my R Cleveland master brake cylinder was scuffed, the piston especially, so it was not working very well. I have replaced it with a Matco. in talking with Rian at Vans he mentioned that this isn't an uncommon problem. he noted that on his BMW they tell you to only bleed brakes using a vacuum at the wheel and not push the fluid up the line. I have pushed fluid up the line for years. my plane has always pulled left because I believe the nose gear wasn't drilled correctly to begin with. consequentially I have worked on the right brake many times over the years and replaced the rotor even. Rian thinks, and after disassembly and inspection I agree with him, that pushing the brake fluid up the line pumps any burnt fluid and gunk up into the master and reserve tank. so I bought a vacuum pump, HF $23, and sucked the fluid down this time. the pump has a tank that collects what is pulled down. it was noticeably darker than the new fluid. there also were black specks in the cylinder when I took it apart. we'll see how the next 1400 hrs goes!
