Brake Marmalade?

Folks,
I just looked at the clutch master-cylinder and what little fluid there was
thick and honey-coloured but there was also a thick residue the consistency
of toothpaste settled throughout.
I wiped in out, filled it with DOT4 and bled it and it's working but then I
checked the front brake master-cylinder and although it was still full the
fluid had the consistency of jam and was the same honey-colour.
I was out of time so I just put the lid back on but I'll clean it all out
and replace it with DOT4 when I get a chance.
Anyone know what I'm looking at?
Is this what silicone fluid looks like?
Is this what silicone contaminated with DOT4 looks like?
Do English bikes use marmalade-based fluid instead of glycol? (I never saw
anything like this on my old Trump).

 

Greetings Clem ... Seasons greetings to you et al.
Co-incidently, I have been working on the brake system of a 4 wheeled
trailer purchased at a clearing sale.
Last night it took a while to undo the ferrule on the brake line where
it joins into the cylinder without actually breaking the copper
pipe... got there
Tonight came the job of removing the valve inside the cylinder. It was
gummed up as you have described. Thus I guess it is just a
consequence
of lack of maintenance and drying up fluid. Be good to know if there
was a solvent?? Not so important on a trailer, but seems to me that
you should be thinking about giving the brake system a BELATED clean
out... I'm sure that you are thinking about riding it down to the
Supers in a couple of months
and don't want any more mishaps

 

how old is the fluid?

 

Clem

I'm told the reason that you should replace brake fluid every 12
months is that it absorbs moisture, leading to boiling and bubbles
etc..

Maybe what you see is a brake fluid and water mixture.

I would clean it out thoroughly ASAP, before you ride anywhere that
requires serious sustained braking. Not having riden in Brissie I
can't tell if that describes your ride to work or not.

Steve B
Just trying to help ;-)

 

Greetings Clem ... Seasons greetings to you et al.
Co-incidently, I have been working on the brake system of a 4 wheeled
trailer purchased at a clearing sale.
Last night it took a while to undo the ferrule on the brake line where
it joins into the cylinder without actually breaking the copper
pipe... got there
Tonight came the job of removing the valve inside the cylinder. It was
gummed up as you have described. Thus I guess it is just a
consequence
of lack of maintenance and drying up fluid. Be good to know if there
was a solvent?? Not so important on a trailer, but seems to me that
you should be thinking about giving the brake system a BELATED clean
out... I'm sure that you are thinking about riding it down to the
Supers in a couple of months
and don't want any more mishaps
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yep, it'll be a new bottle of fluid and a complete drain and replace over
Christmas Rockit...
...and yeah; I'm riding that fuckin' Trumpy to the Supers if it KILLS ME!!

 

1998 plate so less than 11 years.
I've seen older brakefluid but never anything like this.

 

I'm told the reason that you should replace brake fluid every 12
months is that it absorbs moisture, leading to boiling and bubbles
etc..

Maybe what you see is a brake fluid and water mixture.

I would clean it out thoroughly ASAP, before you ride anywhere that
requires serious sustained braking. Not having riden in Brissie I
can't tell if that describes your ride to work or not.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's certainly true Steve but we're talking far beyond a Clemly-level of
riding.
Shit; the stuff's cheap so you may as well flush it through every so often
but a sealed system like a bike's isn't gonna' degrade catastrophically
during even fairly-spirited riding if left for a few years (or decades).

 

When I was living in the UK for a bit they used Scrumpy-based brake
fluid. At least, that's what they told me down Somerset way.

"A few pints of local scrumpy will slow you up pretty quick," this old
geezer in the pub used to say.

Kim

 

Heh heh; must work the opposite of Bundy-and-coke.

 

Would you like some bread?

 

"My brakes are jammed"...

Pat

 

"My brakes are jammed"...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pity your transmissions aren't!