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Wed Jun 03, 2015 7:14 pm

88 Westy: stored in well covered unheated place in VA winter before last. Upon retrieval noted brake fluid leak and diminished MC level. Topped off and had it inspected. Initially no problem noted, but closer examination revealed a leaky rear cylinder that had only been replaced 18 mo earlier. Damn, but no big deal.

This year stored the van in Denver in a lock up garage, but ambient temps.
No problems starting, but upon driving out there was a puddle of fluid on the LHS.
Brake level in the MC was way down.
Local shop diagnosed MC failure and replaced at some $$.

So, cold weather storage causes problems?
All components replaced in the last 3 years with good stuff.

Anyone have previous experience and suggested prevention, as we plan to store the van over the coming winter when we are in New Zealand.

Geoff
88 Westy EJ25
278K

Thu Jun 04, 2015 4:14 am

Well, you can rest easy that it isn t just you experiencing failures after a very short period of time.

It seems that the quality of rubber being sold to us has overall plummeted as time has gone by.

What I find curious, is that our chemical technology has exploded during the same time period (1960's to today).

So exactly WHY is rubber so bad today?
Bad brake parts, bad axle boots, bad ball joint covers, bad this and bad that.

Is it China? (Isn't every bad product Chinas fault today? :wink:
Is it Price?
Or is it something far bigger and wide spread?
My Brother is a retired Chemist, he knows stuff.
In a nut shell, there is a shortage of a particular chemical that softens and makes rubber flexible. It is market driven and supply varies constantly,
Couple that with recycling rubber,
Couple that with a nursey providing a batch of inferior Rubber Tree Stock
And add that there is NO single standard for Rubber composition! It is all trade secret formulations kept in locked vaults in dark secret rooms!
Rubber is apparently a free for all commodity.

So..... Looking for documentation I Stumbled upon this article which backs up a lot of what my Brother said (maybe he read it?) ..... (Also my Brother tends to spout information just to look smart..... Even if he isn't on a topic because he knows he is smarter than me to begin with!!....... Yeah..... I'm the LITTLE Brother. I discovered this years ago and often do a little research to verify his information.)
Anyway, the article applies to Commercial Ship Dock bumpers but it clearly exposes the overall problem of rubber today........ Scroll down.......

http://www.trelleborg.com/~/media/Group/Media/T-Time/2014/3-2014/EN_T-Time--3--14.pdf

In other words, unless we start gleaning our own raw rubber, vulcanizing it and making our own propriatary brew for our needs....... We are basically screwed until the entire industry changes!

I believe that these companies are buying bulk rubber of a supposed formulation and without a way to test or verify the formulation they simply mold product and we buy them!

Dave

Thu Jun 04, 2015 4:25 am

Yeah - sh*t happens...

FWIW, I've had no such problems with cold storage over the past six winters here in northern MN,
where -30F is not uncommon. You takes your chances with new parts these days... :roll:

How do you bleed the brakes? If pedal bleeding, a piece of 2x4 under the pedal will prevent the
internal seal of the MC from moving past it's usual point & this will prevent damage to that seal...

Thu Jun 04, 2015 7:03 am

Unfortunately 'new' parts are a far cry from the quality of original parts.

Thu Jun 04, 2015 11:01 am

buy new brake hoses form a VW dealer, not aftermarket

exception is if you know to a certainty the aftermarket has produced something better - and don't trust their hype

Thu Jun 04, 2015 11:46 am

This has happened to me twice, with two different brands of wheel cylinders.

I'm hoping the recently installed ATE type I got from van-cafe won't suffer the same fate.

As a side note, on the last set of replaced cylinders, the piston that was leaking was shiny and clean. On the others that still sealed, the pistons and cylinders each had a build up of mung. For lack of better term. (I have pics, just can't find the SD card right now...) The hydraulics were flushed regularly. I had to wonder just if those pistons were even moving! ;)

Neil.

Thu Jun 04, 2015 6:33 pm

I am beginning to think that this is an inactivity issue.