Girly brake pads, e-shops and doing it

[Bixxer Bob]

Can't advise on the brake fluid, but the grub screws respond well to a tap with an impact screwdriver if they're stuck. 

See???  You're already getting into special tools; it comes with the territory... 

[Sin_Tiger]

5-56 is good stuff, American made if I remember correctly, don't worry you will have to degrease everything before refitting anyway. You can also warm around the screws gently with a hair dryer and tapping the screw driver as BB says. ACF 50 is mainly used for corrosion protection so will take much longer to release the screws.

It sounds as if a PO has used DOT 5 synthetic fluid. Although it has a higher boiling point (it has a lot of other special properties) and doesn't degrade as quickly as DOT 4 it also doesn't absorb water which can allow water collecting in low parts of the system, i.e. in the caliper cylinders. DO NOT top the system up with anything else if you're not sure.

In this case my advice would be to completely dismantle the calipers, I know this sounds extreme and will cost more but there are good reasons, 1) DOT 5 (if that's what it is) doesn't play well with other fluids and can be degraded in performance, 2) adding DOT 4 can accelerate any localised corrosion over time, in short if there is not 100% certainty on what is in the system, this is the route to take. Take the calipers off, remove the pistons to clean out and check for localised corrosion. Completely flush the system with brake cleaner or alcohol and dry it out as best you can, blow through with Nitrogen in a perfect world or dry air at least before rebuilding. My personal preference would be to refill with DOT 4 rather than try to reuse DOT 5 synthetic or DOT 5 organic (yes I know it's confusing) that will just complicate things further, there are all sorts of issues which are not relevant in this thread.

Sorry to sound like a dour Scotsman (even though I am) but I feel it's important for your safety and peace of mind.

[ChillMan]

Impact driver sounds fun. They have them at the local tools shop, £10.

Yes it sounds like DOT 5 as you describe it. I'll see next spring what the mechanic says on the service. I am considering investing £600 on a 20,000 km service. It hasn't been done in ages on my bike, I'm sure, since the two previous owners seemed to do all "service" themselves... and perhaps doing only the obvious ones like oil etc - and what they did maybe was a bit random and amateurish, such as putting DOT 5 front (despite the advice of the manual) - but not rear.

[ChillMan]

Hang on, which type of impact driver do you mean?

The one with motor?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Dewalt-DCF886-20V-Max-Brushless-Cordless-Battery-1-4-Impact-Driver-20-Volt-/271521071278?hash=item3f37eac0ae

Or the one you hit with a hammer?
http://www.biltema.se/sv/Bil---MC/Verktyg-och-Verkstadsutrustning/Avdragare/Slagmejsel-2000032610/

[John Stenhouse]

The one you hit with a hammer

[ChillMan]

Thanks. Do I need to buy a (small) sledge hammer to go with it as well? Or a regular metal hammer is just as fine?

I notice in one Delboy video that he opens the grub screw by tapping on a regular screwdriver with a hammer. Worth a shot I think?

Digging into my old storage I didn't find any 5-56, but I did find WD40. Probably 10 years old can... I immediately put it to use in my home. Front door hinges, some window mechanism etc. Super product! Just sprayed outside on hinge, wiped off the excess and instantly perfectly smooth handling.

More on topic, WD40 and 5-56 are almost identical, but differ on one point, 5-56 evaporates 100% but WD40 leaves a little lubrication. Is this corrrect?

Is WD40 as suitable for opening the grub screw as 5-56?

[ChillMan]

Nope, hitting the screwdriver with a hammer didn't help at all.

[Sin_Tiger]

WD-40 will dry out completely but takes a bit longer and will leave a very slight dry residue.

[ChillMan]

Cool. Turns out a friend has an impact driver and is willing to help me coming weekend, assuming I have received the pads by then.

He says it takes 10 minutes if I didn't mess up the screws. (I didn't... yet!)

I have ordered the Haynes manual on Ebay. 

[motoOzarks]

there is a download pdf of factory service manual somewhere on here

[John Stenhouse]

You will mess up the screws they're made of cheese, mine came out with a hammer and punch

[ChillMan]

I have the service manual PDF. I hear Haynes is good stuff.

Cheese huh? Maybe I can put an olive on top then?

[ChillMan]

Today I got help from a friend who has many tools, and a garage indoors, with heat and light and paper and all that. (My parking spot is outside, in the shadows... and rain today. Not ideal.)

The grub screws could be removed with an impact screwdriver, just like you said. But then... the right brake pad pin came off only after MUCH force. The left one did not, we messed up its head. We could drill it out, but would need a new replacement pin anyway.

In the end I still have to let the Triumph workshop drill it out and replace it. Maybe I can just ask them to replace pads to my Ebay ones, and then they will simply charge extra for the new pin.

[motoOzarks]

 

[ChillMan]

I'm glad you enjoy the thread, motoOzarks. :)