Yeah, I know, I’m working on brakes a lot lately…but they ARE kind of important and besides, I am the stubborn sort. I WILL FIX THESE DAMN BRAKES…or perhaps I will end the world trying…one or the other…which one depends on my mood at the time I suppose.

So, when last we paused for breath, I was needing a new vacuum-booster (otherwise known as a Hydrovac brake booster or, the technical term, a fargle-snorker-brake-sucker-thingy). Seems the old one was letting air into the system AND leaking brake fluid into the vacuum side, which of course then gets sucked into the engine.

Interesting effect…that.

Despite my fascination with large and colorful clouds of smoke, I decided I would rather be able to stop the truck (thus avoiding yet ANOTHER large and colorful cloud of smoke and more than a few swear words), so I got a new one.

Those following along will be pleased to know that despite there being two VERY different parts available for the brake booster on the Left-handed Fargle-snorker, and the only way to tell was examining the old one, which of course was over a hundred miles away when I made the purchase…that I actually acquired the correct part!

Amazing! I’m not sure that’s ever happened before…

Hey look! I bought the right one!

Of course, it wasn’t just a BOLT IN replacement…alas, it just never works that way. If you look closely in that picture you will see the substitute bracket it was held on with.

It wasn’t “bolt in” because there weren’t any bolts! Seems the last time anybody worked on this thing they decided that the three 1/2″ bolts that hold this thing to the frame were just not suitable, so they tossed them away and replaced them with a piece of dog-chain.

Yep. I said dog-chain.

The incorrect bracket for the hydro-vac brake booster

So, between the brake, vent, and vacuum lines…and the piece of dog-chain…this thing was ALMOST attached to the truck!

I decided dog-chain is probably not the best bracket, and decided that bolting the thing back to the frame was probably best.

Of course the hardware and auto parts places had closed exactly 38 seconds before I realized I needed parts, and I was lacking a machine shop to turn some bolts out of the remains of the missing Huey UH-1 (long story, remind me to tell you about it sometime), I’ll have to hit it again later.

That’s okay…it’s friggen HOT out there now (with a 25 mph “breeze” like a blast furnace) and the bolts would melt anyway.

Not tomorrow though, father’s day and all that. Gonna make a dinner and figure out a present (Hmmm…Huey UH-1 perhaps?)

So yeah. One day soon. Brakes. Better yet, brakes that are actually bolted to the truck!

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

Soo…went by the NAPA boys…have I mentioned that they absolutely rock?

Anyway, got the Hydro-vac vacuum booster for the Fargle-snorker…at least, I *hope* I do…

There are two different ones, ya see…and the only way to tell which it is, is to look at it. Sooo…I got the one I *think* it is…from memory of what lines were hooked up to the one on the truck…but there is always that niggling doubt…and I won’t be able to check till this weekend.

Anyway, the NAPA boys (I *have* mentioned that they rock, yes?) got me a good price, waived the core charge if I promise to bring the old one back, and told me I could exchange this one for the other model if it turned out I got the wrong one.

Only problem I had so far is it came in a giant box! Wasn’t expecting it to be quite that big so it was a challenge to haul around on the Valk…

Hauling a big box on the Valk

A REALLY big box!

Big Honkin box on the Valk

The Vacuum sucker-boost thingy…

Brake Vacuum booster (single system)

Another view

The only difference between the two models is this one (the single system) has one output that goes to a distribution block, and the dual system has two outputs that then go to a proportioning valve (which looks remarkably like a distribution block).

I only remember one outlet line on the one under the truck, but I am of course, not 100% sure. I should have taken a picture or actually removed the unit (I was too disgusted with the entire process to work on it any more that day).

It’s 50-50 that I got the right one…or it was till I actually picked one…then the odds probably went against me by about 80-20. That’s just the way the “law of mechanical maladies” works in the world.

I guess I’ll know Saturday!

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

“Huh. Wondered where all that brake fluid was going…”
–Quoted by me when I started the Left-handed Fargle-snorker and she smoked the entire neighborhood in thick, white smoke.

Me and my friend Mike were finishing up the brakes on the Fargle-snorker today, but we had extreme difficulty bleeding them. Very frustrating…they are just hydraulic brakes and should, really, be no big deal to bleed.

The Left-handed Fargle-snorker getting brake service

I had replaced the front left wheel cylinders…what the heck was making it so difficult?

Well, the vacuum booster is a bit different on this truck…it’s NOT on the master cylinder on the firewall like anybody that’s worked on brakes might expect, rather, it’s under the truck, behind the driver’s side seat. It’s a massive vacuum booster and a slave cylinder. Turns out the slave cylinder is leaking, but unobtrusively…and thus introducing some air into the system that was making it very difficult to get a good bleed on.

Bleeding is done with no boost…engine not running, no vacuum in the booster…

Eventually, I decided that there must be something wrong there or in the master cylinder so I started the truck up to see how the boosted brakes would feel.

That’s when all the brake fluid that had been leaking past the slave cylinder and accumulating in the vacuum reservoir got sucked into the intake on the engine and burned. LOTS of white smoke. Sigh.

I need yet another part. The NAPA boys are going to love me on this one.

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

(click the pic for all the details)

The Clarksville Fine Arts Festival is Saturday, May 28, 2011. It’s shaping up to be the best one yet. Live music all day Saturday, great acts, lots of fine artists (over 30 at last count), more than 10 authors, LOTS of great food!

I’ll have a booth. Come see me!

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer

(bump)

Our neighbor (Hi Babe!) sent us pictures from the storm Tuesday.

I would guess we’ve got some roof damage over this stuff, either at the Old Vic herself or the building on the square (or both).

I’ll know more when I can get on the roof this weekend and take a look.

And this pic from Raine over at Wild Type is hail in our yard…

Cleaning up this morning…found a new nook…or maybe it’s a cranny…full of crap…but I guess that’s another story.

Anyway, random thought:

Man, that’s a damn big light-bulb.

One big bulb...

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer