Aluminium v Copper sealing washers. Various locations.

[London_Phil]

Hi Guys.

Probably Granny sucking eggs time, but I just finished replacing my rear master brake cylinder and I noted I had Aluminium sealing washers where the rear brake line attaches via the brake switch at the top of the master cylinder.
This rang alarm bells, as I read in somewhere that Aluminium ones can corrode, and leak.
On inspection, the Aluminium washers WERE corroding, not badly, but for those who use there bikes all year in countries where salt is used, might be worth checking/replacing the washers with copper ones.
There was also one on the main oil gallery at the left side of the barrels, where there is a blanking plug, which you may or may not have, depending on your engine year, plus of course the front brakees and clutch parts.

Regards

Phil


PS From Wikipedia before you folks from the colonies complain   

Most countries use the spelling aluminium. In the United States and Canada, the spelling aluminum predominates. The Canadian Oxford Dictionary prefers aluminum, whereas the Australian Macquarie Dictionary prefers aluminium. In 1926, the American Chemical Society officially decided to use aluminum in its publications; American dictionaries typically label the spelling aluminium as "chiefly British".

[JayDub]

 :icon_wink: nice one Phil...
AND its tyre not tire 

[Nick Calne]

English is a silly language. 

Doesn't copper corrode too?  Can you use stainless steel ones?

[Sin_Tiger]

Not quite malleable enough for the task.

[JayDub]

English is a silly language. 

Doesn't copper corrode too?  Can you use stainless steel ones?

Like Sin said Nick, the washers need to compress to create a seal, copper is less susceptible to corrosion than Aluminium.

[Nick Calne]

Malleable and corrosion resistant?

BMW rider .... Gold. I need solid gold ones, with touratech laser etched on them.

Us lot ... copper seems a bit pricey and flash... but go on then.

[iansoady]

Copper does harden if left on the shelf. I always anneal copper washers, head gaskets etc whether new or re-using before fitting (get cherry red in a blowlamp then either quench in water or let cool in air). It's surprising how soft this makes them.

[JayDub]

Copper does harden if left on the shelf. I always anneal copper washers, head gaskets etc whether new or re-using before fitting (get cherry red in a blowlamp then either quench in water or let cool in air). It's surprising how soft this makes them.

Quenching would harden it giving small 'beaded particles in the grain, Annealing is by slow cooling, giving an elongated grain structure...
Thats wot I was lernt in college 

[iansoady]

That's for steel. Copper anneals whether quenched or not. Try it!

[Nick Calne]

Wow, really?  Didn't know that.  So what process makes it harden in the first place?

[iansoady]

That's an interesting question....

The washers are often work-hardened by the stamping process. Head gaskets etc age-harden because of the repeated hot - cold cycles. But I'd await a proper metallurgist to give a learned view.

One advantage of water quenching for used washers / gaskets is that it gets rid of scale / burnt oil etc.

I always anneal copper as a matter of course.

[JayDub]

Right! I'm off to the shed - with me chemistry set 

[JayDub]

  After exhaustive scientific tests, (A brazing torch, waterpump pliers and a piece of 10mm copper tube and bucket of water) I can confirm that Ian's  method is quite valid - and a good one... 
I'm gonna try with Brass next.

[Nick Calne]

Ha cool, love a bit of shed based experimentation - and the verdict from laboratoire Jaydub is..... it works!

There's a bloke on here called metalguru - with a name like that perhaps we should ask him!

[Mustang]

After exhaustive scientific tests, (A brazing torch, waterpump pliers and a piece of 10mm copper tube and bucket of water) I can confirm that Ian's  method is quite valid - and a good one... 
I'm gonna try with Brass next.

brass doesn't need as much heat

thats how we do bullet cases for reloading