[Namor]

will there be a problem if i remove the boots in my clutch, front and rear reservoir?...or make any difference?

i want them out because they look ugyl, like the fluid is always black.

 

[danielspdx]

Don't take this the wrong way, but WTF? You're serious?

 

[Namor]

Don't take this the wrong way, but WTF? You're serious?

if laughing is the wrong way to take it then i certainly took it the wrong way. i suppose to answer the WTF i say, no car i've ever had had boots in the reservoir...and i don't know what their function is.

 

[danielspdx]

I'm not a hydraulic engineer type, but I'm assuming they create a closed system and don't allow air in. Secondly, they keep the fluid from sloshing around too much and getting air bubbles, acting like a damper in a way.

Is the fluid black? Why don't you try putting some sweatbands over the reservoirs, then the fluid could be pink and you wouldn't see it.

 

[paulo57509]

if laughing is the wrong way to take it then i certainly took it the wrong way. i suppose to answer the WTF i say, no car i've ever had had boots in the reservoir...and i don't know what their function is.

Most cars have some kind of bellows underneath their reservior caps.

http://www.raybestos.com/OnLineTraining/glossary1.htm

"Bellows Seal - An expanding diaphragm used as a seal between the master cylinder reservoir and the reservoir cap. It prevents leaks and air from contacting the fluid, yet it allows the fluid to change in volume."

I always thought it was there to take up air space as fluid level dropped due to pad/shoe wear. Keeps the air space above the fluid at a minimum to lessen aeration of the fluid.

 

[B_Cebrian]

DO NOT TAKE THE BOOTS OUT!!!! I can not stress this enough. Brake fluid is a "dry" fluid and will absorb moisture from the air and contaminate and corrode your brake/clutch system. That is why all the manuals tell you to top off your brake fluid from a closed (preferably new) bottle. ALL car master cylinder reservoirs have some kind of moisture barrier that allows for fluid usage without allowing air to contact the fluid. You will screw up your system if you leave them out. Brake fluid is also highly corrosive and the boots are the seal that keeps it from spilling out the vent all over you nice expensive paint.

 

[rob]

DO NOT TAKE THE BOOTS OUT!!!! I can not stress this enough. Brake fluid is a "dry" fluid and will absorb moisture from the air and contaminate and corrode your brake/clutch system. That is why all the manuals tell you to top off your brake fluid from a closed (preferably new) bottle. ALL car master cylinder reservoirs have some kind of moisture barrier that allows for fluid usage without allowing air to contact the fluid. You will screw up your system if you leave them out. Brake fluid is also highly corrosive and the boots are the seal that keeps it from spilling out the vent all over you nice expensive paint.

+LOTS on this one. They're not "boots" really, but diaphragms that get drawn down into the reservoir if fluid leaves the system for one reason or another. Air comes into the top of the res and pushes the diaphragm down. The diaphragm allows the air to enter the reservoir without letting it mingle with the fluid for the reasons stated above.

If the diaphragms are drawn so far down in the res to make the whole thing look black, you're probably low on fluid. Pull them out, top up the fluid, collapse the diaphragms down to their smallest size, and replace them.

 

[Namor]

LOL!

nice input fellahs. crisis avoided.

 

[amullo]

Besides which...

The Clutch system hydralic fluid goes black VERY quickly. It just seems that the design is faulty somewhere.

//amullo

 

[danielspdx]

amullo, that issue can be cured. I use ATE Super Blue fluid and it's blue, and stays blue, even when I had the OEM clutch slave.

 

[amullo]

amullo, that issue can be cured. I use ATE Super Blue fluid and it's blue, and stays blue, even when I had the OEM clutch slave.

Thanx for that bit of info!
Now i just have to find a dealer in Sweden for it! You wouldn´t happen to have a link to the manufacturer would you?

//amullo

 

[danielspdx]

I bought mine online, and it's no more expensive than any other hydraulic fluid that I've seen. Manufacturer is ATE, and product is called "Super Blue Racing Fluid". Just google it and you'll find plenty of online sellers.

 

[idb]

if laughing is the wrong way to take it then i certainly took it the wrong way. i suppose to answer the WTF i say, no car i've ever had had boots in the reservoir...and i don't know what their function is.

I'm with you matey.
I had no idea what they were for and didn't realise they were supposed to be bellows.
Thanks for your thread, I've learnt something from it.........now I'd better go and put the damned thing back in.............