I forgot to mention in my post a few minutes ago that I too have the
dreaded discolored fluid syndrome. I always attributed it to some
kind or other back flow into the cylinder due to the fact that I was
missing one of the 2 rubbers seals.
-----------------------------------------
Charlie Farwell 1962 TR4 #CT3852L
cfarwell@lucent.com
On Jul 7, 7:35am, Pete & Aprille Chadwell wrote:
> Yeah, I think this must've been me! This is where I am in pursuit of this
> problem (which has persisted for more than ten years!)...
>
> The clutch is working fairly well right now. In the past it has been known
> to fail only THREE WEEKS after either doing a rebuild of both components,
> or replacing the components with new. However, the discoloration
> continues. The fluid becomes almost entirely opaque after a week or so of
> driving it every day. I cannot see the bottom of the reservoir. In fact,
> using a piece of white cardstock for a gauge, I insert the card into the
> reservoir to see how far down into the fluid I can see. The card
> disappears completely only a half-an-inch into the fluid! Several
> responses I got from that original posting had to do with the finish in the
> master cylinder. I think that these guys were on the right track. It has
> been suggested that I need to polish (not hone) the bore of the master
> cylinder, that the finish that exists now is grinding up the rubber seals.
> Now, the only problem I have with this is that since this problem happened
> even with a BRAND NEW master cylinder (not just rebuilt), then the parts
> coming from Lucas/Girling are defective. This seems unlikely to me.
> However, it does make sense that in my case, perhaps the more I use the
> clutch, the more the bore is "polished" just from regular use, thus, the
> problem occurs less and less as time passes. The discoloration continues,
> though... I dunno, it is a very frustrating problem for me.
>
> Other suggestions were to have the components re-sleeved at White Post
> Restorations. They take the components and install brass sleeves, as well
> as assemble with all new parts. They claim that, for all intents and
> purposes, the cylinders are indestructible after this process. It costs
> $175 per cylinder, though!!
>
> Let's hear some more about this problem from some other folks. And, where
> is TRF on this one!!???
>
> Pete Chadwell
>
> 1973 TR6
>
> >A few months ago, a list member complained that the hydraulic fluid in
> >his clutch master cylinder had turned murky shortly after rebuilding the
> >master and slave cylinders, and asked if anyone knew the cause. Most
> >respondents said that their fluid stayed clear, and suspected some
> >incompatibility between the rubber seals and the fluid. A couple of
> >people responded that they had the same problem, even though they were
> >using Girling parts and Castrol LMA DOT 4 fluid.
> >
> >When I rebuilt the master and slave cylinders on my son's Spitfire
> >almost two years ago, I had the same problem. We even flushed the system
> >to get fresh LMA all through the system, but within an hour, a greyish/
> >purplish sediment was already starting to enter the master cylinder's
> >reservoir.
> >
> >This week, the master has started to leak, and I've ordered another
> >rebuild kit. I used the official Girling kit last time, but I suspect
> >that the seals were deteriorating from the start.
> >
> >Has anyone else had this problem, or can recommend a couple of does and
> >don'ts during the rebuild?
> >
> >Thanks...
>
>
>
>-- End of excerpt from Pete & Aprille Chadwell
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