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Expert
Posts: 1316
Location: Belgium, 40 miles south of Brussels | Hi,
I just assembled the master cylinder on the firewall of my '58 Plymouth.
It sits just below the power brake booster, the latter (almost) completely barring the way to the master cylinder cover.
How on earth do you fill the master cylinder when you need to ?
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 397
Location: Milano, Italy | :-)) Down here, in the italian motor wilderness, I welded a small pipe to the cover of the master cilinder, attached a hose to it, and run it to a modern (plastic,) container with the warning light cap fitting.
Errrr....It was a Fiat Panda part :-D
The new brake fluid container sits beside the brake booster so that you can easily fill it, and its cap is connected to a huge orange warning light under my ****pit that blinks if/when the fluid level is low.
I know the purists are shivering.... but that orange light saved me from troubles two times in the past....
:-))
Edited by lonesome mopar 2011-12-04 9:01 AM
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13055
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | You shouldn't complain Vincent, you (and me) have the bellows brake servo - the oval steel type is more "interesting" to fill up. You could try to apply the brakes with a something that holds the pedal down, that could help with the bellows (but as it is now, you've got no engine to start up?!). I usually use a plastic syringe with a short tube attached to it - just draw up some fluid in the syringe and fill up the MC with it..
Oh, and now, with everything so nice, you might want to use syntethic brake fluid - that will be totally ok and it will not mess up your paint.
Edited by wizard 2011-12-04 10:59 AM
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Expert
Posts: 2290
Location: Eastern Iowa | Here we go with the synthetic brake fluid thing again!!
Best bet is to corner a 6 or 7 year old and teach em how to manipulate a 7/16
combination wrench!! ......While laying on your fender.....
You may want to lay somethng over the battery as Mom would probably be on your case
when she washes his pants and they come out of the dryer full of holes?!!
No.....Wait.....
Maybe you could get in on the bottom floor here of the current fashion craze
among the younger set here. Except these holes would be EARNED (gasp) and not bought at the
local fashion botique!!
Dave S.
Edited by finsruskw 2011-12-04 11:35 AM
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Expert
Posts: 2519
Location: central Illinois | I've got an old plastic bottle (brake fluid originally came in it but that doesn't matter) with a long, slim spout. A similar bottle to use would be one that HEAT comes in. Refill it as needed, works great every time.
The hardest part is getting the master cylinder cap with the bolt off and on. Patience and hands that aren't the size of a baseball glove help.
Edited by b5rt 2011-12-04 2:58 PM
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8948
Location: WHEELING,WV.>>>HOME OF WWVA | get a small plastic funnel and force on a piece of clear tubing to the small end to see the flow . simple , easy and cheap , used this method for a hundered years , well it seams like a hundred ! -----------------------------------------------------later |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 612
Location: Kingston Springs , TN | Here's an innovative solution:
http://www.simplexco.com/auto/dipstick/dipstick.html
Mike |
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Veteran
Posts: 174
Location: Camptown PA | I just use a piece of cardboard about a foot long. Fold it in half. stick one corner over the master cylinder from the engine side and pour the fluid in. |
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Expert
Posts: 4054
Location: Connecticut | I use a funnel with a flexible hose attached to it. You can find them at Pep Boys, etc., for a few bucks. Ron |
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Member
Posts: 36
Location: Brooklyn, NY | I honestly never had a problem with my old master and the bellows on top. used a little offset wrench and felt around to get it on and off, took some time but it worked, and my hands are gigantic. for filling, i used to use a turkey baster, worked great.. |
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Expert
Posts: 3588
Location: Plymouth Spaceport | I use a turkey baster to fill it too,although the the gravy did taste a little funny this year. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8948
Location: WHEELING,WV.>>>HOME OF WWVA | that dipstick trick has been around for quite a long time and discussed here ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,somewhere ! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------later |
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Expert
Posts: 1316
Location: Belgium, 40 miles south of Brussels | Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions.
I want to retain the stock look, so no dipstick or outside reservoir (a solution used by some) for me.
However, I'll retain the "turkey baster" solution as the best one
Thanks !
Edited by Chrome58 2011-12-05 3:38 AM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 380
Location: Kennewick Wa | I went to a local Vet and got a large syringe (no needle) works the same as the turkey baster, just no drips. |
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Expert
Posts: 1316
Location: Belgium, 40 miles south of Brussels | Well, after thinking a little more and talking about it, one thing is missing : safety !
There is no way to check the brake fluid level, and one cannot see if there's a leak somewhere.
So I guess I'll depart from the stock look, and I will adapt an external clear reservoir so the brake fluid level is visible at all times.
Safety is more important.
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Veteran
Posts: 164
Location: Las Vegas, NV | I ran into this same problem after installing a dual reservoir master cylinder for my AAJ disc setup. My solution was to use a flexible attachment made for oil bottles. I think I got it at Pep Boys, it was a display sitting on the counter. Little plastic attachments that kind of looks like a jumbo flexible straw. 99 cents each. It was a little tricky to make sure to not to overfill, but with good light you can see the fluid level if you pour slowly. |
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Location: Parts Unknown | There is a long thread about this in here somewhere. Gotta be 4 or more years back.
I did some careful fitting, and soldered 1/2" copper pipe and fittings to come out from
under the booster and turn upright to a 2.5"-to-1/2" reducer (essentially a copper funnel)
and then soldered brass legs on it that grip the valve cover studs to hold the entire
contraption at a soft slope to avoid a splash. The bottom end has some "cleat" type
grips made out of the same brass rod that hold the edge of the master cylinder.
It took a fair amount of fiddling around to really get it right, but once perfected, works
like a charm and makes it possible to do bleed-outs without any fuss at all. You can have
your face right down in there to see how it is filling while adding more at the top.
Easy-Squeezy !
I am fairly sure I posted photos of it in that above mentioned thread.
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | On servicing that 7/16" retaining bolt, it really helps to have/use a closed-box-head wrench, rather than an open-
faced one.
The open-end will tend to slip off of the nut, as you try to turn it.
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Regular
Posts: 93
Location: Albuquerque, NM | Just like for bleeding hydraulic brakes on a motorcycle or mtn bike - turkey baster is good, but better is a large surgical syringe with a hose on the end. It'll become something you'll keep in a plastic bag in your toolbox |
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Expert
Posts: 1530
Location: ZH, Switzerland | I have a set of funnels. And I bought a yard of gas and oil resistant clear/transparent PVC hose. I plan to fill the brake fluid very slowly (or in short amounts). But I guess some of my preowner didn't care as much (justifying based to the surface of the main brake cylinder).
Happy Motoring!
Dieter
Edited by di_ch_NY56 2012-02-24 1:46 PM
(DSC01562resized.JPG)
Attachments ---------------- DSC01562resized.JPG (138KB - 190 downloads)
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