Oily brake linings

[Stewart Loy]

Tony,

I have had similar 'oil migration' issues on my C15a. I was too cheap to reline the brakes, as there was very little use on the friction material - just a bit greasy.

My suggestion is to wipe them many times with a rag doused in acetone. Acetone does not leave any residue, dries very quickly, and is inexpensive and readily availible.

As a warning, this is best done out of doors, as the acetone is explosive when vapours are concentrated. Also, I would limit your tobacco use while doing this to a 'pinch between your cheek and gum'. This does not stop cancer, but is less likely to cause a fire than smoking while degreasing.

The aggressive solvent literally pulls the oil out of the friction material, and after a while they will be good as new.


Stewart

[cliff]

Tony Meths is another to try that does not leave a residue. Also good for wiping over surfaces before adding gaskets. This would be cheaper then acetone, not as hard on your hands and nose and of course far cheaper on the pocket.

[greg anderson (RIP)]

Here in Canada I have found that auto parts stores sell what is claimed to be a solvent specifically for cleaning brakes - I have not had a chance to use it but I would like to hear from any one who has -Greg

[Grant Bowker]

Originally Posted by greg anderson

Here in Canada I have found that auto parts stores sell what is claimed to be a solvent specifically for cleaning brakes - I have not had a chance to use it but I would like to hear from any one who has -Greg

If you are talking about the brake cleaner sold in aerosol form, it is a very good degreaser for surfaces but I don't know how good it would be for oil/grease soaked into brake linings. It also makes a superb wasp killer, but so far hasn't killed any other inhabitants of the Hammond barn. In past, I cleaned a set of M135 brake linings to what I considered an acceptable standard using lacquer thinner followed by alcohol (methyl hydrate). After cleaning, the linings didn't seem oily and were inspected several times after use to see if heat cycling was causing oil to leach out and be cooked to a glaze on the suface of the linings. Since the linings kept looking good, I kept using them. I may have been lucky in having linings that weren't fully soaked in oil. The choice of solvents came from what I had available and what I thought might be agressive enough to do the job without leaving residue.

[rob love]

There are two grades of brake cleen available: the old red can which had carbon tettrachloroethelyne (or some near form to it), and the newer green can which contains mostly alcohol and is touted as environmentally friendly.

One guess which one works better.

We used to go through the old stuff by the case back in my military days. Once we went over to the green cans, it wasn't as popular.

When I had real oil soaked brake linings to clean, I would usually start by washing them in the solvent bath, then a couple good soakings with alcohol, and finally the brake clean. A sanding in between each soaking got rid of the oil which was brought to the surface. Of course, the normal precautions apply, since you will likely be sanding asbestos, so a reasonable dust mask should be worn.

Back in the old days, a set of brake shoes was worth about $20, and brake clean was worth $4 a can, so the difference wasn't so great. Last time I relined my carrier shoes, it cost me around $150 if I recall, so if cleaning is an option over relining, then cleaning is the way to go.

[Mike K]

tony,

I've come across this problem quite a few times .. I've used auto paint thinners for years and it works very effectively . Soak the linings in the thinners for a few hours and wipe clean .

Mike

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hi Tony - had exactly the same problem with Phoenix. I asked my brake bloke and he said they were stuffed, nothing you can do. I just had new pads bonded to the shoes. When you think of brakes think of the insurance problems you may have if you don't do it properly. Remember Murphy.

Bob