Re: master cylinder

[Darrel <darrelK@domain.elided>]

"John A. Landry" wrote:

> When he stopped taking his medication, strange voices in Darrel
> <darrelK@domain.elided>'s head said:
>
> >The valve also functions as your brake warning light switch. So if you blow out a
> >front or rear line you'll know about it.  Ever try an emergency stop with rear
> >brakes only?
>
> You mean to tell me you wouldn't know you lost half your brake system
> unless you saw the idiot light on the dash Darrel?  If the thing even work
> any more, the light doesn't come on until you apply the brakes and there is
> a great enough pressure differential between the brake systems.  At that
> point you'll definitely know you have a problem.  The light just doesn't
> come on by itself.

John,
You mean to tell me you're the only person to drive your Scout? <grin>

Myself, I have loaned my Scout to drivers with zero mechanical knowledge (far too
common these days). If you have ever suffered a rear brake line failure you know that
after a few pumps or sometimes less the pedal feel remains consistent. Now, if they
didn't know the correct pedal feel they may ignore the problem, but there's no
ignoring a red idiot light that says BRAKE (I hope).  When I worked at my Dad's shop
one lady came in and said she had a "short" in her brake warning light, because the
brakes were working fine. Well, it would stop... eventually, you just had to pump the
pedal about 3 times.

IMHO, I would prefer to learn of a *brake* problem at the earliest possible moment,
like when I step on the pedal before I start my Scout in the morning, and not when
some motorcyclist pulls out in front of me. Now, if the warning switch doesn't work
that's a maintenance problem.

I remember you saying the other day how your brake pedal would sometimes go almost to
the floor, and you replaced the master cylinder with no luck, but continued to drive
it. I think if the light would have came on you would instantly think blown line and
pull over to check. But maybe without the light you would've kept driving, thinking
it's the usual problem. Just a thought.

A few more scenarios come to mind, but you get the point.

> Personally I don't feel it's "dangerous" to replace the factory
> proportioning valve with an adjustable aftermarket valve.  Unless you
> specifically wire one up, you just need to remember that you will not get a
> *visual* warning in the event you have a brake system failure.

I'm not saying that it's the most dangerous thing you can do - far from it, just
pointing out that the IH engineers did put the warning light in for a reason.

> To each his own!
>
> John L.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> jlandry AT halcyon DOT com    |
> Conservative Libertarian      |
> Life Member of the NRA        |        All the GOOD things in life
> WA Arms Collectors            |              are DANGEROUS!
> Commercial Helicopter - Inst. |
> www.halcyon.com/jlandry/      |

"All the GOOD things in life are DANGEROUS"?

Happy New Year, Scouters.

Darrel Kline
Colorado Springs, CO