BRAKES ?????????

[richard]

hello there , i have a problem . i had very excessive pedal travel on my fiat 500l .. so i thought it was just a case of bleeding the brakes .

however i discovered that the pedal was very springy and didnt give any resistance whatsoever when bleeding


so i have come to the conclusion that the master cylinder is faulty .

can these be reconditioned ? or do you think i should buy a new one ?

if can be reconditioned can i do the job myself or find a firm to do it ?

please let me know as i am wanting to take my car for a mot in the next few months . and need brakes for that

all the best

richard

p.s if anyones got a fiat 500l master brake cylinder thst working complete let me know .. or where to get one from obviously the cheaper the better .

[Bruce]

master cylinder used to be servicable it was possible to replace the rubber parts and kits used to available, but if the seals wore out because of corrosion or wear in the cylinder the replacements would soon need replacing again, and in my experience it was not worth the bother repairing them if new ones were to be found.

[richard]

ive brought a new master cylinder as suggested

now i have found out that the metal brake lines are locked solid and cannot be removed as bolts are rounded . so i will need to renew all brake lines

what do i need to do this please

and do i buy a kit  with all pipes precut with all attachments

or do i source pipes / connectors myself and what else do i need


let me know soon as possible
please


reguards


richard

[Bruce]

your local auto factors should be able to suply all the brake lines/pipes you need cut the legth and with al fasteners etc. you may have to bend them to shape although they might even be pre-bent. you can buy lengths of brake pipe and get a tool to flair the ends, but it is far easier to buy the ready made ones if you can get them. it is fairly easy to do; then for bleading my i suggest a one man bleeding kit, so much more efficiant then having someone to pump the peddle while you open and close the nipple, with the one man kit you just use your spare to presurise the system open the nipple untill the bubbles stop then close it, repeat for each wheel and it is all done.

[PaulB]

You could contact this guy if its cheaper than local

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8049087492&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

[richard]

cheers paulb .. i have contacted the bloke see if he can help me

thnaks for the heads up


let u know how i get on

[richard]

right i have found a man who can do me a set of copper brake lines with all connectors for £25 all in

but he only has plans for the 126 brake lines

can anybody veify if the 500l and 126 brake lines are the same ? or virtually the same?

reguards


richard

[PaulB]

They are unlikely to be exactly the same.
You have to remove the old pipes anyway so why not pull them out and measure them. Just make a note/photo of what went where and how you got them out. Try to get them out in good condition - it'll help you decide how to put the new ones in without knackering them.
The union thread is usually 10mm with a thread pitch of 1.25mm.
In theory DOT 5 fluid willl ruin a 500s cylinders. DOT  3 is the orignal spec, but I *think* DOT 4 is okay - just less liable to boiling/absorbing air/stripping paint. Anyone know for sure?

Can you post up your measurements when you have them?

[richard]

if i could get them out and off without damaging them, i wouldnt be changing them

i will do my best ..

but i really wanted them all in situe ..

then i could swap each line in turn to avoid problems

[126dave]

paulb, i reckon dot 5 would be ok,richard will have sold the car before he gets any problems with the brakes!!! (only joking rich!)

[richard]

he he not this little baby , ive had it ages and reason why i sold my minter 500f was to carry on with my 500l . which i am doing i know your joking  but just thought id say  


anyhow gonna attempt to try and find these pesky pipes etc .

so far ive had a quote from a uk firm of £50 ??

seems well exxcessive to me ...  for a copper brake line set ?

[ChrisRLewis]

Why don't you make your own pipes?
easy to do and if you do a lot of work on other cars it will pay for itself in no time. Loads on ebay http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&satitle=brake+flaring&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&bs=Search&fsop=1%26fsoo%3D1&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search&fgtp=&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D3&sadis=200&fpos=SA10+8HA&ga10244=10425&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=  one thing I would not bother with the very cheap ones!

[richard]

i am a bit waery of tackilng a job like this by making the pipes myself , although i have been told its easy i would have to thread it all through etc etc cutting and making pipes only to mess it up and have to do it all again

i am gonna serch for a pipe kit precut first

if all else fails i will maybe try and make myself  


IF ANY MEMBER HAS THE FLARING KIT AND TOOLS AND WOULD LIKE TO MAKE ME A SET GET IN TOUCH .. AND I WILL SORT YOU OUT WITH SOME LOVELY MONEY  ...

[126dave]

the easy way is to get yourself a kit,use cunnifer pipe,its easy to get right and relativly cheap if you do make a mistake.take one off at a time and replace with new if your not confident to rip the lot off in one go.
you will be well chuffed when you have done it,remember,if you buy a kit and nacker one pipe your gona be in trouble.........................also kits come all straight,and sometimes its hard to work out which one is which,and if you bend them wrong,they ''work harden''........trust me,get a flaring kit and go for it,you can cut over length,flare one end,do all your twist and turns then cut and flare the finished end,its the only way to go.

oh....do not forget you flexis and wheel cylinders etc if your doing overhaul

[bis13]

richard you have tackled some of the worst points of car resto work but seem reluctant to do the relatively easy stuff brake lines are a doddle its just replicating the originals step by step . practice flaring and bending on some spare tube then go for it . if i can i am sure you can ! by the way dot 4 . now get on with it!