Dave et al,
I, too experienced problems with Apple's re-sleeved MC. When I got
their unit, I disassembled it to clean it out and re-lubricate it with
new synthetic fluid as I was converting my system. I wasn't ready to
install the brake system on the car as yet so the MC sat on the bench
for a month or two. One day, for some reason while standing in front of
my bench, I just happened to pick up the MC and attempted to push in the
piston, noticing that it didn't come back out! Inspection revealed that
one of the seals had swollen and the other had shrunk! (an interesting
condition I might add as the prevalent theory I'd heard was that all the
seals would swell after converting to silicon)
At least it wasn't installed on the car yet. A new rebuild kit resolved
the problem and the MC had been installed over a year now, everything
working just fine without ever any lock-ups. Had I installed the MC,
I'd bet that they would have.
Gary
Digest '75 TR6
Severn, MD
> I also had the same problem on my 250 after switching to silicone
brake
> fluif. And my conditions were similar, the master and both calipers
had
> been rebuilt by Apple Hydraulics. I had also put new stainless
braided
> hoses on the car at all four corners (blows the aged rubber hose
theory),
> and also had flushed completely with alcohol (or so I thought!).
After a
> complete teardown and close inspection, I found evidence that enough
of the
> (regular) fluid used by Apple to assemble the components of the master
> cylinder had reacted with the silicone causing the pistons to bind in
the
> master cylinder. I can't say why the brakes would 'bleed' off enough
to
> drive again after 30+/- minutes. However, after a through cleaning
and
> re-assembly (master and calipers with silicone fluif) and a liberal
flushing
> of the whole system with silicone, I have not had any further problems
in
> the 1000 some odd miles I've driven since.
>
> Good Luck,
> Dave Brackin
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