Listers,
While on a very pleasant drive this weekend, I realized that I was losing the
pressure on my brake pedal. A quick look revealed that my left rear brakes
were losing fluid. Since I was a couple of hundred miles from home, I decided
to keep the reservoir topped off and come on back. My car is a 76 TR-6 (CF
52615U).
Last night I made my first venture into the world of brake repairs. I was
able to determine the cylinder was leaking and after quite a challenge removed
the cylinder. I anticipate purchasing a re-built cylinder but my questions
are these:
1. The entire inside of the drum was liberally coated with a mixture of
brake fluid, brake dust, road dust, etc. (I guess that this is fluif in its
solid state). What is the best solvent for cleaning this mess that will not
encourage future rust and will not leave a film on the drum that will prevent
the brake shoes from proper friction upon replacement.
2. The Haynes manual says to lubricate appropriate points prior to
reassembly. Should the cylinder be lubricated at the point where it extends
through the back part of the assembly. It appeared to me that it was free to
travel, but there was a significant amount of brake fluid around that could
have been lubricating the whole assembly.
3. Should I obtain new retaining spring plates, etc. or are the used
ones
generally replaced. Should I ask for them by their four letter names? They
appear to be in good condition.
4. Unrelated to the brake problem, the water valve to my heater will
not
return to its fully closed position from depressing the knob on the dash. It
will only travel part of the way then I must manually close it the remainder
of the way. The cable appears to be long enough and to be properly adjusted,
but I believe that the pressure required to close the valve is too great for
the cable, and the cable tends to bend. Is there a way to lubricate this
valve or should I simply spring for a replacement?
I would also like to say that I am a novice at automobile repairs, and before
I began reading this list I would not have attempted this repair. However, I
thoroughly enjoyed myself while disassembling this system last night and I
feel confident that this is a job that I can successfully complete. Many
thanks for your thoughts and I would welcome any suggestions.
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