brake fluid reservoir leaks

[cxa2000]

I am curious to know if anyone has had the same problem, and how they have resolved it

I am in the process of fitting an alloy rad on 195, and after taking the storage box out i noticed a large area of paint had blistered on the chassis directly below the reservoirs.
On closer inspection the bottom of the res. were damp and it seems that small amounts of fluid is forced out through the vent holes probably when the car is driven in anger, this is probably over a number of years and would not be noticed until you take the storage box out, so there may be some owners out there that are not aware of the problem.

It seems a design fault, having spoken to AP they do a replacement cap and belows that overcomes this problem, however, these are without float sensors due to the bellows fitment.

Although a simple job to prep and paint the affected area, it looks like front shocks and top arms on both sides need to be removed to do the job properly, and as i am a bit anal about doing things properly this is probably what i will end up doing

[Nikki]

Hi cxa,

Saw your post on the BBS forums... Hope someone will reply to your question here... I guess someone will have been likely to have had the same issue.

Cheers,
Klaus

[cxa2000]

Hi cxa,

Saw your post on the BBS forums... Hope someone will reply to your question here... I guess someone will have been likely to have had the same issue.

Cheers,
Klaus

Hi Klaus

you would think so, but some may not be aware of the leakage unless they take out the storage box for any reason or maybey the original reservoirs have already been changed perhaps by a previous owner etc.

Just got a new pair of original reservoirs with standard caps with bellows fron Burton power, will take care of the replacements shortly after fitting the alloy rad.

Nice to see that there is some life on this forum

[cxa2000]

Just realised typo on my original post should read car 194 not 195 which is Justin's car

[cxa2000]

Can anyone tell me whether DOT 5 Silicone brake fluid is ok in the system, i intend to completely bleed out the normal dot 4 stuff and re-fill with the silicone stuff, my other classics have silicone but wasnt sure whether there are any other implications with the rs200.
cheers
claudio

[Justin Smith]

Claudio,

I don't think I would want to take the chance with DOT 5. Many racing type people suggest not using it as it is not hygroscopic so any moisture will not "blend" in with the brake fluid simply lowering the performance, instead it would form globules which would most likely collect in the calipers although DOT 5.1 IS hygroscopic.

Also, there is no need as there are some really good DOT 3 and 4's out there (although obviously if you get a leak then they are messy !) - take Castrol SRF for instance, expensive but well thought of although in my Audi i've put Motul RBF600 in as it gets good write ups and is cheaper. I think they do a 660 now also but I have no idea how it differs.

[cxa2000]

Justin,

Having given this some proper thought i tend to agree, silicone in the past seemed a good idea but there are drawbacks and i dont realy want to risk damaging any seals etc. bit of a shame because the silicone stuff doesnt damage the paintwork and i could have kept the original reservoirs in place and not worried about overspill from vents.

When i bought the repacement reservoirs fron Burton Power a while back i also bought some AP Racing dot 5.1 fluid, so i may as well use it now, i am told that it will happily mix with dot 3 and 4 or is the stuff you mention better .

What do you use to remove the spark plugs, is there a extra thin wall spark plug socket available and what plugs would you recommend.

The alloy rad is going in end of this week finally, looks like in the nick of time as the old one was actually starting to weep, i must say it does add that bit of wow factor when you pop the bonnet and see that gorgeous rad

claudio

[Justin Smith]

Yes my understanding is that 5.1 will mix with what ever 3 or 4 is left in the system - I think it is good stuff also - I can't imagine AP using any rubbish.

As for the spark plugs, you can either use the box spanner in the tool box which you will find is machined at the end so it "just" fits enough to get some turn on the plug or, what I have done, is buy a spare socket and have someone machine it down so it is thin enough to get inbetween the recess and the plugs - The last one against the bulk head is a pain and I usually borrow my mates magnetic thing to help me get it out.

Over time all the machined sockets I have seen start to crack in the end as you do have to get it quite thin to get it to work.

What rad did you go for in the end, was it from ProAlloy ? - Any images ? ;

Plugs - I use NGK DR9EA - Apparently much cheaper if you buy them from a motorbike shop than from a motorsport supplier - I just looked on Ebay and there are UK suppliers doing these for £1.45 each plus £1 postage which is a bargain - I was told to use the "R" (resistor) versions as Derek had problems on Willys car with the electrode being pushed back into the plug but by using these it seemed to stop it happening.

*** Keep the screw on nipple as these plugs do not come with new ones for some odd reason and our leads need them ***

[cxa2000]

Tried the box spanner from the tool box but for some strange reason it wouldnt fit due to the thickness of the steel pointless having it in the tool kit.
Will try and get an extra thin wall socket to machine down if still too tight.

yep, pro alloy rad, how do i post images.

Is it the resistive DR9EA plugs you use (resistive type are required according to the manual)

[Justin Smith]

Yes, just edited my post above, use the R version to stop the electrode being pushed in as Willy experienced albeit he is running quite high boost levels.

As for uploading images, when you are typing a reply look below the SUBMIT button and you see an OPTIONS tab and a UPLOAD ATTACHMENT tab.

Use the latter, I seem to remember once you have uploaded it you then "insert" the link to that uploaded image into your reply.