The resurrection of Doc, bringing a 20 year old neismann Bischoff Flair back to life after 12 years off road.

[gus-lopez]

How is moisture supposed to get in without fluid leaking out?

The reservoir has a breather.Brake fluid is hygroscopic ,it absorbs water. therefore it will absorb the water from the air above the fluid

That's always puzzled me.

as above

This is why I object to the standard "drop it off and leave it with us " approach. You're then without your motor all day while they piss about .

****s all of them. You've far more patcience than me I'd have been spitting feathers at that time having been told to get there at 8am

but if they snapped a good mechanic would drill and extract the stud .. a fitter will just replace a caliper

Exactly.it is part & parcel of the job. If it snaps & you can't get it out with extractor you just drill it at the correct size for the nipples thread & retap.

Personally when I cleaned up the calipers they weren't bad at all , if I was doing it I'd spray the threads with wd40 and go easy on the nipples.

& anyone half decent would have sprayed them all at 8am & continue spraying on & off until the job was started

Here is what you need instead of those valve extenders.

View attachment 965473

I thought they were either for wheel speed or greasing although thinking about it now I have seen them on trucks for tyre pressures?
Hopefully we get a decent outcome.

** Just a though that after waiting this long I'd have waited in reception & let Blu eat the place.

 

[Dutch 68]

Not sure that road is suitable for anything bigger than a transit. We took our MG midget to Llanthony and it was just the right size

From the Crickhowell end you get an class 1 lorry there no problem, from the hay on Wye side I have gone to llantony abbey countless times with a 18t crane vehicle but yes it’s an interesting road lol

 

[L' Hobo]

A few photies of Caerphilly Castle. Lot of trees around it so I couldn't get the drone over to the far side without loosing signal. Had a walk around it too. Sadly its got works going on which spoils the photos a bit . But it's an impressive structure. There's one tower that looks like it's going to take a dip In the moat soon lol View attachment 965111View attachment 965112View attachment 965113View attachment 965114View attachment 965115View attachment 965116View attachment 965117View attachment 965118View attachment 965119View attachment 965120View attachment 965121View attachment 965122View attachment 965123View attachment 965124View attachment 965125View attachment 965126View attachment 965127View attachment 965128

Put in an offer, now you have had some practice in restoring things, it will look nice when it's finished, there's even space for Garry!

 

[Boldly]

Now if they did snap which you would know if they were really tight not to force it .. but if they snapped a good mechanic would drill and extract the stud .. a fitter will just replace a caliper

If they were that tight a good mechanic would leave the nipple alone and crack the union on the brake pipe to do it

 

[Ravelin]

Right, he's gone quiet, bets are open...

1) Jobs done and he's on the way to Breacon
2) The mechanic f'ed it up and he's on the way to a police cell to be charged with assault.
3) He's looking for a hotel that'll take 4 dogs

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[1967bowesj]

Right, he's gone quiet, bets are open...

1) Jobs done and he's on the way to Breacon
2) The mechanic f'ed it up and he's on the way to a police cell to be charged with assault.
3) He's looking for a hotel that'll take 4 dogs

Option 2, then 1 lol

 

[Just smiffy]

Right, he's gone quiet, bets are open...

1) Jobs done and he's on the way to Breacon
2) The mechanic f'ed it up and he's on the way to a police cell to be charged with assault.
3) He's looking for a hotel that'll take 4 dogs

You forgot 4…. Blu eat them all…

 

[Abacist]

He’s learnt from Chaser to keep us in suspense!

 

[MichaelT]

Right, he's gone quiet, bets are open...

1) Jobs done and he's on the way to Breacon
2) The mechanic f'ed it up and he's on the way to a police cell to be charged with assault.
3) He's looking for a hotel that'll take 4 dogs

1.

 

[Poutie57]

1

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[pagey]

1

 

[TinaLes]

Thinking about it, if they haven't taken the wheels off, then the only bit they could be hammering is the tight fit spanner on the bleed nipples.
I agree any decent mechanic would have sprayed with plus gas a few times and allow to soak, but I guess ramp time is cash time, so they have to rush it.
Drilling out with an extractor tool is also easy, its waiting on delivery of new bleed nipples that they wont do I bet as its easier just to fit new out the box callipers and disks.
Hope he has had it all sorted now.But I am also watching the 6 O clock news for any updates.
LES

 

[Northernraider]

They've changed the fluid , that mechanic is a right prophet of doom .. he was banging on about master cylinder needing replaced etc etc ...compared it to a tin can left on a draining board blah blah blah... talks a load o bollocks


Anyway I'll update later as I'm at @mackeellans now and don't want to sit on phone.

 

[bigtree]

We had a shower during the night but sunny again, Calpe.

 

[Phill D]

at @mackeellans now

Say hello to him for me Tam

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[martin2603]

I've had 4 too. 2 x mk3 vans , 1 x mk2 motorhome and this mk3 motorhome.
Never had brake issues with the 2 vans , just the motorhomes.

Excess brake pedal travel

 

[Northernraider]

Right then I'm back.

So yes they changed the fluid, I headed off , I got about 6 miles up motorway and the brake warning light came on dash , off at next junction back down motorway to garage gets there 3.45 ...they shut at 4pm . Finds the mechanic tells him brakes seem fine , haven't been down Any long steep hills yet obviously but brakes working bit now I've a brake warning light on that I didn't have before. Without even looking at it he immediately says "well its nothing I've done " .... I says well it wasn't on before , and as you've just been messing with brakes I'd appreciate you at least checking what you've done in case you've not tightened something up or summit .

Reluctantly he looked at the fluid reservoir and a quick glance under van then claimed it had to be brake pad warning lights .

I just gave up then and told him not to bother I'd sort it myself and left.

So God knows what he's done , the brakes all work fine ....I've not been on any really steep hills so not sure yet if it has fixed the problem but no brake fade at present and it stops well .

But he's obviously knocked something on the sensors probably when hammering.

The pad wear sensors were all disconnected as the new pads I fitted didn't have them .. but there was no light before . I'll have a look one dry day .

Really noticed it slow though coming up a few hills to brecon so I'm hoping the remap helps that.

I'm parked up by the canal at brecon , pissing down with rain again .

£72 all in for the fluid change, cheap enough but would I recommend them ....nah I wasn't overly impressed by either of those guys.

Heading up to Pershore tomorrow and will find somewhere close by to park up .

Weather looks crap the next few days .

 

[Just smiffy]

Is there sufficient fluid in the reservoir…?

 

[Northernraider]

Is there sufficient fluid in the reservoir…?

Aye the reservoir is full , cap on OK etc. I think he's clobbered one of the sensors. He said they're all disconnected hence the light but as I told him the light doesn't come on because disconnected they would need to be touching metal to complete the circuit to activate the warning light as that's how they work.

Usual mechanic excuse of it wisnae me .


He was a bit of a muppet , more a Kwikfit fitter than a mechanic. No interest in fixing things just remove and replace attitude. He says " I'd replace master cylinder, all discs, all calipers"

I said uh huh are you paying for it? , calipers were fine I checked them. Discs a little pitted but will clean up the more the van is used . They were still full thickness and not warped. And the master cylinder well yeah if what he's done hasn't cured the brake fade then it's possibly the seals in master cylinder gone.

But the discs etc wouldn't cause the symptoms I have.

 

[TinaLes]

Just smiffy is onto something I reckon, check the brake master cylinder float & connection to check its on there, short out to ground to check it, you know what to do Tam.
Check if its leaking now, if it is then it may be worth putting that on the to do list before you start extensive travels, and you will have more places to buy from over here.....if needed.
LES

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[mackeellan]

Well, an update as I said. Met Tam and showed him a good spot alongside the canal. The dogs attacked me with excitement and then stopped, except Blu! Another couple of years and she may calm a little. Tam decided he had a Valleys accent but I thought it was from a valley in Pakistan!
On the other hand the van looks really, really good. It's now a beautiful big motorhome and with all the work Tam and Gary have done it's a serious asset. I know we're all looking forward to the next travel log.
Good luck to you and to Just smiffy

 

[Northernraider]

Just smiffy is onto something I reckon, check the brake master cylinder float & connection to check its on there, short out to ground to check it, you know what to do Tam.
Check if its leaking now, if it is then it may be worth putting that on the to do list before you start extensive travels, and you will have more places to buy from over here.....if needed.
LES

Master cylinder and reservoir all fine . No leaks , plenty fluid and wiring all fine.

If I still have the brake fade then it may well have knackered seals in it but no sign of that just now.

The warning light will be the pad sensors that he's obviously moved or damaged when he was bleeding the brakes.

The brakes are working fine and if any leaks I'd have been out or very low on fluid on the drive up here

 

[TinaLes]

It used too be a doddle to replace the sealing/piston rubbers in a master or a slave cylinder back in the 80's, I used to nip up the main dealers or a motor factors and pick up a service kit for a couple of quid.
If not, then Sunday morning(in the rain sometimes) up the scrap yard, climbing up cars stacked 4 high, to take one off a similar car, plus a few other bits that you see when you are up there.
Funny how no one seemed to care about health and safety in those days so much, a sign saying something like "at your own risk" did the job.
PS: I soon learned to agree a price before taking the part off, sometimes it was false economy to get a SH part.
LES

 

[Northernraider]

It used too be a doddle to replace the sealing/piston rubbers in a master or a slave cylinder back in the 80's, I used to nip up the main dealers or a motor factors and pick up a service kit for a couple of quid.
If not, then Sunday morning(in the rain sometimes) up the scrap yard, climbing up cars stacked 4 high, to take one off a similar car, plus a few other bits that you see when you are up there.
Funny how no one seemed to care about health and safety in those days so much, a sign saying something like "at your own risk" did the job.
PS: I soon learned to agree a price before taking the part off, sometimes it was false economy to get a SH part.
LES

Aye been there done that myself.

Oh that was another thing


Mechanic grim says " I didn't see a lot of air in the fluid " I said what about water. He looked at me like I was daft and said ..I never checked for that.

I am wondering if they got the guy who normally empties the bins to work on my van lol.

Why it always happens to me I don't know .

 

[Northernraider]

The wording of job description is also strange

Why the "at clients request"

Never seen that before

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Northernraider]

Anyway it's done now , hopefully be OK now I'll see on the next hill descent no doubt .


Early night tonight as I'm knackered

 

[Lenny HB]

I'm parked up by the canal at brecon , pissing down with rain again .

I thought you had to pay there or is that just during the day. I stopped there a couple of years ago.

 

[Figaro]

The wording of job description is also strange

and no charge for the brake fluid ?

 

[Northernraider]

I thought you had to pay there or is that just during the day. I stopped there a couple of years ago.

Not where I am

 

[Northernraider]

and no charge for the brake fluid ?

Aye .

I'm hoping they didn't pump the same stuff back in. It was the same machine connected the whole time. Unless he took the fluid out at each nipple and the machine just pumped new stuff in .

I couldn't see properly

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}