Brake m/c spooge hole

[madmax-im]

I have started to clean up my brake sys....2 questions first in the tech section on this ...it says to twist and pry off the reservior ..I cant seem to get it off..it twists around ...so instead of pulling it out I have just twisted it out of the way...is this ok?Secondly...looking at the spooge hole...its awful tiny opening, what size of wire will fit thru it?I tried the wire inside of a twist tie,with the plastic stripped,but it doesn't fit..so what size do i need?No where in the tech tips did I see any reference to the gauge of wire needed.Thanks ..

[egsols]

My 79 MC the plastic reservoir does pry off, need a good size flat screwdriver. At first it doesn't seem like it wants to go but it will. If memory serves there should be an oring around the base so if there is don't loose or wreck it. Once it's all clean it just pushes back on, with a "snap".

Maybe take apart some 16 or 18 gauge wire and use one of those threads. I'm not sure if it will be stiff enough though. I cleaned mine just by soaking in brake fluid and using compressed air. (Weren't too dirty to begin with)

[jkorn]

the o ring does hold it in real good. so some CAREFULL prying is all is needed to get it off. I found a replacement o ring at the local hardware store.

If you can see through the small hole I would not mess with it,

One of the things I had to do when bleeding the brakes was move the handle bars from stop to stop and lightly tapping on the master cyclinder. this dislodged a bunch of bubbles that floated to the top and really firmed up the brakes.

Good luck

Jeff

[boyat68]

I think that I had to use a piece of 18Ga wire held with a pair of needle nose (short length) and push it into the hole. I first tried a thin needle but it was too big. Some one posted that a piece of .005 wire was used. Any way it is a very small hole.

[Jerry]

Remember that there are 2 holes at the bottom of the MC. The larger (1/4 inch?) is where the fluid drops into the plunger to be squeezed out of the MC. There is a second, tiny (almost pinhole) size hole that releases fluid/pressure back into the MC when you release the brake lever.

On the XJ, the spooge hole has a small dish around it:
I've been told a guitar "E" string works well to do the cleaning.

[Ken Talbot]

Re: Brake m/c spooge hole

Originally posted by madmax-im
tried the wire inside of a twist tie,with the plastic stripped,but it doesn't fit..so what size do i need?

I clipped a bristle off one of my long-handle parts cleaning brushes and it worked perfectly.

YMMV

[madmax-im]

Originally posted by jkorn


If you can see through the small hole I would not mess with it,



Jeff [/B]

Jeff,I already have the front m/c off and drained I can clearly see the spooge hole...it does look unobstructed at the opening but how are you supposed to "see through' it? Also can anyone tell me how far the wire is supposed to go into the spooge hole?Still trying to find something to get in there...

[madmax-im]

Re: Re: Brake m/c spooge hole

Originally posted by Ken Talbot


I clipped a bristle off one of my long-handle parts cleaning brushes and it worked perfectly.

YMMV

Thanks Ken...I'll see what I can dig up around here ..also is it really necessary to separate the reservior fro the base of the m/c?I was able to twist the reservior around so that I can see the spooge hole without anything blocking it so I am opting to leave it on...its real stubborn anyways....Thanks again...

[silverarrow1970]

I just tore my m/c completely apart because it needed cleaning bad. It had lots of hard white crystalized stuff all over the bowl and inside on the shaft, and lots of brown gook.
I used a wire from a twisty tie and it fit perfectly. Maybe my 1980 m/c has a different size spooge hole than yours??
Anyway, there is a thread that shows the m/c pulled apart and the order of the seals and washers and snap rings. It was very helpful.

[silverarrow1970]

These threads were very helpful in cleaning and repairing my m/c's.

"Front master cyl rebuild pictorial" by tucmanXJ in the XS11/XJ11 Discussion section.

and

"Brakes not releasing??" in the maintenence section under brakes.
It show pics of the m/c and holes.

Hope this helps.

[boyat68]

madmax-im:

On my 80G it bottom out about 1/4 in, about the diameter of a hose connection. It really is worth cleaning out as that will cause your brakes to lock up as it has no way to relax the pressure application. If it has sat for a time, then the brake pads will creep up and you cannot move the beast until you clean that hole.

[madmax-im]

the latest

Well after putting on my magnifiers and looking closely at my front m/c..I find it is quite clean and the spooge hole is not clogged.I did find a pc.of wire that I reamed thru the spooge hole anyways...the hole was never blocked but a little dirt did come out.. I was able to shine a light thru the m/c and was able to see it thru the spooge hole,so its clear...now i will disconnect the rest of the front system and discard the brake hoses and old bleeder valves.I will replace the old bleeders with the new speed bleeders which make it easy for one person to bleed their brakes...I will be ordering the correct Galfer kit for the front...once I get the rear brake hose off and measure it then I'll know what size it is when I place the custom order for it.Currently Galfer does not make a standardized kit for the rear brake for the XS1100 Special but I believe they are eventually going to offer this...its a W I P if ya know whadda I mean.Now onto the rear m/c...which wil pose a few different problems.If I find the rear m/c in the same shape as the front...then the most likely reason why my calipers lock up could be in the calipers themselves..so I am getting it narrowed down...to be continued....BTW I was able to do all of this while leaving the reservior attatched to the base of the m/c...I only had to twist it around to getan unobstucted access to the spooge hole

[madmax-im]

Originally posted by silverarrow1970
These threads were very helpful in cleaning and repairing my m/c's.

"Front master cyl rebuild pictorial" by tucmanXJ in the XS11/XJ11 Discussion section.

and

"Brakes not releasing??" in the maintenence section under brakes.
It show pics of the m/c and holes.

Hope this helps.

Thanks BTRT...been there read that...LOLso far I have found the front m/c to be in perfect condition and darn near spotless.I suspect the calipers either need a good clean up or a rebuild..I will start with a cleanup and take it from there..