[Spridgets] Master cylinder maintenance

[Rick Fisk]

Phil,

Unfortunately, it's next to impossible to remove or flush the silicone brake
fluid from your brake system.  Any trace of silicone brake fluid remaining
will react with glycol based brake fluid and form what has been described as
"gelatinous goop".   This goop can plug orifices.  The only surefire way to
completely eliminate it is to replace all of the components of your brake
system, including the lines.  I recommend you repair the leaky bits and
continue to use silicone brake fluid.

Silicone based products are so difficult to clean up that they are banned from
any automotive plant that does any painting.  A few years ago I helped pull
some new coax video cables through a GM plant where they do electrostatic
painting of replacement sheet metal parts.  We had a small jug of a wire slick
product that had .01% silicone in it sitting on our lift.  We hadn't used it,
it was just on the lift.  When the plant guys discovered the wire slick they
just about came unglued and we were nearly thrown off the site.

Rick

Sent from my keyboard

On Jul 10, 2012, at 3:00 PM, Philip Nase <nases at verizon.net> wrote:

> I've been using silicone in my Bugeye master for 4 years but I noticed some
> fluid on the pedal pads during a long ride yesterday. The MC rubber I had
was
> supposed to be for use with the silicone but maybe 4 years is too much to
> expect.
>
> Anyway if I switch to conventional  fluid what should I flush the system
with?
> And do I need to replace anything that is currently ok such as hoses or
wheel
> cylinder rubbers?
>
> I initially used the silicone to help save my paint from mishaps but may
> change now.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Phil Nase
> ------------------------