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At 05:13 AM 1/16/02 +0000, ryan wubben wrote: >I am a relatively new Forney owner that has Cleveland brakes. When I first >bought it in October, it had no problems when I set the brake and ran up. >Now it does not hold when I run up. Could this be the pads (which were >just recently replaced) or leakage of the brake fluid? Probably not pads. More likely a fluid leak, quite likely from the master cylinder. Look on your belly. (No, not YOUR belly, the airplane's belly, dammit.) Do you see any golden-brown stains on the left side, just aft of where the leading edge of the wing is? Or maybe out some drain holes further back? Kinda crusty stuff? If so, that's brake fluid likely coming from the master cylinder. Rather than rebuilding the old one, the best fix is Skyport's STC'd master cylinder. It's a much better 'match' to the Cleveland brakes than the original, and a vast improvement. It isn't even very expensive as airplane things go. It's kind of a bitch to get in, if you're not a small person. Not much room under there. >And where is the reservoir for the brake fluid on Forney's? (I'm obviously >not an A&P!). I think the Forney is like the 415 in that the fluid reservoir is what appears to be a vinage-1946 4oz evaporated milk can with a 1/8" NPT pipe fitting soldered onto the top for a filler. It sits on the bottom of the firewall right in front of the pilot. The master cylinder is just the other side of the firewall, at the end of a 6-inch hose. I shall chide you only gently to remind you that it is the responsibility of the owner/operator of the aircraft to keep it full, and if you don't even know where it is... ...'nuf said. The best way to check the fluid level is to use a plastic cable-tie for a dip-stick. If the fluid is really low, you most certainly have air in the system, and will need to bleed the brakes. But you are probably also experiencing a leak. As the owner of a vintage airplane, you may have to shake off the 'hands off, it's someone else's responsibility' culture that renter-pilots become indoctrinated with via their flight schools. Prepare to (and prepare to enjoy) become quite intimate with the 'systems' in your little bird. The bad news is you'll need to, as you won't be able to depend on mechanics for everything. The good news is that they are simple as dirt. If you do end up messing about with the master cylinder (under supervision of your A&P) come back here for a briefing on how to get it out, get it back in, bleed the brakes and test it. There's an easy way and a hard way. As me how I know :-) Greg ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aVxiLm.aVzvvT Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
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