Contaminated brakes - '57

["Dick Benjamin" <dickb@xxxxxxxxx>]

Change the brake linings (or pads on a disk brake car).  They are cheap, and
it's good insurance.  Even though you might get the surface back to dry and
clean looking with brake cleaner (which is a slightly more "PC" chemical
than the old Carbon Tetrachloride, but very close), the grease will seep
back out to the surface, and give you unsafe braking again in short order.
This is no place to play games.

Dick Benjamin
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hugh & Therese" <hugtrees@xxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 9:35 PM
Subject: Re: IML:Contaminated brakes - '57


> Is it absolutely necessary to replace the pads?  When this happened to me
I
> did everything Dick said, but I couldn't help but wonder at the time if
the
> pads could not be cleaned in some way.  Is it that the pads are porous and
> absorb some of the hydraulic fluid which then causes them to melt or
become
> glued by emerging trapped fluid to the drum?  Would the amount of the
> original leakage factor into the decision or, once it happens, is one
> obligated to go the whole hog, regardless of the quantity of leaked brake
> fluid involved?
>
> Hugh
>
> Dick B wrote:
>
>
> > This is a typical symptom from contaminated linings.  Replace both
sides,
> > and make very sure the drum and all brake hardware is washed off with
> brake
> > cleaner (special stuff, available at any auto parts place, and also make
> > very sure that the grease seals and wheel cylinders are totally bone
dry -
> > no seepage at all.
>
>
>
>