----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----Folks,
I wanted to send this directly to Linda, but lost her address. Hope this lengthy message and my personal experience doesn't irritate anybody too much.
Hi Linda,
I was having computer problems which is why I haven't responded sooner. Hopefully you haven't done this procedure yet. If you have, it will be an interesting comparison.
A couple of main points to start.
1. I'm 5'6", 150 lbs and just am able to sit on the floor under the instrument panel, huntched over. Hopefully you are smaller in stature.
2. Do this on a cool day! It was high 80's and like a sauna when I did this manuver..must have lost 5 lbs.
3. Send for the seal kit which is less than $10.00 including shipping and review the drawing.
4. Have your A/P mechanic check your work.
Begin by removing the forward left floor panel which exposes the brake and master cylinder assembly. I only know how my Ercoupe is built so I'll just have to assume yours is the same. Remove the pins from the pedal, which hold the foot brake and parking brake cables. Now your master cylinder is in the open.
Before you remove the top hose, get rags, paper towels, etc, to clean up any brake fluid which may accidently come out of the system. Also, have a way of holding up the hose above the level of the brake fluid reservoir (located on the forward side of the firewall) once it's free from the master cylinder, otherwise all the fluid will drain out the hose from the reservoir into your nice interior. I just wrapped masking tape around the hose and up around the cables under the dash, thus securing the hose end above the reservoir level. After loosening the clamp, remove the hose and secure with the masking tape.
The next step is to detach the cyllinder from the airframe which could be by a nut and bolt or clevis pin. Mine was a bolt and was very difficult to get to..must have spent 15 or 20 minutes just trying to do this. After this, the master cylinder can be lifted up and the lower hose can be unclamped and removed. Again watch out for brake fluid.
Disassemble the master cylinder by removing the snap ring at the top. Be sure to note how the components come apart. The seals are simply 3 o-rings. Remove these and clean all the dirt out of the grooves. O-rings need absolutely clean and smooth surfaces to seal. Check the bottom of the reservoir for dirt and clean out.
The smallest o-ring groove is of course the most difficult to clean. Try not to nick any surfaces with your cleaning tools. This is the hole that can be worn oblong by the piston rod moving in and out. If it's too worn, the small o-ring won't touch the sides with sufficient force to seal. In this case call John at Skyport for other options .
After cleaning the master cylinder, assemble everything except for the snap ring at the top. Since the new o-ring has never been compressed, it will offer a lot of resistance to the cap being pushed down far enough to allow you to insert the snap ring into it's groove. I had to use a typical shop "H" press to do this.
You'll have to support the bottom of the cylinder on the press with a block of steel on either side of the mounting tang, or in hydraulic cylinder terms, the male clevis. I then placed a deep socket (I forget the size - maybe 3/4 or 1") over the piston rod, onto the reservoir cover. This arrangement allows the press to come down on the socket, pushing the reservoir cover against the new o-ring, exposing the snap ring groove. Press the cover down just enough to allow you to push the snap ring into the groove with an appropriate tool (I just used a screwdriver). Forcing the cover down more than necessary will bend the washer-retainer/snap ring components (#4 & 5 on the drawing) and no doubt other things. Although there is a lot of force being used here to compress the cover, it's still a delicate procedure that can be screwed up if excessive force is applied.
That's about it. Hope I covered everything sufficiently. Reassemble the hoses, etc. in opposite order and bleed the system from the bottom.
My disclaimer - I'm not a A/P mechanic, this is just my experience, my mechanic reviewed and assisted in all this, you may have a better way, this is just a suggestion, I may have omitted something, don't sue me I don't own anything.
Darick
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