Listers,
Just before putting my TR4 away in late October for an engine pull and
rebuild... I noticed some fade in the brakes and clutch if they were applied
for a long time... like sitting in traffic using the clutch or riding the
brake while rolling down a long downhill.
I got the car in July and drove it a lot all summer with no problems. The
PO said the car was on silicone hydraulic fluid. Both reservoirs were full
and the fluid was clean and clear. The color of the fluid was an olive oil
green. I bought a quart of silicone fluid from TRF and the color was clear
purple. I tested the green fluid on paint and it did not harm it. Around
the end of August, I topped up the brake and clutch MCs with just a small
amount of purple silicone.
I just dismantled and rebuilt the two MCs and found the rubber parts to be
all gooey and changing to a black sticky substance. The little valve seal
was the worst rather than the plunger seal and the brake was much father
along than the clutch. There is obviously something attacking the rubber
parts.... or would this be normal for 10 years of service. The PO didn't
maintain the car... just fixed what broke.
Is there a way to tell by color if you have silicone or not? I know from my
Naval Air days that all military aviation fluids are color coded. Have I
mixed the little bit of purple silicone with DOT 3 or 4 or some
non-compatible silicone?
So listers....I need some advice from you folks who have been there..... to
know whether this means I must flush the whole system and rebuild everything
or just normal symptoms of old MCs.
Brian Sanborn
62 TR4 CT16260L - Groton, MA
sanborn@net1plus.com
|