PERILS OF USING CHINESE BRAKE CYLINDERS

Suspension, steering, brakes, wheels & tires

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radioactivelarry
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PERILS OF USING CHINESE BRAKE CYLINDERS

Post by radioactivelarry »

I did a brake job a couple of weeks ago and could not find any wheel cylinders made in USA. I checked them all and all were made in China.

I decided to go with NAPA, front part numbers UP37083 left front, UP37084 right front and UP17507 left rear, UP17508 right rear. I also used the Chinese master cylinder and front and rear brake hoses which worked OK and fit good.
The wheel cylinders were the big problem and caused me to say a lot of bad words! The cylinders fit like originals and looked OK however the problems started when I went to crack open the bleeders. First off they had 6mm heads so there was not any clearance to put a box end or socket on them to loosen them up, bummer I had to take them off, clamp them into a vise and use a socket on them to get them loose. Now the originals have 3/8 or 5/16 heads and you can use your Z wrench to bleed them. I took the rears off and back to NAPA to see if another set had the same thing. Another bummer! The bleeders weren't threaded all the way up hence the tight fit. I told the guy this is not acceptable so he dug into his parts boxes and came up with different bleeders that had a 3/8 head like the originals and they fit and they had SAE threads.

Back home I assembled the rear brakes again and started the bleeding process using my Z wrench. I had already primed the master so I added fluid and had the wife pump the pedal (she had done this before on other brake jobs I did so she knew the process). I got the air out of the right rear and went to the left rear then went to the right front using a 6mm open end. My wife couldn't get a full pedal and I kept adding fluid, then I discovered the fluid was running out the bleeder on the left front so I thought I forgot to tighten the bleeder. Another bummer, the bleeder was tight and the fluid was running out like a dam overflowing. So I pulled the front cylinders out and took another trip back to NAPA. Two new wheel cylinders because they couldn't tell if the cylinders were bad or just the crappy bleeders. So, I told the NAPA guy this caused me a lot of extra work and I was sorry I bought their parts. I told him to dig into his parts bin again and find me some 3/8 size bleeders. So he did and I installed the cylinders again and the shoes and everything else. Re-bleed and all worked well. I was able to use my Z wrench on the bleeders front and rear.

I realize now why the bleeders were so tight because the guy that tested them had to tighten them extremely tight so as not to leak.
Moral of this story is use aftermarket 3/8 bleeders on your Chinese wheel cylinders! :cuss:
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tsherry
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Re: PERIALS OF USING CHINESE BRAKE CYLINDERS

Post by tsherry »

Everyone needs to be especially careful of counterfeit parts as well...wheel bearings marked with 'Timken' bought off of some discount part place or Amazon...but shipped from China...and you're going to have serious, life-endangering trouble.

Be VERY CAREFUL when you're replacing parts.
too many Fords, no where near 'nuff time.

or, money.
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ThinLizzy13
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Re: PERIALS OF USING CHINESE BRAKE CYLINDERS

Post by ThinLizzy13 »

I ordered wheel cylinders from rock auto. They were Wagner/Centric brands. Came with 10mm bleeders and have held up well.
Sorry to hear NAPA's weren't so great. They usually have decent stuff.
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'67 F250 CS 352 4Spd
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