nonote
Member
Brake fluid level switch, my solution!
This should make sense to everybody who has done the wine bottle cork stuff with their level switch.
I don’t know if there was anything special about the original cork but they were OK for the envisaged car’s lifetime, say 7 or 8 years ish? If I put a cork in I get about 2 years before it sinks with the uncertainty of what effect it will have on the fluid. I’ve done a bit of a trawl for a replacement float material but always come back to cork. One idea was to fill a fluorescent tube starter with something buoyant as it’s about the right size but I couldn’t find the right material. Maybe one of the anglers on the forum might suggest something different.
My latest solution is to make replacing the cork easier. I’ve replaced the original centre metal rod with 2mm stainless steel threaded bar and used appropriate nuts and washers to hold everything in place, Pic 1. The cork was selected to fit loosely inside the aluminium tube and a 2mm hole drilled through the centre, Pic 2. I have a modellers lathe which ensured the hole was drilled correctly! Pic 3 shows the completed article and pic 4 shows my stash of drilled and ready to be drilled corks which will outlast both me and the car! A 2mm nut requires a 4mm spanner to tighten it or a bit of ingenuity can often suffice in these matters, I have an old set of magneto spanners and some very fine nosed pliers which did the job.
It works in the car but it’s early days yet, the cork may be a bit too long but I have no idea what the original looked like and on looking at the pics I could have selected a slightly better one! At least now all I have to do is undo 2 nuts to replace it.
This should make sense to everybody who has done the wine bottle cork stuff with their level switch.
I don’t know if there was anything special about the original cork but they were OK for the envisaged car’s lifetime, say 7 or 8 years ish? If I put a cork in I get about 2 years before it sinks with the uncertainty of what effect it will have on the fluid. I’ve done a bit of a trawl for a replacement float material but always come back to cork. One idea was to fill a fluorescent tube starter with something buoyant as it’s about the right size but I couldn’t find the right material. Maybe one of the anglers on the forum might suggest something different.
My latest solution is to make replacing the cork easier. I’ve replaced the original centre metal rod with 2mm stainless steel threaded bar and used appropriate nuts and washers to hold everything in place, Pic 1. The cork was selected to fit loosely inside the aluminium tube and a 2mm hole drilled through the centre, Pic 2. I have a modellers lathe which ensured the hole was drilled correctly! Pic 3 shows the completed article and pic 4 shows my stash of drilled and ready to be drilled corks which will outlast both me and the car! A 2mm nut requires a 4mm spanner to tighten it or a bit of ingenuity can often suffice in these matters, I have an old set of magneto spanners and some very fine nosed pliers which did the job.
It works in the car but it’s early days yet, the cork may be a bit too long but I have no idea what the original looked like and on looking at the pics I could have selected a slightly better one! At least now all I have to do is undo 2 nuts to replace it.
