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Spongey brakes
Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:38 pm
by DuncS3
Since the recent Castle Coombe trackday my Porkers seem to be more spongy than they were, or have ever been after a track day.
Boiled the brake fluid?
Dunc
RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 4:41 pm
by DavidT
Brake fluid is the most likely mate, time for a change or upgrade even ?
RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 5:08 pm
by Prawn
Stick some Castrol SRF in it, that will solve all your boiling problems, bit pricey though.
Needs to be changed every 9/12 months as well.
RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:51 pm
by Scotty
Dunc - is it still no better. I've had this a bit in the past and within a day the spongyness has gone away.
Did you have a lot of brake fade?
RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:35 pm
by DuncS3
no brake fade - cars has been in dealers for two days so I'll check tomorrow.
I have 5.1 in there but it could be due a change...
Dunc
RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 9:26 am
by JohnW
Sounds like fluid to me.
I cooked the fluid on my porker at a track day ( having too much fun

)
and this is exactly the feeling I got afterwards.
I had to bleed the system twice to get rid of it for some reason.
Also, don't forget to bleed both sides of the caliper (inboard side first I think).
Cheers,
John.
RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 9:33 am
by DavidT
My brakes were the same until the fluid was changed last week.
I also noticed the stopping force was reduced a little, no matter how hard I pressed. It stands on its nose again now

Re: RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 9:37 am
by DaveP
DavidT wrote:My brakes were the same until the fluid was changed last week.
I also noticed the stopping force was reduced a little, no matter how hard I pressed. It stands on its nose again now

Will never forget your brakes at LeMans matey!...Awesome stoppers.
RE: Re: RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 10:40 am
by DuncS3
I think I'll get the fluid changed then....just where to get it done..
RE: Re: RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:20 pm
by JohnW
Do it yourself !!
Get down to halfords and buy an eazi-bleed kit and a bleed nipple spanner. Or, if you prefer you can borrow my eazi-bleed and spanner.
With that, a bottle of fluid, and an old milk bottle or jam jar to collect the old fluid it takes less than 5 minutes a corner once you have the wheel off.
Go on, get your hands dirty

RE: Re: RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:32 pm
by sitas3
I changed mine once on my old S4 using the eazi-bleed kit and some ATE Super Blue fluid and I nearly blew the top off the fluid reservoir. Think i was using too much tyre pressure through the device

RE: Re: RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:35 pm
by JohnW
Err, yes, I imagine you were !!
It does say on it not to use more than about 20psi, so not a good idea to connect it straight to your tyre with 36ish psi in it. I've done the same too before now, but realised the reservoir wasn't meant to be that shape...

RE: Re: RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:54 pm
by Scotty
The above confirms my original thoughts from many moons ago but a couple of years ago I was told that if you boil the fluid then you don't have to replace it. The theory is that it's a closed system and hence the gas doesn't escape. Over a day or two the gas gets reabsorbed into the fluid and you're back to normal.
Of course this doesn't get around the problem of fluid ageing but I did find the above worked a couple of times on my old TT.
RE: Re: RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 1:22 pm
by JohnW
Boiling the fluid apparently changes its properties, and means it will absorb moisture more readily. It also means as you say gas is created.
Fill a piece of clear plastic tube with some fluid, leave a bubble in the middle and block the ends. Leave it for a week/month/whatever, and I bet it will not get absorbed, even if under pressure. At best it will migrate to the top, which on a car is hopefully the reservoir, but on a lot of calipers is just the top of the caliper next to the bleed nipple...
Fluid will absorb moisture but not oxygen/hydrogen on its own.
Well, that's my understanding anyway. If in doubt do a web search as there is loads of information (as well as speculation) to do with how fluids react over time/temperature.
RE: Re: RE: Spongey brakes
Posted: Thu Feb 24, 2005 1:34 pm
by Scotty
I agree with what you're saying but if it's a closed system where would the moisture come from?
p.s. This is my attempt at searching the web!!
