way. Check the bore for pitting. If it isn't pitted then get it honed ($5-10 at any brake place). If it is pitted, then you either should find another master cylinder, or get it resleaved.
I probably wouldn't use water to heat up the rubbers - I just use some rubber grease and a some gentle constant force.
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
April 2003
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Mon, 25 August 2003 00:42
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after you put the new seals on, bleed the master to make sure all is well, get it flowing through again.
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Mon, 25 August 2003 01:22
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| gianttomato wrote on Mon, 25 August 2003 10:03 |
I probably wouldn't use water to heat up the rubbers - I just use some rubber grease and a some gentle constant force.
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Water is a bad idea as break fluid is hydroscopic, ie: it absorbs water. GT's suggestion of grease and constant force is the go .
Craig.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
I renounced punctuation
Registered:
May 2002
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 Water, no.
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Mon, 25 August 2003 03:16
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No matter how good the drying off process is, a little bit always remains. Not only does it reduce the boiling temp of the brake fluid, it also begins the process of corrosion within the hydraulic system.
Rubber grease is cheap. If you are a real cheapskate (like moi  ), you could lubricate the rubbers with brake fluid.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: No brakes in my car :(
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Mon, 25 August 2003 13:20
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Alrite, I'm off on the hunt for a rebuild kit for my m/c. I'll let you all know how I go. Thanks for all the input guys, very much appreciated.
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Location:
Cabramatta, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Water, no.
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Mon, 25 August 2003 23:36
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I'm quite aware that brake fluid is hydroscopic. But I find it saves a lot of time if you soften the rubbers in hot water so that they're easier to get on and then just dry them in front of a fan or something. Hot water evaporates pretty easily anyway...
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