Date:         Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:49:40 -0800
Reply-To:     Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Subject:      Re: Loose brake master cylinder resevoir
Comments: To: Gregg Carlen <gregg.carlen@GMAIL.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <AANLkTi=cOtUy30oMaS3+QFUA8ObDQAA=xeNYX4R-4RTC@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes

The reservoir is indeed held to the m/c only by the plugs. The ones I
have played with have all been pretty darn tight.

Hard to say if a loose fit would suck air, I would doubt it if I was
forced to guess.

So the soft brakes just happened all of a sudden?

alistair


On 23-Feb-11, at 8:00 PM, Gregg Carlen wrote:

> So there's no suprise that my new van has more suprises in store for
> me.
>
> Driving the other day and the brake pedal goes almost to the floor.
> Thought
> I might have lost a brake line or a brake piston or some other
> oriface that
> fluid would leak out. When I got home (yes, it still stops, just the
> pedal
> goes almost comletely to the floor). The braking also became very
> squishy/soft.  I first checkd the master brake fluid resvoir. It was
> normal
> (just below the max line). Just to be sure, I did the usual crawl
> around
> underneath looking for leaks and under the master cylinder for
> anything that
> might be leaking. Nothing. Dry everywhere.
>
> Then I noticed the master cylinder resevoir itself was loose. Kind of
> wobbling on top of the master cyclinder. This is a new master
> cylinder (PO
> said he had it replaced and the old one is in a box in the back with
> other
> spare parts).
>
> I'm suspecting that I wasn't leaking any fluid, but that I've sucked
> air
> into the brake lines. I think when the PO had the master cylinder
> replaced
> that the resevoir plugs (Bently 47.2) were reused and not replaced
> with new.
> If I gently/carefully rock the resevoir, I can see that one of the
> plugs has
> moisture around its edges.
>
> So, besides asking your collective opinion as to what might have
> failed in
> the brakes, is there a way that the master brake resevoir is
> SUPPOSED to be
> secured? Or, is it just held in place by the 2 resevoir plugs?
>
> Cheers,
> Gregg
> 90 Westy