[Spridgets] master cylinder recall by MOSS

[ryan.kubanoff at comcast.net]

Notification of A Voluntary Recall of Brake Master Cylinders
This voluntary recall applies ONLY to the brake master cylinders listed below:



Item

Description & Application



180-791

Brake Master Cylinder for Nash Metropolitan
Clutch Master Cylinder for MGA Twin Cam and MGA MK II Deluxe



513-319

Brake Master Cylinder for Austin Healey BN7, BT7, BJ7 (Cars without a brake
servo)
Clutch Master Cylinder for Austin Healey BN4 from CE 48863, BN6, BN7, BT7,
BJ7, BJ8 without a brake servo



581-101

Austin Healey 3000s (BN7, BT7, BJ7, BJ8) with power brakes.



581-011

Triumph TR3 from TS13046 through TR 3B



581-032

Triumph TR4 from CT5784 on and TR4A. (Girling brake system)



581-512

Brake Master Cylinder on Austin Healey BN4 to CE 48862.
Clutch Master Cylinder on Triumph TR4-4A.


The Moss Technical Services department has determined that between
approximately March 1, 2010 and February 1, 2011, we received, and sold brake
master cylinders from a single manufacturer under the brand name Classic Gold
(with one exception) with an internal design element that may fail in use.
Specifically at issue is the foot valve. Although no one had reported a foot
valve failure in an installed master cylinder, it had been suggested that
because the foot valve design differed from an original Girling design, it was
suspect. There are many different foot valve designs, so the difference in
appearance or design is not, in and of itself, a cause for concern. However,
the manufacturer of the master cylinder did not have test data on this
particular valve. We suspended sales and arranged for the brake master
cylinders to be tested according to SAE standards by an independent automotive
testing laboratory to determine if there was a risk of foot valve failure in
use.

Foot valve failures were experienced during the extreme pressure test at 3,000
psi and after 10,000 cycles at 248B: F during a heat durability test. The
pressures and temperatures used in the tests far exceed the pressure and
temperatures you would experience with the master cylinder installed in a car,
but the failure of a foot valve is serious because it closes off the port to
the brake fluid reservoir when you step on the brake pedal. If the foot valve
fails to close, the pedal will go to the floor without putting any pressure on
the brake shoes or pads. In other words,

Your brakes could fail, with the potential for serious injury.

Moss is therefore voluntarily recalling the brake master cylinders listed
above because they share this particular foot valve design.

Sincerely,

Michael Grant
Product Manager, Moss Motors Ltd.