AP brake fluid?
Discussion
Clive is quite correct. I have used AP600 in a sintered 2 plate race clutch setup where very high transmission temps were to be encountered. The AP600 offers no lubrication to the seals, and in a relatively short time (a few weeks)the slave cyl seals fail. Lengthy job to replace.
On your brakes, AP write on the bottle that a complete fluid change should be performed every 3 months. In discussion with AP in the past, they told me for road cars doing a few track days, change every 6 months or 3 track days whichever sooner.
All the above said, unless you are getting a long brake pedal, stick with a more conventional fluid, whihc has the benefit of being much cheaper.
Its also necessary to clean the entire brake system before converting to AP600 as it reacts with ordinary DOT5.1 THis means flushing through the lines with meths, then removing all the calipers and master cyls and doing same. A messy horrible job.
On your brakes, AP write on the bottle that a complete fluid change should be performed every 3 months. In discussion with AP in the past, they told me for road cars doing a few track days, change every 6 months or 3 track days whichever sooner.
All the above said, unless you are getting a long brake pedal, stick with a more conventional fluid, whihc has the benefit of being much cheaper.
Its also necessary to clean the entire brake system before converting to AP600 as it reacts with ordinary DOT5.1 THis means flushing through the lines with meths, then removing all the calipers and master cyls and doing same. A messy horrible job.
I clarified what I should use with the Factory yesterday as I am happy with what I was originally supplied with (in the AP brake kit). The answer is DOT 5.1 stuff, AP part number CP4510-1, this is around £4.00+VAT per 500ml.
My car has been on the road for 4 years and 9 trackdays and the brakes get better and better, but I think I will change the fluid before that changes rather than afterwards.
Fat Arnie - Hi, noticed your car up for sale a couple of weeks ago, and px an Ultima - any joy?
My car has been on the road for 4 years and 9 trackdays and the brakes get better and better, but I think I will change the fluid before that changes rather than afterwards.
Fat Arnie - Hi, noticed your car up for sale a couple of weeks ago, and px an Ultima - any joy?
Fat Arnie said:
I have used AP600 in a sintered 2 plate race clutch setup where very high transmission temps were to be encountered. The AP600 offers no lubrication to the seals, and in a relatively short time (a few weeks)the slave cyl seals fail. Lengthy job to replace.
So what do you use for the clutch now?The more common external clutch slave cylinder does not seem to have issues with the AP fluid as that is what I have used for 4+ years.
The internal clutch release systems that sit against the pressure plate have failed for a number of people. I don't think it is temperature related but a chemical incompatability with the fluid and seals. Ones I have seen seem to have disolved.
Steve
The internal clutch release systems that sit against the pressure plate have failed for a number of people. I don't think it is temperature related but a chemical incompatability with the fluid and seals. Ones I have seen seem to have disolved.
Steve
PB3, How are you doing? The car got sold, but the buyer dropped out due to lack of funds. I think he faield to get a loan as lending policy tightened. I was due to buy Tony's (Actuary) car and everything was aranged, including transportation so it was a bit of a bummer. Anyway, the Caterham then (a week later)ingested one of the small bolts which hold the trumpets to the throttle bodies (despite it being held there with loctite 603). So its now got a fresh engine (1 new piston and some welding to the head), but I've also decided to keep it as its become a bit of a (i) reliability joke, (2) heirloom. My son wants it when he's 17 as it'll kick ass agaisnt any Ultima I'm likely to build.
Now on the lookout for a house with a 3 or 4 car garage, then it looks like Ted will get a new car order as soon as I can get the Mrs round to my way of thinking....... I will be looking to get the whole body made from carbon (I think you know I ran a company which at one time built the bodies for MCL F1LM's etc, so I have the contacts...) and replicating the Caterhams rather unsubtle paint job onto it.
GTR-TT, I went back to DOT3 fluid for the clutch which gave the seals the longest life (has the best lube properties), but they still failed far too often, so eventually I converted the car back to the original cable actuation. This is particularly interesting as Superclutch, the one time importer of Quartermaster in the UK told me I'd be forever snapping cables with a 5 1/2" twin plate. In reality, the first cable has been on the car 12 months/4000 miles including a couple of hard driven track days and is yet to fail.
Although many production cars use concentric CRB slave cylinders, I think use when you start to get into engines and transmissions with masively increased power loadings (hence friction hence heat) these standard bearings (mine was an alloy setup from Burton) just don't seem to cut it.
Now on the lookout for a house with a 3 or 4 car garage, then it looks like Ted will get a new car order as soon as I can get the Mrs round to my way of thinking....... I will be looking to get the whole body made from carbon (I think you know I ran a company which at one time built the bodies for MCL F1LM's etc, so I have the contacts...) and replicating the Caterhams rather unsubtle paint job onto it.
GTR-TT, I went back to DOT3 fluid for the clutch which gave the seals the longest life (has the best lube properties), but they still failed far too often, so eventually I converted the car back to the original cable actuation. This is particularly interesting as Superclutch, the one time importer of Quartermaster in the UK told me I'd be forever snapping cables with a 5 1/2" twin plate. In reality, the first cable has been on the car 12 months/4000 miles including a couple of hard driven track days and is yet to fail.
Although many production cars use concentric CRB slave cylinders, I think use when you start to get into engines and transmissions with masively increased power loadings (hence friction hence heat) these standard bearings (mine was an alloy setup from Burton) just don't seem to cut it.
Edited by Fat Arnie on Tuesday 28th October 17:53
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