Re: CAUTION ON THE USE OF SILICONE BKAKE FLUID IN ESAMATIC BRAKE SYSTEMS

Posted by Gauss On 2007/10/31 13:40:03

I replace it with a compensator spring from another Treadle-Vac...they are all the same at the compensator port. It's good to keep a lot of spare Treadle-Vacs around for spare parts. I always dissassemble and clean them thoroughly of any old brake fluid to help preserve what's not already ruined.

But I have often wondered if there might be an appropriate substitute: perhaps made of more corrosion-resistant material like stainless steel, rubber or plastic.

It's not a complicated part, just a little gentle compression spring to help close the port when the tip of the valve stem is allowed back to vertical by depressing the brake pedal. Once released from the open, tipped state, hydraulic pressure helps to keep the compensator tightly closed against the valve port seat which is part of the threaded fitting.

I've more often wondered what might be done to repair a old compensator poppet valve and stem with the most common malady, an angled flat spot on the sealing surface from sitting open too long. This can happen to any fully assembled Treadle-Vac, even in a plastic bag on a shelf. I make a habit of removing the compensator assembly, and leave it loose on the bottom of the reservoir until installing in it the car. That way, the any flattening will be even over the entire sealing surface, and will not adversely affect the function of the compensator poppet and stem.

You just have to remember to push in a little on the input rod before re-installing it!

Gauss