Mickey's brake mod

I know Mick reads this site and I am curious if there are any brake rebuild kits still available that makes the system compatable with DOT 4 fluid? I am interested in doing the same, a broken brake line should not burn down your plane in my book.

You can email me direct at [email protected] or just post on here ect..

thanks

Contact

If you are referring to the O-rings needed to convert to DOT 4 then you want to send a message to Charlie Kuss, he is the one that bought all the Orings and kit'd them out to us. I believe his moniker here is chaskuss .

RV8RIVETER said:

If you are referring to the O-rings needed to convert to DOT 4 then you want to send a message to Charlie Kuss, he is the one that bought all the Orings and kit'd them out to us. I believe his moniker here is chaskuss .

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My vendor screwed up the last order. The caliper O-rings they sent were 1 3/4" instead of 1 3/8". The correct part numbers were on the bags, but the parts were wrong. I should have that straightened out in a few days. At that time, I'll have 15 more kits available.
Charlie

I ordered my conversion o-rings from Charlie and they arrived today. May get them converted over the weekend.

Charlie Becker
N464CB RV8A (subie)
Finishing

I'm curious. Why DOT4? Why not just switch to Mil-H-83282 instead? It was created to address the Mil-H-5606 fire problem, and is completely compatable with 5606 as well as all the existing seals. You can use it in any GA airplane, any time, even to top up 5606.

That said, I also like Viton caliper seals.

Dan Horton

Dan

DanH said:

I'm curious. Why DOT4? Why not just switch to Mil-H-83282 instead? It was created to address the Mil-H-5606 fire problem, and is completely compatable with 5606 as well as all the existing seals. You can use it in any GA airplane, any time, even to top up 5606.

That said, I also like Viton caliper seals.

Dan Horton

Dan

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Dan,
The Viton seals are a great improvement over Buna N, when retaining a mineral oil based brake fluid. While 83282 is an improvement over 5606, it isn't a cure. Your brake rotors can be anywhere from 400 to 1100 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on how hard you have to use the brakes. 83282 has a 450 degree flash point. What good is that against a brake rotor which will likely be hotter than 450 degrees?
Gylcol brake fluids do not burn at all. The Viton caliper seal will help prevent fluid from leaking between the caliper and the piston, but is not the only source of a possible leak. A failure of either the AN822-4D fitting or the AN4 aluminum brake line near the brake rotor could cause a fire. The absolute way to eliminate brake fires is to remove the flammable brake fluid.
The down sides to switching to DOT4 fluids are:

You have to swap out all the Buna N O-rings in the brake parts for EPDM (ethylene propylene) O-rings.

Fluid must be flushed every 2 years

DOT 4 fluid is not compatible with the stock Buna N rubber brake hoses that Vans supplies. Teflon lined stainless steel brake lines like those sold by RV9A owner Chris Heitman's company, must be used. Chris owns Pegasus Auto Racing. I purchased a set of his hoses for my RV8A.

Glycol based fluids can damage older technology paints if they are left on the painted surface for an extended time. This is NOT an issue if the spill is wiped up promptly. It is also a total non issue if you use a urathane or polyurathane paint, such as DuPont Imron, PPG's Concept or Delta, Sherwin Williams Jet Glow and Acra Glow. There are numerous others as well.

The switch to DOT4 is more work, but ensures that there is no possibility for a fluid induced brake fire.

Ask RV6A owner Ed Anderson how exciting a brake fire can be. The choice is yours. Your plan greatly reduces the chance of a fire, mine eliminates it.

Charlie Kuss

brake hoses?

chaskuss said:

DOT 4 fluid is not compatible with the stock Buna N rubber brake hoses that Vans supplies. Teflon lined stainless steel brake lines like those sold by RV9A owner Chris Heitman's company, must be used. Chris owns Pegasus Auto Racing. I purchased a set of his hoses for my RV8A.

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Hi Charlie, Which hoses are you talking about? These ones?




If so, looks like I need to order some hoses. Glad I didn't fill up the system yet. Changing the o-rings was easy. Here are some photos:

http://www.rv8.ch/upgrading-brake-o-rings/

Just replace your brake fluid with Aeroshell Fluid 31.
You get all the benefits and you do not have to change
the parts.

kenmorris said:

Just replace your brake fluid with Aeroshell Fluid 31.
You get all the benefits and you do not have to change
the parts.

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Ken,
Tell us more. What sort of chemical base does this fluid have?
Charlie

rv8ch said:

Hi Charlie, Which hoses are you talking about? These ones?

If so, looks like I need to order some hoses. Glad I didn't fill up the system yet. Changing the o-rings was easy. Here are some photos:

http://www.rv8.ch/article.php?story=20060722185045275

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Mickey,
Those are the ones. Pegasus has Teflon lined SS hoses with AN fittings. For an 8 or 8A, you want 21" long with straight fittings on both ends. ($15.99 each) See

http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productselection.asp?Product=4

Charlie
PS I just got a set of these for Michele Desol in France. I'll be sending them to her soon. Do you have any problems in Switzerland getting stuff from the USA?

teflon hoses

chaskuss said:

PS I just got a set of these for Michele Desol in France. I'll be sending them to her soon. Do you have any problems in Switzerland getting stuff from the USA?

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Thanks for the info, Charlie. Luckily my sister still allows me to use her as a package forwarding center!