Re: [anzhonda600owners] Rear Brake Fluid Leaking

mterrens · Post by **mterrens** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 5:59 pm

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Yes - A rebuild may be in order. What has me wondering is the bit about the dust cover - what I assume Marty describes as the "rubber base" - "inflating" after squeezing out the collected brake fluid. I wouldn't think the brake fluid would be under any sort of pressure to run out and cause an "inflation" all on it's own UNLESS the rubber brake hose on that wheel has come apart internally, allowing the brake fluid in when you step on the pedal, but not out when you release it. Not sure how to test for that though.
If the brake line has gone bad as described, replacing it may settle everything.
Steve

> ----- Original Message -----
> From:
> T W S
> To:
> anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com
> Sent:
> Saturday, April 16, 2011 8:46
> PM
> Subject:
> Re: [anzhonda600owners] Rear
> Brake Fluid Leaking
> Your rear wheel brake cylinder is probably leaking and
> needs to be honed out.
> --- On
> Sat, 4/16/11, juniselect
> juniselect@...
> wrote:
> > From:
> > juniselect > juniselect@...
> > Subject:
> > [anzhonda600owners] Rear Brake Fluid Leaking
> > To:
> > anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com
> > Date:
> > Saturday, April 16, 2011, 7:35 PM
> > Hey fellow 600 enthusiasts,
> > Took the sedan out today and
> > noticed there was a small puddle in the garage where the driver's side > > rear wheel rested. Looked closer and saw a small trickle of brake > > fluid down the inner side wall of the tire. Took off the wheel and > > inspected the rear brake cylinder. when i squeezed the rubber base of > > the cylinder i had brake fluid come out and when i let go, it seemed > > to "inflate" again. Didn't check to see if the other side, (which > > doesn't leak) because I wanted to pitch this situation to the group.
> > Any ideas on what is going on?
> > Thanks so
> > much!
> > Marty
> > San Francisco,
> > CA

friend · Post by **friend** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 1:08 am

Tim;
    First, Don't take this or any discussion we have here personally. I have had brake systems on vehicles that were sitting for a long time, and it's a not too cool feeling to have that peddle hit the floor and your car is still moving.
    I don't let anyone touch the brakes on any of my vehicles. The only time I have had problems with my brakes is when I was not at home (Military does that to you) and my bride took her car to the shop down the street. While they fixed the problem they over torque bolts and didn't change the fluid and the always had to be done over. I have attached a couple of sites that may be of use. They are a quick read and offer definitions of 4 different brake fluids including DOT 5.1.
    I have used DOT 5 in Honda 600's and in a older Corvette I have, changing it about once every 7 to 10 years.
And I have not had wear and only limited corrosion, where as with DOT 3 in my Corvette brake system, I was rebuilding calipers every two years.  I use DOT 3 in my 1967 truck, it's cheap and I change it often. Newer vehicles that have ABS systems state in their factory manuals, that DOT 5 should not be used because it will foam and cause a spongy peddle.
http://www.synlube.com/brake.htm
http://www.motorcycleproject.com/motorc ... fluid.html
http://www.gabma.us/docs/dot5.pdf
http://www.dnd-automotive.com/chassis/brake-fluid.htm
    If you are going to change over to DOT 5 fluid you should flush a good operating system. But what do you use to flush your brake system? Some say flush with denatured Alcohol. Since DOT 3 and DOT 4 are alcohol based what's the difference? The idea is to remove all the contaminated fluid. The best way to do that is to pull all your brake cylinders and clean them. If you don't want to pull everything apart, then just remove what you have in the master cylinder reservoir and fill it with clean fluid and bleed your brakes. Then remove the fluid from your master cylinder reservoir and bleed the brakes until you see purple fluid coming out. (caution, if any DOT 3 or 4 is left in the system it will continue to do what it is supposed to do and that is to absorb moisture which will cause corrosion)
    1st myth - DOT 5 is not compatible with DOT 3 and DOT 4. Wrong, it is a DOT requirement that DOT 5 will still work if DOT 3 or 4 is added to the system. However, because DOT 5 will create bubbles when agitated, it is not okay to add DOT 5 to an ABS brake system.
    2nd myth - DOT 5 is high maintenance. Not when compared with DOT 3 or 4. I started using DOT 5 in my Corvette in 1982, and have changed it twice since then without brake failure.  DOT 5 was made for the Military so they could store their vehicles for long periods at a time. It works or they wouldn't still be using it.
    3rd myth - DOT 5 has a spongy peddle. Not at all. However, when bleeding the system with DOT 5 you must not pump the brake peddle, it should be pushed on to the count of 20 from the start of the push to the bottom of the peddle. When you "PUMP" the brakes to obtain a hard peddle while the bleeder is closed, do so slowly.
And, when the bleeder valve at the wheel is opened, don't allow the peddle to move quickly, this will create thousands of bubbles which will take considerable time to go away.

> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com]
> On Behalf Of
> T W
> S
> Sent:
> Saturday, April 16, 2011 9:24 PM
> To:
> anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com
> Subject:
> RE: [anzhonda600owners]
> Rear Brake Fluid Leaking
> Bill, i only said honing because i thought the
> cylinders are hard to come by and was hoping his was the best case > scenerio in that the pistons still function and arent seized. not dealt > with them but sounds like they are hard to come by? also, i cant > remember if i brought it up in this group quite awhile back of if it was > with another group im in but would silicon brake fluid make these brake > systems hold up better? Silicon displaces moisture which is what seems > to destroy brake systems. I dont have any experiance here but the > problem isnt unique to Hondas so why dont most cars brake > systems just have silicon? Tim > --- On > Wed, 2/6/02, > billmyong@...
>
> wrote:
> > From:
> > billmyong@...
> > Subject:
> > RE: [anzhonda600owners] Rear Brake Fluid Leaking > > To:
> > anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com
> > Date: Wednesday, February 6,
> > 2002, 9:52 PM
> > Marty;
> >     Honing will
> > most likely not solve the problem. Look at the wheel cylinders > > and see if there is any corrosion (pits in the cylinder) If > > honing will remove them, it might work. Then too, the piston > > could be corroded and the leak is coming from under the round > > seal. If that is the case, honing will not solve the > > problem.
> >     There is one
> > advertiser that is resorting the Honda 600 rear wheel cylinders, from > > soup to nuts. That is White Post restorations.
> > http://www.whitepost.com/brake.html
> > and they
> > have a life time warrantee.
> >     Rule of
> > thumb, change your brake fluid often at least annually. You know > > how ugly and blackish the fluid looks in your Master Brake Reservoir?
> > Will that comes from the metal piston moving back and forth inside the > > cylinder which is much like the rag used to polish your bright > > work. It becomes black and sooty. The same thing happens > > in your brake system. And, DOT 3 fluid absorbs moisture, it's > > supposed to. And in about two years the DOT 3 in your brake > > system is 50% moisture. Which is corroding the cylinders.
> > Easy fix, change it (DOT 3
> > fluid) often.
> > So why don't the front calipers
> > do the same. They do, its just that the piston's float across > > the rubber seal rather than dragging it over the cylinder.
> > Maybe we can put calipers on the
> > rear wheels?
> > Bill
> > > -----Original
> > > Message-----
> > > From:
> > > anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com
> > > [mailto:anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com] > > > On Behalf Of
> > > juniselect
> > > Sent:
> > > Saturday, April 16, 2011 5:35
> > > PM
> > > To:
> > > anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com
> > > Subject:
> > > [anzhonda600owners] Rear Brake Fluid
> > > Leaking
> > > Hey fellow 600 enthusiasts,
> > > Took the sedan out today and
> > > noticed there was a small puddle in the garage where the driver's > > > side rear wheel rested. Looked closer and saw a small trickle of > > > brake fluid down the inner side wall of the tire. Took off the wheel > > > and inspected the rear brake cylinder. when i squeezed the rubber > > > base of the cylinder i had brake fluid come out and when i let go, > > > it seemed to "inflate" again. Didn't check to see if the other side, > > > (which doesn't leak) because I wanted to pitch this situation to the > > > group. Any ideas on what is going on?
> > > Thanks so
> > > much!
> > > Marty
> > > San Francisco,
> > > CA