Brakes

Bleeding

My A&P was having trouble "bleeding" and refilling a Grumman on the field (not mine). We followed the Grumman Service Manual steps "to the letter" and it worked right the FIRST time.

Does anyone have an 'intelligent' way of filling the reservoirs behind the left rudder pedals?? I have brake fluid everywhere!)

("Theory only, never tried this" alert) Try going to your local drug store and getting one of the medicine syringes they have for infants. They are graduated in cc's so you know how much you are using. Place a piece of small, clean, plastic or rubber tubing on the end that is flexible and long enough to reach. Draw the fluid through the tubing into the syringe, move to the reservoir and slowly "give it a shot."

The easiest way I've found to fill the brake reservoirs and to bleed the brakes is to attach a small diameter (about 1/8 in. ID) hose to the bleed fitting on the bottom of the caliper with the other end connected to a GOOD oil pump can filled with MIL-H-5606 and pump the brake fluid up through the lines to the master cyl. Have someone inside looking at the master cylinder to let you know when it is full. I wonder if this (freezing water) might have been responsible for the brake dragging and causing the tire to catch on fire in the grumman accident mentioned recently here?

The easiest way to put in brake fluid is through the bleeder fitting on the caliper. just fit a length of tygon tubing to an ordinary pump oiler filled with 5606 and pump away. This also will bleed air out of the system as well.

You could possibly get condensation in the master cylinder just like you may get in your fuel tank. And we all know that Tigers leak in the rain, water may have run down on top of the master cyliner. Check to be sure someone did not used automotive type fluid, its hydroscopic and will absorbe water from the air.

Checking the fluid level

I have a small irrigation syringe with a curved tip. I think you can get them from a pharmacy. The master cyls are located behind the pedals. Remove the small plug from the top, insert the syringe about 1/2 inch (I believe that is the correct fill level) and draw some fluid to check the level. Add as needed using the syringe.

Disks

I have no direct experience with stainless steel disks, but I've gotten _real_ good service out of Cleveland chrome disks. The last set I had on my Tiger lasted about 8 years.

We had stainless steel disks, but they corroded around the body to disk 90 deg. angle point until you could see daylight through them. They didn't seem to last any longer than the chrome/steel ones and since they cost more we went back to stell/chrome ones.

After one year the steel/chrome ones are starting to corrode around the same place. So, if you get new ones, you might like to think about liberally coating the non-disk bits with etcher-primer before putting them on.