What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Cleveland brake system

cjjohns79

I'm New Here
I recently bought an RV-8 so please excuse my lack of knowledge. I thought I would get some knowledge from you folks before going any further. I put new o-rings in both calipers and will soon be refilling the brake fluid. I plan to push the fluid up from the bottom but am unsure of what to do at the master cylinder to know when it is full. Can anyone assist? Do I have to do anything at the master cylinder before pumping fluid?
Thanks!
 
Take off the cap on the brake reservoir. Attach a 1/8” pipe fitting nipple where the cap goes. Attach a clear plastic tube to the other end of the nipple and then direct the tube into a collection bottle. Pump up one side until you see new fluid at the master cylinder exit line to the brake reservoir. Stop pumping when you know the fluid is going into the reservoir. The last step is to pump up the other cylinder until you get fluid coming out of the reservoir.

Carl
 
Good advice by Carl. I generally keep pumping fluid in until I see the fluid come out that overflow line without any air bubbles in it. That way, you are sure there is no air in the system.
 
Thank you both! Is there a separate reservoir for each side or do they flow into a common fluid reservoir? I thought the fluid was contained to each MC.
 
There should be a reservoir container on the firewall. I used the standard vans reservoir which is aluminum with a cap on it the I believe takes a 7/16 wrench to remove.
 
Thank you both! Is there a separate reservoir for each side or do they flow into a common fluid reservoir? I thought the fluid was contained to each MC.

There is a common reservoir with a T fitting. On my 6, the reservoir is mounted on the engine side of the firewall and the T fitting screws into it (NPT) from the cockpit side.

I'm in the process of replacing the fitting and lines, but the picture shows the old T fitting.
 

Attachments

  • reservoir fitting.jpeg
    reservoir fitting.jpeg
    37.7 KB · Views: 83
Take off the cap on the brake reservoir. Attach a 1/8” pipe fitting nipple where the cap goes. Attach a clear plastic tube to the other end of the nipple and then direct the tube into a collection bottle.
Carl

A small refinement to Carl's post. Install a small length (around 3/4") of tubing into the pipe threaded end of the fitting. Now the reservoir will "overflow" when it's at the proper level with a bit of expansion space for the fluid. Adjust the short length of tubing to your preference.
 
I use a mity vac vacuum that uses an air compressor for suction, they work great for any brake lines but I found it works very well for aircraft too.
 

Attachments

  • DB56017C-CA4A-4BCC-914F-2F40F7DE7DDC.jpg
    DB56017C-CA4A-4BCC-914F-2F40F7DE7DDC.jpg
    378.5 KB · Views: 97
Last edited:
Brakes

First make sure you put the pucks back in correctly the oring side goes in first:
0F4CA9C4-21BD-4BA3-9B41-5B48F6D275E0.jpeg

Then use a pressure bottle to force it in and up:
3BE7FE64-D582-41F0-A2CB-CB674C818643.jpg

Catch the overflow:
26742FC0-0C71-4082-A18D-8A6CC69EB896.jpg
 
Horn!!!

Horn, I don’t know anything about no horn :)
Beep beep!

My oil separator has a drain back hose that goes to the drain back tube under cylinder # 3. This is the common setup for it.
 
Last edited:
My oil separator has a drain back hose that goes to the drain back tube under cylinder # 3. This is the common setup for it.

Got it... in the pic it shows it capped off. I thought maybe you were of the mindset draining back to crankcase was bad. Wondering how quickly it "accumulates".
 
Oil seperator

Oh, I see that now. No, it goes to the drain back tube. This picture was taken while I was reinstalling my engine and that is the only reason it was capped off.
 
Back
Top