sticking rear brake

[nightpilot]

Got the xj few months ago and rear brake was so tight almost couldnt push it. took all calipers apart and cleaned them. rear looked almost new, was tight going back together but worked fine until let it sit awhile. now is draging again. it was perfect condition when going back together, no pits and i believe i took the outer ring that gets gooed up out.

drove it a little while ago and brake was dragging but cleared up.

there was lots of gunk in all calipers and front master. wonder if goo in back master or distribution block could be not letting it release. cant figure it out, any ideas guys.

[tarzan]

Probably the master cylinder spooge hole.I would take it apart and clean the whole thing out real well.

[CatatonicBug]

I agree. If the caliper is clean, the Spooge hole is the next place to look. Actually, for brakes that clamp down ok, but just won't let go, the spooge hole is the FIRST place to look.

[nightpilot]

Ok, thanks, I actually found a thread put up before this after I posted this.

I am not sure what a spooge hole is but assume it is some hole I will find in there. are there any tricks to taking the rear mc or distribution block apart?

[CatatonicBug]

I am not sure what a spooge hole is but assume it is some hole I will find in there. are there any tricks to taking the rear mc or distribution block apart?

The spooge hole is a TEENY TINY vent hole in the cylinder wall. Once you have the piston pulled out, slide your finger in the hole and you'll be able to feel it. It allows fluid to flow back to the reservior when you let go of the brake pedal.

To remove the rear MC, loosen the lines (both front and rear) first to use the leverage of the bike, then remove the 2 bolts that hold the MC to the frame. You can then use your fingers to remove the lines the rest of the way, and catch the brass washers before they run away. You CAN open the distribution unit, but it's a pain to get open. It's probably a good idea, just to get everything cleaned out though.

I would suggest getting a mighty-vac for bleeding, because the metal tube that runs under the fuel tank is the high point in the system and tends to collect tiny air bubbles. The vac allows you to SUCK the fluid through the tube fast enough to keep the air bubbles from settling up there. If you don't you'll be fighting with it for hours... DAMHIK

[trbig]

The spooge hole.. .You don't have to take the M/C apart or even off the handlebars... Simply pull your reservoir cap off. You may have to take the little styrofoam float out on the XS. Just remove the little clip holding it on the plastic shaft it slides up and down. Use a turkey baster or such and COVER YOUR TANK WELL since the brake fluid will eat any paint it in a hurry... and suck the brake fluid out until there's just a little bit left covering the bottom.

You'll see two small holes in the bottom.. one larger than the other... and the smaller one is the spooge hole. Some people use a strand of wire untwisted from some braided electrical wire.. some have found other ways. I have found that a very fine sewing needle works. You just need something to fish into these holes and poke around and clean. You may get some debris out of the hole. I then use the turkey baster to finish sucking out the rest of the fluid along with any debris that got cleaned out.

If you put a small amount into the MC to cover the holes, you can GENTLY squeeze the brake handle. As you begin to squeeze, the piston will squirt some fluid out of this "Spooge" hole, before it makes it's way past that point and blocks it off. If you squeeze the brake handle very hard or fast, it will squirt brake fluid up and out of the MC, so be careful. As you release the handle, you should be able to see fluid pump back into the reservoir. If you get a return and the brakes are still hanging, then I'd suspect calipers.

*** Just re-read.. sorry.. XJ and rear caliper. Never mind.. but basically all the same applies. Here's a pic of the spooge hole and the other hole in the rear on the XJ. If I remember right, the bottom smaller hole is the spooge hole. I used a fine sewing needle and bent it in th emiddle.. then used a pair of pliars to hold it and ream out the hole a bit.




Tod

[Ken Talbot]

Here's the spooge hole article from the tech section here at the forum. This has photos specific to standards, but should get you on the right track.