I've angered the Car Gods

lesabre400 · Post by **lesabre400** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 8:32 pm

How do you like that - the day after I post about how great the 'cell has been, something goes wrong. I was taking my wife to work this morning because the roads were covered in freezing rain and the brake pedal started feeling soft. There's been a slow leak since I bought it, but so slow I could never find it. I'd have to top up the fluid once every few months. Well I've found the leak now - my entire brake system emptied itself on my garage floor. A line had rusted thru at the bracket on the rear axle. I've made a temporary fix with flexible hose, but I think it's time to do the master cylinder and get some new brake lines made up. If I come up with any brilliant tips while I go thru this, I'll be sure to post. Anyone have any tips before I start? I won't be making the lines, just swaping the parts.
Careful what you say - they can hear you! <_<

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 8:45 pm

Wow. Thank God it didn't happen on the road.
I found that friggin inclinometer connector but now I don't know where I put the damn cover for the thing. I took a cursory look around the garage but it was no use. When I find it I'll send you the inclinometer, that is, if you're still interested.

lesabre400 · Post by **lesabre400** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 8:52 pm

That's the first thing I thought. With my wife in the car and icy roads, there couldn't be a worse time for the brake pedal to hit the floor. I'm guessing it took maybe a half-dozen pumps of the pedal once I had it in my garage tonight before that line burst. A couple more red lights on the way home and who knows...

Don't sweat the inclinometer. I have a number of other projects and I need to focus my time and energy. There's a Buick engine to build and a crippling rc car/boat hobby to feed. Thanks for all your digging though.

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 11:26 pm

My Nitro Hammer eats electrics for breakfast... 45+MPH on the water and an outstanding 2 foot length and 9 inch beam baby!
Or how about my F4U-Corsair? Goldberg Eagle 2? How about my Piper Cub? Can't forget the old red racing thingy-plane either. Or, GASP! My electric (yes, blasphemous as it is) Firebird Outlaw. Nice to have at least 1 plane a toddler could fly if they had good coordination.. I aspire to buy a Savage 25 or a Revo, but ATM the Terc is coming first.

I run 10% Nitro blend in my Piper and Eagle, 15% in the Corsair and red thingy, and 25% in my little Nitro Hammer. I had it thrown on the mini-dyno and with Monster Fuel 25% it was throwing 1.5 horsies. out of a 0.15 Cubic Inch 2-stroke with watercooled head. Hehehehehehehehe.... I love my NH. Tuned pipes rock.

Wow, kinda random eh?

takza · Post by **takza** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 5:12 am

lesabre400 wrote: Anyone have any tips before I start? I won't be making the lines, just swaping the parts.
Careful what you say - they can hear you! <_<

Something here:

<a href='http://tercel4wd.com/invision/index.php ... &f=7&t=219' target='_blank'>http://tercel4wd.com/invision/index.php ... 7&t=219</a>

GTSSportCoupe · Post by **GTSSportCoupe** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:18 am

Glad to hear you are ok!

You might find your brake system to be a can of worms once you get started. When I did brake work on my terc, all I really wanted to do was put new pads on the front and shoes on the back. But I ended up not only installing shoes and pads, but new front calipers, new rear pistons, new flexible brake lines in front, and custom bent brake lines on my rear axle, as well as a VERY thorough bleed job. You should have seen how rusty the old brake fluid comming out was. It was brutal.

I put a good quality synthetic fluid in (I think it was from valvoline).

Hopefully your job goes better than mine did.

Funny that your brake system is all rusted when the rest of your car looks pristine. :huh:

lesabre400 · Post by **lesabre400** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:04 am

Thanks GTS,
Pristine is a bit strong! It's in great shape for a $2500 car, but there is some advanced rot underneath and some big gobs of bondo below the back doors. But thanks for the compliment - the shiny side looks pretty good I think.

Thanks for the link, post-whore! You're a well of useful info and this site would probably dry up without you. Keep it up!

Hey Typrus, that's quite a collection of rc stuff! I have an Ofna Ultra LX Comp with a K&N filter, Jammin JP-1 pipe and Futaba 3PM-FM radio. I'll be breaking in the .26 engine this spring. Hope to outrun my two buddies with their Savages.
The boat is still in progress - 4ft deep vee with 6hp Zenoah G260 modified by a shop in NewBrunswick. Warehouse hobbies parts, mostly. Should be good for 50mph with the dry tuned polished exhaust and twin-rudder surface drive.

Adelard of Bath · Post by **Adelard of Bath** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:09 am

wwaaaaiiiit a minute......are you folks telling me that on the tercel, if one line goes out, all brakes are gone? jeezuz that blows my mind! unless someone tells me i'm wrong....i just might have to condemn japanese cars forever...that's unforgivable! and I always had this opinion that japanese engineers had a "legendary attention to detail"...hmmm
well there ARE two lines coming out of the master cylinder, so that tells me that there are two distinct and seperate circuits...so that's good.

I hesitate to be the guy who keeps bringing up "that other car" but my 79 volvo has THREE LINES coming out of the calipers (and four wheel disc by the way) and the brakes are set up in such a way that they are triangulated, and if a line blew out, the most you could lose would be one brake out of four, so you always have three brakes....and then a light comes on in the dash.

And they have been doing that since who knows when.

I hope the tercel gods can hear me! you hear me out there? I am very displeased with you right now....and you let my car die on the highway.

lesabre400 · Post by **lesabre400** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 11:54 am

I just picked up my new master cylinder and it does have two lines coming out, but then there are a couple junction boxes after that and I haven't dug out my manual yet to find out exactly how it all works. All I know is my entire system emptied itself out of the leaking line to the left rear wheel. Scared me too. I think the resevoir may not be separated into front and rear - just one big bowl of fluid. I'll have a look in my manual and post later. Anyone have an answer?

GTSSportCoupe · Post by **GTSSportCoupe** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 12:11 pm

lesabre400 wrote: I just picked up my new master cylinder and it does have two lines coming out, but then there are a couple junction boxes after that and I haven't dug out my manual yet to find out exactly how it all works. All I know is my entire system emptied itself out of the leaking line to the left rear wheel. Scared me too. I think the resevoir may not be separated into front and rear - just one big bowl of fluid. I'll have a look in my manual and post later. Anyone have an answer?

The Corolla GTS I used to have had a twin piston system. Each piston operated a front and rear wheel (diagonally opposed from each other). I would assume that the tercel has a similar system. However, as you pointed out, it only has one resevoir, so the fluid will drain from that eventually anyhow.

Adelard of Bath · Post by **Adelard of Bath** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 12:40 pm

Well so if all went in your favour, you could STOP in traffic, on two brakes, hopefully, luckily it is a small light car, but then after that, all the fluid leaks out. well at least you could stop.
maybe.
i like it!
heheheheeh

what about....those reservoirs just plug into rubber grommets on that master cyl, what about going to JY and finding one that has the little plastic dividing wall between the two chambers? oh wait, i'm thinking of the master cyls that have TWO inlets on the top. other master cyls that fit? I guess we all worry too much about this kinda thing heh
but it WOULD be cool if someone knew that a master cyl from a 91 camry or something would fit. I wouldn't be surprised if the mounts are the same, but I haven't ever seen what goes on behind the master cyl.

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 5:20 pm

The Tercel's master cylinder has two pistons, one for the front and one for the rear. The mounts from the master cylinder to the brake booster are different from other bigger Toyotas but the brake booster to firewall bolt pattern looks the same as I have yet to verify. A junkyard I go to has an MR2 with what looks like a brand new OEM master cylinder and brake booster, and I plan to grab that. The brake pedal pushrod also looks the same from one model to another. The reason I'm upgrading the master cylinder is in switching from rear drums to rear discs.

MootsMan · Post by **MootsMan** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 7:32 pm

Will the master cylinder and brake booster from the MR2 bolt up on the Terc ??
Is that a better set-up, even with drums on the rear ??

Typrus · Post by **Typrus** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:57 pm

You can always finess the E-Brake handle and go off the drums. Not the safest, but a heck of a lot better than no brakes.
Insert a divind thingy of plastic if it branches at the bottom in a tee fasion.. Maybe slow the death of the brakes by a minute or so?

5 HORSIES IN A 4 FOOTER?? MEEP! Gasser or Nitro. I dun know too much about Zenoah other than they do a few powerfull gassers.
Nice setup on your Ofna... I want K&N's for my birdies, as they have no filters right now. Obviously not the safest, but you get a good bit of power. Of course a filter might correct turbulence caused by the props. I also need a better sealing system on my Nitros cabin hatch. I'd like a system that only accepts air and kills the engine in the case of a water entry, but I dunno if it exists or if I could afford it. I'd like to put one of those mini-generators on my boat as well... I've seen other people crash their Miss Budweiser or Custom Deep Vee into a shore (vee) or big rock (miss bud) because of dead batteries. They both hit around 35 mph, and I can say it ain't pretty. Then again, nor is crashing a Cessna overwing into the ground at a 45 degree angle going approx 120 MPH.... I had to replace the driveshaft in the engine, the battery (it burst after dying causing control loss) and a servo. The frame was a wrecked goner, the carb had to be taken off and jet-sprayed with carb cleaner and obviously the prop had to be replaced. Oh yeah, and the clunk actually launched thru the front of the fuel tank. That was my first plane and 5th or 6th flight.
I also want to install a belt-driven or if I get a generation system, a water pump into it. Right now the water is fed by forward momentum. Not very good if you are just idling around (no, it doesn't have a centri-clutch)
Just don't turn into one of those dual-engine junkies... Those setups are a pain in the arse... constant tuning to keep them synchronized...... Erg...... You could always try one of those .36's if you want to outrun a Savage...
I bet you already knew this, but its a good idea to break in with 5-15% fuel with ADDED lubricants as well as a rich mixture... The engine goes a lot longer if you make sure you have no lack of oil in the break-in.
Another thing... Make sure your tuned pipe gasket is in one piece. My Hammer ran like crap for a week before I figured out why all that oil was leaking into my bilge. My gasket had blown. Believe me, it makes a huge difference, and my idiocy on that point probably cost me a few hundred if not thousand hours of life.

I hope I'm not hi-jacking this thread lol.

hornett22 · Post by **hornett22** » Sat Feb 12, 2005 8:34 pm

what is mine worth the with NO rust?