| Author | Message | ||
     Chris Riches Unregistered guest Posted From: 144.139.13.136 |
I am caring for a 1981 Bentley Mulsanne while its owner is overseas and the two brake warning lights are on and I can't find the brake master cylinder to top up the fluid. Can anyone tell me where it is? Thank you | ||
| Bill Coburn Grand Master Username: bill_coburn Post Number: 157 Registered: 4-2003 |
STOP STOP STOP. No master cylinders and absolutely not brake fluid!!! The brake lights come on when the car has been left standing. Start the engine ( press the accelerator first and release it) and leave it running in a few minutes the lights should go out. After four minutes with the lights out open the bonnet and on the left hand side there are two large round plastic reservoirs with level indicators on the side. Shine a torch through the reservoirs and the level should be between the two arrows. If they need fluid get back to me! But absolutely Not brake fluid. | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 255 Registered: 4-2003 |
CHRIS - IT IS MOST IMPORTANT THAT YOU FOLLOW BILL'S ADVICE TO AVOID EXPENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE CAR - DO NOT RELY ON A NON-RR/BENTLEY MECHANIC EITHER. | ||
| Chris Riches Unregistered guest Posted From: 144.139.14.128 |
Many thanks for the warning. The lights do go out after a couple of minutes but one of the two reservoirs is right down on the low mark. What fluid is required? Thanks again, Chris | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 191 Registered: 4-2003 |
The fluid is Castrol LHM Plus, but can only be filled with the special bottle made for R-R and Jaguar. You can buy it from Castrol, Jaguar dealers and Crewe outlets among others. There should be two spare half-litre plastic bottles of the stuff, with the correct nozzle, in the boot. There is a compartment reserved for them. Large warning labels in many lanuages are plastered all over the place, and on the reservoirs themselves, with all this information. Do read the owner's manual ! | ||
| Bill Coburn Grand Master Username: bill_coburn Post Number: 158 Registered: 4-2003 |
In fairness to Chris the reservoirs may not have the later filler arrangements nor for that matter an owner's manual. Perhaps he can tell us what sort of fillers are on top of the reservoir? | ||
| Chris Riches Unregistered guest Posted From: 144.139.13.90 |
Thanks again for the info. There is no owners manual and the reservoirs have a rubber cap with little strainers inside the filler neck. Looks like you could just pour in the fluid as the neck is wider than an inch or so. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 192 Registered: 4-2003 |
You're right, Bill, my comments do seem a little flippant now that I read them again. Of course, there were at least four different filler arrangements. The first two were conventional screw caps. The first was a conventional screw cap for all to open. Despite the huge warning plate covering the reservoirs, they caused havoc when people didn't bother to read them and simply used brake fluid. The warning is even embossed on the reservoirs themselves as well. The next solution was to wire the caps together and use a lead seal like on a house electricity meter. Stupid: you had to go to an agent to top up the fluid as the brake pads wore and the system needed more fluid as the brake pistons compensated. The next was finally sensible with the horizontal filler point needing the special nozzle, but the inevitible drip after filling was annoying, and from 1987 the filler was vertical needing the same nozzle. Most of the early two types were silently converted by the agents, often unknown to the owners, during servicing to the horizontal filler arrangement needing the special nozzle. Early cars had the spare fluid bottles in a compartment under the carpet of the boot base. Later cars had them in a cubbyhole with a hinged and carpeted cover on the right hand side of the boot. On handbooks, I thought everyone keeps them in the glovebox at all times, along with the mandatory official papers (accident reports, registration, pollution tests and the like). | ||
| Bill Coburn Grand Master Username: bill_coburn Post Number: 159 Registered: 4-2003 |
Right Chris. Sorry we got all excited but putting brake fluid in these cars these days is tantamount to wrecking them. The brake fluid apparently reacts with the various seals etc and simply destroys them. We actually have a car that turned up the other day with brake fluid contamination and the owner is being quoted some $20,000 to fix it - almost as much as the car is worth. So go get your Castrol LHM and top up the reservoirs when you have pumped up the system. | ||
| David Gore Moderator Username: david_gore Post Number: 256 Registered: 4-2003 |
Bill & Richard, Thank you for your prompt and expert attention to this request. Chris, Congratulations on your foresight in using this forum to check on correct procedures before doing anything on a car that you knew next to nothing about and also was beyond the capabilities of almost all mechanics and car parts suppliers. As Bill has mentioned; the repair cost if you had added ordinary brake fluid to the hydraulic system would have made a huge hole in anyone's bank account. | ||
| Chris Riches Unregistered guest Posted From: 144.139.13.58 |
Thanks again for the really valuable assistance. I have bought a litre bottle of the recommended fluid. Apparently the name has been changed by Castrol to Hydraulic Mineral Oil Plus, the book stating that this replaces LHM. It comes in a plastic bottle complete with a flexible spout attached to the side of the bottle and a warning NOT to use it in "T" series cars etc. or any RR/Bentley car before 1979. Hope this is O.K. Chris. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 193 Registered: 4-2003 |
Spot on. |
