Brake Master Cylinder - Main Seal only

[collins_dan]

For the second time now, I have torn off a tiny bit of the lip of the main seal while pushing it into the bore. Prior to inserting it, I smoothed the area with emery clothe and lubbed with brake fluid. After a great deal of effort, it finally went in, only to discover the thinnest bit of the seal lying outside the bore. 2 questions: 1) Where can I get just a .7" main seal, which seems to be a common size to other Triumphs at least? 2) What can I do differently on inserting the main seal? I was reluctant to use any kind of silicone grease that won't deteriorate rubber for fear of contaminating the brake fluid. Thanks. Dan S4 SE Federal

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

Sorry I can't help you with your search but I thought that replacement seals were supplied with a tiny sachet of seal lubricant grease to facilitate assembly & reduce the possibility of damage; the apparent lack of this seems to have buggered up your efforts.

Cheers
John

It's crap weather here so I've got a dose of "cabin fever" sorry.

[RotoFlexible]

Dan,

The "sachet of lubricant grease" doesn't seem to be supplied any more since the seals are made by someone other than Girling. I used a synthetic caliper lubricant made by Permatex to solve a problem with over-retracting caliper pistons (see the recent "What I learned about brakes" thread in this forum). I made very sure that the stuff is actually meant for use on seals in contact with the brake fluid, then smeared it on the pistons and cylinders/seals. It made assembly much easier and eliminated my problem. I see no reason why you shouldn't use that (or another brand of synthetic caliper grease) in the M/C as well.

(You can still get "Red rubber grease" from RD Enterprises, but only in a tub that will last you several lifetimes. My rationale went like this: I am using non-original stainless steel pistons, seals made who-knows-where, and brake fluid other than Castrol Girling. Why insist on a Girling rubber grease? The Permatex stuff is a lovely shade of blue-green, by the way.)

[Jason1]

Got my red rubber grease from Frost ?8 a tub
http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp? ... ease+(500g)&catID=14&subCatID=&FrostCat=Brakes&FrostSubcat=

[collins_dan]

Thanks for the advice all. I called Ken Gray at Dave Bean, and they still supply a sachet of red rubber grease with their rebuild kits. Ken actually just installed one last night, and he tried a couple of different versions, and is sending the version over that he felt was softest and easiest to install. One of the things that I did notice with Ray's was that they were very stiff. So, we will see if round 3 goes any better using a different main seal and some grease.

Dan