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Lost all the Pics and Text when uploading this so trying again!
Anyway Thanks for those very useful Pics and we got the Original Round Reservoir complete with Bracket and Pipes but the Tube inside the Cap looks Shot away, although at least it wasn't leaking so should get us into the game although it might need a bit of a Clean!!!
Both Outlet Tubes were Blocked Solid with 'Crud' so very Surprised it ever worked at all
What Brake Fluid should I use as I've got Dot4 and also some Dot3
Last edited by orangeblossom; 09-01-2019 at 03:15 AM.
When you've got the reservoir all clean and connected etc exercise and bleed the master cylinder piston on the bench with clean DoT 4 fluid, but remember it is going to shoot out of those ports! So have a large bowl in place.
If you need any pics of a standard setup, remember that I've now got a pre-HE that I can photograph for you. I just need 24 hrs notice as it's stored a few miles away.
Pics would be great and really glad you Chimed in as there's something I wanted to ask you, since you now have a Car with the Teves and one with a Brake Booster Servo
Which one of those two Systems do you like the best and which one feels better for you when you are driving?
I know its a bit controversial as a lot of people feel a whole lot happier driving a Car with ABS, except that I'm not one of them, over complicated and lacking in Pedal feel
The ABS on my Grey V12 is in perfect working order, so I've got no plans to change that anytime soon but having said that it just doesn't feel as good as driving my Merc with a Brake Servo Booster
I'll sort some pics out during the week as I need to visit the car anyway. Let me know if there are any specific parts of the setup that you need.
As regards a comparison, I haven't really driven enough miles in the pre-HE to really compare yet.
However, I've had my 4 litre convertible for nearly 17 years and I've always been really happy with the brakes. The only changes I've made over the years are that I've sometimes used EBC Greenstuff and Redstuff pads, although I'm actually running Mintex right now. I've always felt extremely assured in the brake operation which has had to endure some really hard work at times; track days at Goodwood & Snetterton etc. I was extremely grateful in their efficiency after passing the pits at 136mph top-down at Reims last year (I could have gone quite a bit quicker but papers and maps started blowing out of the car at that speed!) As I came over the slight brow in the straight and saw the impending roundabout, I had to really slam on the brakes which just pulled me down in time, before I entered the roundabout for what I thought might be my last hurrah!l
So, I've always found them firm and reassuring with the great XJS caliper setup on the front end being a real strength. I admit that I haven't had the problems that you've had which might knock my confidence. I think it just highlights that our cars really need regular use and shouldn't be left unused for long. You've actually reminded me that it's 18 months since my last complete brake fluid change so time for a full flush again, as that's really important to keeping that ABS in good stead. I also remove, grease and refit the front pads each year to avoid the sticking that they can suffer on their mounting edges.
The only issue I've had recently is very occasionally, I find a tiny bit of extra pressure is needed on first application after a run, a similar feeling to having a tiny bit of air trapped. But after the first press, it disappears, so perhaps it's a little bit of pad knock-back or similar? I'll strip the front and rear pads soon and have a look.
As you've found with your other ABS XJS, when the system works well, it's really good and in normal road use on our crowded roads, I think I'd take an ABS car over a non-ABS car every day. Whilst I think that the feel of a non-ABS car is probably more intuitive, I don't think for one second that I can cadence brake faster than an ABS car. An ABS XJS might not have quite the same feel as a non-ABS car but I think the front calipers and discs on the cars are so good anyway that they are a major contributor to the braking performance. I need to go and drive my colleagues Celebration car some time which has the later ABS system with a conventional master cylinder and servo, in order to compare against mine.
As Greg mentioned, I don't think that an MoT press on the brakes would cause any damage at all on a good car. They are only applying brakes at low speeds and for 2 applications. I think you were just unlucky that it let go afterwards, perhaps due to little recent use?
Anyway, I now have to go and try to start up my '78 Triumph Bonneville which I haven't started for 6 years! Now the brakes on that bike really are horrible in the wet!
Cheers
Paul
PS I'm also sending a sample of oil from my AJ16 off to The Oil Doctor for analysis. I'm really looking forward to the report!
That little Air Gap you said you get on the Pedal, is what I get too, although it doesn't happen on my Grey XJS V12 at least not yet!
But it happens a lot on my Red XJS V12 'Cherry Blossom' which doesn't exactly fill you full of reassurance and I think the MOT Test may have added to the Problem and made things worse
In some ways I blame myself for not taking her to an 'Old School Garage' that just has the Old Fashioned Clock Dials on the Rolling Road instead of a Computer Screen, which just tells the Tester to 'Brake Hard' which of course is what happened
And as a result 'Cherry Blossom' has not been the same since
Maybe it ruptured a Seal somewhere, deep inside the Master Cylinder Actuator, so it will be interesting to see how the Car feels with a Servo, where I will make an honest appraisal and if I don't find it as good as I am hoping it will be, then I will try again with the ABS
I could use some Pics of the Vacuum Tank Setup, if you are able to get them
09-01-2019, 02:57 AM
