bad brake fluid leak

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Mitch Covington
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#16 Post by Mitch Covington »

ah... I'd be lost without you guys! This one oughta work, right? Amazing how cheap they are...But the Klasse was over $500, and not clear from their website if it was the right one.
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Mitch Covington
Asheville, NC
'59 356 Cabriolet
'79 911 SC Targa

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Martin Benade
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#17 Post by Martin Benade »

B163A82C-CC3E-4114-A363-7C023D4B4537.png
. That’s the correct item you’ve found. Here’s another from a known, trusted source, and German made. I like this company a lot.
This one probably has the holes drilled already too.
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Mitch Covington
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#18 Post by Mitch Covington »

Thanks Martin! I'd certainly rather pay more and get a sure thing, and German.
Mitch Covington
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Martin Benade
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#19 Post by Martin Benade »

Seems reasonable
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Mitch Covington
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#20 Post by Mitch Covington »

CIP cylinder is on the way -- thanks Martin, would have made bad decisions without your help! New MCs need to be bled, right? Best to do this on the bench or after installation? You can't just bleed all of the wheels to get the air out?
Mitch Covington
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'59 356 Cabriolet
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Doug McDonnell
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#21 Post by Doug McDonnell »

The price you quoted from Klasse356 was for their kit which included both front bake lines etc
1965 356C 2000 BMW 740i Sport 1967 Honda CL77 There is never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over.

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Martin Benade
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#22 Post by Martin Benade »

But unfortunately their master cylinder was not appropriate for this car.
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Mitch Covington
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#23 Post by Mitch Covington »

Doug McDonnell wrote: Mon Nov 28, 2022 1:45 pm The price you quoted from Klasse356 was for their kit which included both front bake lines etc
I would like to support Klasse, though it didn't seem like they had what I needed. Could be that their web catalog just doesn't list everything... in retrospect, I maybe should have called. Thanks for your efforts toward helping me, though.
Mitch Covington
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Mitch Covington
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#24 Post by Mitch Covington »

356 new master cylinder.jpeg
New Master Cylinder came tonight. It don't see much on this forum about installing new MCs... I assume the MC must be bled, is that what the extra tube is for? Can this be done after installation, or must it be done on the bench? I see most YouTube vids do it on the bench, but those usually have attached reservoirs. Any tips/gotchas to be aware of before I get to it? Do I need to bleed from the top of each pair, or just from the port on top of the MC? What's the part in the pic that's next to the tube? TIA!

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Martin Benade
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#25 Post by Martin Benade »

The piece next to the tube is a coupling, to attach the tube to one of the original lines to make it reach. Your lines are already long enough.
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Mitch Covington
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#26 Post by Mitch Covington »

Ahhh... this is a kit for those switching to dual, which my car already had. Any advice on bleeding... in the car or on the bench? thanks!
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Al Zim
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#27 Post by Al Zim »

The kit looks like a ZIMZ kit. We provide the bent line that goes over the master cylinder and attaches to the rear brake line. The length (longer) makes it easier to attach it to the brake line through the tunnel. I would also make a guess that the front disc brake conversion is another of our products. CAREFUL EXAMINATION into the pedal cluster reveals that little if any rust is present under the end of the master cylinder which would indicate that the rust is from water leakage into your car. If you had a master cylinder leak you would be filling the brake fluid reservoir on an almost daily /weekly basis. ON the plus side of things if you did have a master cylinder leak you would still have one axle of brakes (front or rear) that kept on working. If you know the previous owners name you can call DOUG. 817-267-4451 He should be able to give you the date the parts were sold. Zim
We have just posted on Brake Line Flairs 2 Dec. 2022
I think you will find the master cylinder pictured in Mr. Covington post will not properly fit a 356 car. We have to do limited machine work on the master cylinder. A lathe in reasonable condition an a little experience can resolve your dilemmas.
Last edited by Al Zim on Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Mitch Covington
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#28 Post by Mitch Covington »

Thanks Al, great info. More background on this situation... the care does stop, though the pedal traveled quite far down to do so. The reservoir did empty out quickly, and a big puddle happened under the car. By taking out the carpet and boards, I can see there is lots of brake fluid on the interior floor and in the tunnel. I've had the car for 15+ years. Not sure if the car came with this set, or if Gary Kempton is the one who switched it out soon after I bought the car. I took it to him for tranny repair, but he wouldn't stop there and took it upon himself to keep going with brakes and other things until I had to threaten to sue him to get the car back! But my biggest concern now is just installing the new one... it seems pretty straight forward, just curious if most people bleed it on the bench or after installation... I've heard both from youtube... one VW guys with the same looking MC just bleeds it by the gravity method.
Mitch Covington
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Greg Scallon
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#29 Post by Greg Scallon »

Mitch,
Just one data point but I installed what looks to be a very similar (or maybe exactly the same) master cylinder in my VW bus recently and I didn't bench bleed it. I used a Motive bleeder and the process was easy and successful.

Good luck with your project. Looks like you're close to driving again.

-Greg
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Mitch Covington
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Re: bad brake fluid leak

#30 Post by Mitch Covington »

Thanks Greg, good to know. I'd certainly rather do it post install... I'll see if I can find those or similar locally. How do we know which model to use... I guess the diameter of the reservoir cap is different? Are all 356 caps the same?
Mitch Covington
Asheville, NC
'59 356 Cabriolet
'79 911 SC Targa

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