Technical Brake bleeding issue

[Slotman]

*Very* interesting discussion! Yes, my old comp valve was chock full of sandy junk and completely useless with fluid ports clogged etc etc.

Hi! Did you set your new valve to the 5.787 dimension ?

 

[smahaley]

Hi! Did you set your new valve to the 5.787 dimension ?

I confess to a “maybe?” At the time, I had new suspension parts installed and brakes and no weight in the car (no doors no trunk to fuel tank no engine no trans lol) so I did not attempt to set it until later. However having bled the brakes twice already with the new compensator in place, I did not have any issue with the weight on the car as it was - but will need to check that again now that more assembly has been achieved…

What a wonderful 3D puzzle it is to deconstruct, repair, replace and reconstruct a car as lovely as the spider….

 

[Slotman]

I confess to a “maybe?” At the time, I had new suspension parts installed and brakes and no weight in the car (no doors no trunk to fuel tank no engine no trans lol) so I did not attempt to set it until later. However having bled the brakes twice already with the new compensator in place, I did not have any issue with the weight on the car as it was - but will need to check that again now that more assembly has been achieved…

What a wonderful 3D puzzle it is to deconstruct, repair, replace and reconstruct a car as lovely as the spider….

I believe you are like me, and will be thanking yourself in the end for perseverance, the new lessons learned , increasing our mechanical experience, and the best thing, having a cool itialian car to drive! You might have to keep your doors locked when you drive, to keep the ladies from trying to jump in when you stop..

 

[124BC1]

*Very* interesting discussion! Yes, my old comp valve was chock full of sandy junk and completely useless with fluid ports clogged etc etc.

And now @Slotman and @smahaley have me puzzled about what caused such severe corrosion etc. inside the rubber boot covering the comp. valve?

Given that the boot seems to fit securely over the torsion rod and is clamped around the c/v body, plus is fairly well protected where its located, the only potential reason I've come up with is that perhaps the grease used to originally lube the torsion bar end where it contacts the c/v piston, has over decades, broken down/deteriorated and attacked the aluminum body??

 

[Slotman]

Good question for sure! I was even wondering if due to the fact my car sat 1 meter away from 2 large electrical panels for 13 years might have affected it, was in an enclosed heated inviroment so I'm stumped, aluminum does corrode easy, so I would love to know also!

 

[124BC1]

Good question for sure! I was even wondering if due to the fact my car sat 1 meter away from 2 large electrical panels for 13 years might have affected it, was in an enclosed heated inviroment so I'm stumped, aluminum does corrode easy, so I would love to know also!

I wonder where @smahaley car was stored before he purchased it?

I do recall that the original Fiat grease used on wheel-bearings etc. (iirc Fiat MR3, probably made by AGIP, an Italian Oil Co.- you might see their logo on F1 Ferrari cars, it also used to be on all the Fiat and Lancia Rally cars, back in the day) had a very fishy smell, maybe the fish who died to make this grease got their revenge!

If you saved a sample of what came out of the comp. valve when you pulled back the rubber boot, you could have it analysed by a Chemist, maybe someone at a College or University Chemistry Dept. who is interested in old cars might be willing to help? I believe there are now devices, I think they're called Mass Spectrometers, that can quickly analyse a sample of any substance.

Or else, it'll have to remain forever, one of life's little mysteries.

 

[smahaley]

I wonder where @smahaley car was stored before he purchased it?

I do recall that the original Fiat grease used on wheel-bearings etc. (iirc Fiat MR3, probably made by AGIP, an Italian Oil Co.- you might see their logo on F1 Ferrari cars, it also used to be on all the Fiat and Lancia Rally cars, back in the day) had a very fishy smell, maybe the fish who died to make this grease got their revenge!

If you saved a sample of what came out of the comp. valve when you pulled back the rubber boot, you could have it analysed by a Chemist, maybe someone at a College or University Chemistry Dept. who is interested in old cars might be willing to help? I believe there are now devices, I think they're called Mass Spectrometers, that can quickly analyse a sample of any substance.

Or else, it'll have to remain forever, one of life's little mysteries.

One of the things I appreciate about you both (@Slotman and @124BC1) is your encouragement, curiosity AND experience. I think that the car having spent some years in Boston where the winters are brutal with salted roads contributed to the rotting of the boot (which was evident) and perhaps also had a corrosive reaction with the aluminum of the valve. It truly was like sand pouring out of the remnants of the boot - which at one point someone had put a zip tie around to try to keep things together and covered.