Brake Leak Mystery

[Clifford Pope]

Could it actually be leaking from the clutch pipe, but you just assumed it was the brake cylinder because it had gone low for some other reason?

Probably not, but I know my biggest mistakes have usually resulted from assuming that two coinciding facts are necessarily related.

[Alan Chatterton]

Next time you see Jum, say Hi to him from me!!

I bought his Tahiti Blue 2500S from him in about 1992, UWW117R.......... which is really what got me started in all this malarky! In fact, he is to blame for my current condition. When I bought his car he left me some back issues of Sixappeal, from this I found out about the Register and joined, and also first read the article and fell in love with the Lines Stag Estate..................!!

He has a lot to answer for!!

[rdmstewa]

Clifford - thanks for that, given the plastic bit of the clutch pipe...but I checked the clutch m/c and it was still full...

Alan - spoke to Jim today, mentioned your name and he chuckled quite a lot. Now I think I know why!

[Alan Chatterton]

I should think he would......... he has a lot to answer for!!!

Top bloke though... known him for about 20 years now, don't see him very often but usually bump into him at the Triumph show in Stoneleigh.

[Addiston]

I've had a similar problem to that described by others - brake fluid leaking back into the servo casing, then dripping out the bottom.

In my case, I could see the paint had been damaged by the fluid leaking away over the many years it had been in storage (1994-2008). I therefore gave the brakes a good few hard applications when test driving and all seemed OK. However, they failed after about 50 miles and fluid could be felt on the bottom of the servo. A NOS seal kit was tried, but in my case, the bore had become rust marked during the long lay-up and replacement was the only option. To say I was thankful to find I had a long forgotten NOS item in the garage was an understanement. However, I plan to get the original stainless steel sleeved by http://www.pastparts.co.uk/ and return it to its rightful place in the car. They quoted me about £75 plus VAT.

As I recall, at the time Chris Witor wasn't selling seal kits as he wasn't happy with the quality of reproduction items, so I managaged to track down a couple of NOS sets for future use.

I've yet to summon up the courage and time to remove the servo, carbs etc to get in to sourt out the semi-pickled paintwork down by the chasis rail

[rdmstewa]

Hiya folks - thought I'd bring this story to a close now. I fitted a NOS master cylinder and thought that should be it. Then the beastie failed its MOT on a few things so I took it to good old Peter at Yorkshire Triumphs and let him loose on it. Turned out that one caliper was shot and the front flexibles had closed up, no doubt leading to some back pressure. But what really frightened me was the discovery that the castellated nuts were locked with NAILS...
It also transpired that the gearbox cross member was about to fall off, the gearbox mount purchased not so long ago from a certain firm in Lincoln had collapsed, one suspension leg was scrap, one top mounting fell out as soon as it got the chance.
It just demonstrates that just because you've got an MOT and the car looks nice it doesn't mean that everything's tickety-boo, does it?
Anyway, now the car goes in a straight line, which it didn't before, all the clonks and bangs which I'd put down to age have gone and it's so much quieter I can now hear the clutch release bearing. Damn.