Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 16:46:47 -0500
Reply-To: Sam Walters <sam.cooks@VERIZON.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Sam Walters <sam.cooks@VERIZON.NET>
Subject: Re: obvious always first - shifter problem solved!
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Will,
If the mechanic who did your brakes a year ago had left the system less
than full or needing to be bled, you would have noticed it long ago. In
all likelihood, the problem you are experiencing has nothing to do with
the brakes.
It is very likely that you have a leak in the clutch part of the
hydraulic system. It is fed by the tube that comes off the top of the
reservoir going to the right and then downward. Yes, leaking in the
hydraulic system first disables the clutch. Stopping is more important
than shifting or so the design logic went.
If your master cylinder is leaking you will see brake fluid right under
the pedals beneath the steering column. If the slave cylinder is
leaking, you might see fluid outside of it or maybe not. It is located
on top of the driver's side of the transmission Since the system has
taken so much fluid and still has a soft clutch, you probably will be to
see where clutch fluid has leaked. The leaking can be inside the
accordion like rubber thing around the end of the slave cylinder and not
show itself until you push that back.
It is quite likely that you have a bad slave cylinder, since you haven't
noticed fluid under the steering column.
I've had to replace 3 or 4 of these. I have saved several sets of
"how-to's" for this job from the list and the archives and will send
them to you if this is the problem. I haven't ever had to do the master
cylinder job, but do have saved materials for that if the leak is up front.
Let me know what you find and I will send you the appropriate files.
Sam
--
Sam Walters
Baltimore, MD
89 Syncro GL, Zetec Inside
85 Westy Weekender
85 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel - to become veggie oil powered
All incoming and outgoing email scanned by
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--
Sam Walters
Baltimore, MD
89 Syncro GL, Zetec Inside
85 Westy Weekender
85 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel - to become veggie oil powered
All incoming and outgoing email scanned by
automatically updated copy of Norton AntiVirus.