Era brakes Upgrade

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by davids2toys

Dan,
Check this out, Bob Putnam just posted to his thread: brake/clutch fluid reservoir
Turns out that reservoir has compartments in it, which separate the two brake systems. That is also why the clutch is in the middle, so in essence, that acts like its own reservoir. So the only flaw I see in this system is the fact that if you lose either your front or rear brake fluid you will definitely have no fluid for your clutch except what is in the clutch master cyl. Do you think that would be enough to actually use the clutch to shift gears. I though I remember reading somewhere that every time you push and release the clutch it back-feeds to the reservoir on the release. I could be totally wrong on this, don't know. I hope I am.
Dave

It sounds like the BMW reservoir has 3 sections in it so it functions the same as having the 3 separate Girling cans. That just reinforces that performance or reliability wise - there isn't any advantage with separate reservoirs. I have the 3 cans just for period appearance. Otherwise - I don't think they are worth the effort.

As far as backfeeding to the reservoir when the pedal is released - I think the answer is kind of, but in a proper functioning and tight system what goes back to the reservoir is virtually nothing if anything. The master cylinders I've worked on have a compensating port that releases any pressure in the system as the pedal is released to ensure the brakes don't stay applied. That means a small shot of fluid could go to the reservoir if the rotors kick back the pads due to runout or something. Or if a caliper piston seal has a slight leak, it also allow the master cylinder to fill from the reservoir to compensate for it.

And now I'm dangerously close to exhausting my understanding of hydraulic systems.