Brake Servo required

[ketvrin]

Bugger! bottom of servo rotten and now holed, so I'm in the market for a servo... I have read some threads on this site and between them and looking at whats on the car, I can see I need a Ford servo with an integral reservoir. but a ford what ? I cant see any mention of the car... is it a Mk4 Escort ? or a Mk3 Fiesta perhaps ?
I cant afford £200 plus for a Chim unit.

See pictures on myphotos album.

http://ketvrin.myphotoalbum.com/

has anyone ever repaired a servo with glass fibre ?

Edited by ketvrin on Monday 12th February 07:54

Edited by ketvrin on Monday 12th February 08:58

[GreenV8S]

ketvrin said:

has anyone ever repaired a servo with glass fibre ?

Don't even think about it.

I bought a new one from tvrcarparts recently, can't remember how much I paid but it didn't strike me as unreasonable at the time.

[ketvrin]

I guessed it was a no no but shy bairns get nowt as they say around here so I thought I would ask.
I can see Ford servos c/w master cylinders trading at around £30, so its just a case of figuring out which is the correct one for my car, I dont want to be messing on with bulkhead fitting and clevis/pedal changes...

[spludge]

Got mine from tvrcarparts a few months back, price seemed ok to me.

Must say those Mk3 Fiesta units look similar but I'm reluctant to use s/h brake parts.

[ketvrin]

OK I just won a second hand Fiesta Mk3 servo and master cyl on ebay for £0.99 plus postage. so I can take a look when I get it and will let you know...

got to be worth a look for 99p eh ?

[spludge]

Definitely worth a punt. They don't seem to get quite so weathered on the Fiesta so if it fits you should be in good shape.

[ketvrin]

Yes thats probably because they get better protection from roadspray than the Tiv does with its pathetic inner wheel arch... the offside one on mine seems to be cut away too much exposing too much to corrosion. I'm working on a better inner to replace the original... it will of course be made from a black plastic bin that I have

[mmickgoodall]

I used a fiesta one with the resevoire on my S1.
It fits a treat if you jiggle the holes slightly and then use large repair washers to restore surface area around the back of the bolt holes.
you then loose the remote resevoire and pipes as a bonus.
I will be doing the same mod on the S3 as soon as I get around to it.

As for the secondhand bit, I kind of think that everything on the car is secondhand when you buy it, so as long as it works properly and you know where it comes from so you can service it if you need to then thats fine.

Good luck Mick.

[S2 Giles]

ive been advised from a good source that the Mk3 Fiesta with integral reservoir is the right one & should fit well.
i'm counting the days until i need one

[ketvrin]

S2 Giles said:

ive been advised from a good source that the Mk3 Fiesta with integral reservoir is the right one & should fit well.
i'm counting the days until i need one

I hope your source is correct... I have laid out 99p on an ebay purchase for one . I will remove my old one and take comparison photos with the "new" one so you can decide for yourself.

[ketvrin]

GreenV8S said:

Don't even think about it.

You were right Peter... replacement was so easy...

My 99p investment was worth every penny. For ID sake, the ebay add said "K Reg Fiesta Mk3... from an 1.1LX..." it was a direct replacement and was in great condition. Look at pic on My Photo Album for details.

Job Done

Edited by ketvrin on Friday 23 February 16:36

Edited by ketvrin on Friday 23 February 16:41

[spludge]

Thats a good result, several pounds less than the one I bought and the only difference I can see is that little Ford label. I know what I'll do if I ever need one again. Well done sir.

[kenpage]

top man thats another rusty piece i can now replace

[GreenV8S]

ketvrin said:

For ID sake, the ebay add said "K Reg Fiesta Mk3... from a 1.1LX..." it was a direct replacement and was in great condition.

Is that the servo only, or is the master cylinder also exactly the same (internally as well as externally)?

[ketvrin]

That looks like a trick question Peter... As you can see in the photo the Master Cylinder (which was included in the 99p deal) is externally the same. I have no idea if it is the same internally... Is there something you are not saying ?
I have the plastic collar from the original with some references on it and i have the same collar from the new one. Have you any idea if these references answer this question ?

you've got me worried now. I dont really want to strip them both to compare, but if I have to protect my 99p investment then so be it !

[GreenV8S]

ketvrin said:

That looks like a trick question Peter...

Honestly, it isn't. But I don't think it's safe to assume that two master cylinders are interchangeable just because they look the same on the outside. I'd want to check that the bore and stroke were identical, as a starting point. In fact I probably would end up stripping them down side by side just to make sure all the springs etc were identical spec, but maybe that's just me being nosy.

[ketvrin]

Its a valid point... I will strip them down and compare to be on the safe side (unless the reference tabs tell the story ?). I will let you know...

[ketvrin]

OK for your info and interpretation:

fitted to my S3 : Caliper Piston = 54mm, master cyl bore = 20.6 dia * 35 stroke, servo externally the same as the replacement below (listed on Brakes Int.) = VSB1086 and ID tag on old unit = 6561 06/17 MY

New Unit from Fiesta Mk3 1.1LX : Caliper Piston listed as 53.9 mm dia, master cylinder bore = 20.6 * 35 stroke, servo listed as VSB1086 and ID tag on new unit = 6561 07/14 NB

Listing for XR2i = Caliper piston = 53.9 master cyl bore = 22.2 dia (stroke unknown) servo listed as VSB 1086 - so as exterior is the same and servo is the same assume (?) stroke is the same.

So, I reckon I have a direct replacement, but Peters comments were correct that the bore and stroke of the master cylinder (and the caliper piston dia) should be checked against what you already have, before fitting.

[pies]

This might add some info if you want the master cylinder

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dl

[GreenV8S]

That price is almost criminal. Wonder who the buyer was?

Edited by GreenV8S on Friday 23 March 22:23