Had a eureka moment today
05-08-2012, 09:19 PM
#1
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Had a eureka moment today
I had a eureka moment today while installing an oil cooler...
Rewind to the my last race... I noticed that fast transitions from WOT to braking would cause the brake pedal to feel rock hard, and it would take a second before the brakes would start to work. It caused a few slight pucker moments, but nothing serious. When I checked over the brakes everything appeared to be good, so I just got used to the hesitation and figured I'd investigate more later.
Well today, as I was staring at the engine bay waiting for the oil to warm up after installing the new oil cooler I noticed that the previous owner had installed a "T" into the brake booster vacuum line for the boost gauge
and then it hit me! I've read (on this site) that its common for the V8 guys to replace the vacuum line going to the brake booster, not realizing it has a hidden check valve inside... The previous owner must have made the same mistake when installing the "T"! Its a perfect explanation for why the brakes felt rock hard; the booster was seeing positive pressure instead of vacuum! So I yanked off the line and sure enough; no check valve.
It made my day
Rewind to the my last race... I noticed that fast transitions from WOT to braking would cause the brake pedal to feel rock hard, and it would take a second before the brakes would start to work. It caused a few slight pucker moments, but nothing serious. When I checked over the brakes everything appeared to be good, so I just got used to the hesitation and figured I'd investigate more later.
Well today, as I was staring at the engine bay waiting for the oil to warm up after installing the new oil cooler I noticed that the previous owner had installed a "T" into the brake booster vacuum line for the boost gauge
and then it hit me! I've read (on this site) that its common for the V8 guys to replace the vacuum line going to the brake booster, not realizing it has a hidden check valve inside... The previous owner must have made the same mistake when installing the "T"! Its a perfect explanation for why the brakes felt rock hard; the booster was seeing positive pressure instead of vacuum! So I yanked off the line and sure enough; no check valve.
It made my day
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05-10-2012, 08:17 PM
#5
Cpt. Slow
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Yup, you can also usually see a little bulge, if ya know what I mean.
As much as I've torn my car apart, it survived unknown to me up until about a year ago. That reminds me, those two hoses are 20 years old :thumbsdown:
As much as I've torn my car apart, it survived unknown to me up until about a year ago. That reminds me, those two hoses are 20 years old :thumbsdown:
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At least you figured it out and its a simple fix.
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