Brake Servo Alternatives?

[peterako]

Hi guys and gals!

Hope you are all well.

Just had my engine rebuilt, which is great but.....

Now I have great vacuum from the inlet manifold.

Which has let me know that my Girling Brake servo is leaking badly....white smoke from the exhaust baffled me till I noticed that the brake mastercylinder reserve had emptied itself in minutes!!

So...I have searched Lotuselan.net and seem to have a few options:

- New Girling Servo
- Rebuild/recon my own Girling Servo
- Fit Locheed Servo
- Go without a servo

MY QUESTION:

Is there another alternative Servo to using a Girling or Locheed Servo?

Even a modern Servo???

Thanks in advance,
Peter '73 +2S 130/5

[terryp]

Peter
"ratsport" do a servo which was reviewed in practical classics. I had teh same problem last week and went for a Lockheed!
http://shop1.actinicexpress.co.uk/shops ... ba39ce2e59

Best Regards

Terry

[MintSprint]

Can you get new Girling servos? I thought that Lockheed was the only option, new?

You could go without a servo and change the master cylinder size to reduce the pedal effort to an acceptable level.

[Robbie693]

Cheapest option is to rebuild your old one - Norton classic servos do a kit that is quite easy to fit.

Lockheed is the next cheapest - a new one is ?120

Classicar Automotive will rebuild the Girling bit at a price - ?200 I think was their estimate...

[MintSprint]

Classicar Automotive will rebuild the Girling bit at a price - ?200 I think was their estimate...

... though when I've spoken to them about it, thye reckon that half the Girling servos they get back these days are not in a fit state to be reconditioned.

[Elanintheforest]

I dropped off my S4's Girling at Classicar a while back, and they said that a lot of folks are trying to find good Girlings to replace the Lockhheed units...apparently the Lockheed servos aren't lasting too well and there is the problem with them 'locking on' the brakes...which Classicar have overcome.

So Peter, whatever route you take, hang on to your Girling...you may want it rebuilt one day.
Mark

[MintSprint]

...apparently the Lockheed servos aren't lasting too well and there is the problem with them 'locking on' the brakes...which Classicar have overcome.

Yes, I had this problem when I fitted a Lockheed servo to my last Elan. It only happened 3 or 4 times shortly after the new servo was fitted and could be 'cured' by putting my toe under the brake pedal and lifting it.

I don;t know what the proper, permanent solution is, though, becuase the symptoms disappeared on their own on my car.

[Foxie]

Peter,

I can't add much to the foregoing, except to ask you to note that there were two different internal bore servos fitted to Elans; one 11/16", with a boost of 1.9:1, and the other 5/8", with a 3:1 boost. The +2 should be 3:1. The details are in the servo pdf post today. Externally they look similar, Classicar even sent me the wrong one !

Sean

[peterako]

Thanks Terry, Robbie, MintSprint, Mark and Sean!

Some soul and brake searching to do over Christmas!!

Merry Chrsitmas to you and yours!

And hopefully some lovely driving weather too

Peter '73 +2S 130/5

[Barney]

Just come across this item on fleabay
Girling Servo overhaul kit item # 300184396432
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... Track=true

Seller is supposed to have overhaul kits for all makes.

Merry Xmas
BARNEY

[Barney]

Just come across this item on fleabay
Girling Servo overhaul kit item # 300184396432
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... Track=true

Seller is supposed to have overhaul kits for all makes.

Merry Xmas
BARNEY

[dusty]

Peter,
I have stripped and rebuilt my girling servo, its reasonably easy, however you are at the mercy of the condition of your own. I would imagine that since yours has been in regular use it should be fine. Its when they have been laid up and rusted around the pistons that the bores (and vacuum drum)get ruined.

Good luck with it.

Jon

[worzel]

Hi

Apparently even the worst servo can be rebuilt successfully. They are re-sleeved with stainless inserts. Probably not cheap but a perm fix. Cannot remember the name of the firm but they advertise regularly in Practical Classics and are based in Grange over Sands nr Morecamble. They've been doing this work for years soi should be capable by now!

Regards

John