A 105 That Moves

[Tim Jobson]

Hi all,

I have finally finished removing, cleaning and refitting new seals to all the calipers.   There was the expected sludge and varnish deposits, luckly the pistons with a bit of fine steel cleaning pad came up well with no rust so I am hoping they do the job and do not leak.

I made up a cardboard template from the pictures you sent me so that I could line up the pistons correctly in the calipers, is this what most owners do!

The car moves freely for the first time, I will give its first test drive on the weekend if I manage to get the brake bleeding sorted out.   It does not seem to be pumping brake fluid to the rear calipers very well!

While staring at her lovely if not dirty engine bay (too much staring according to my wife!) I noticed that the drain gaps at either end of the front apron (see picture) look like they drain not only to the front wheel wells but also down to the front A pillars - this cannot be right but it does explain why rust has formed there.

Can some one explain where the water that drains into the valley (behind the engine bay/infront of the windscreen) should go.    I know there are drain ports under the wiper mechanism but what about the water that collects in that valley that is visible when the bonnet is open?

Regards
Tim

[Colin Byrne]

Hi Tim, geez those brakes did have a lot of sludge in them! 

Can some one explain where the water that drains into the valley (behind the engine bay/infront of the windscreen) should go.    I know there are drain ports under the wiper mechanism but what about the water that collects in that valley that is visible when the bonnet is open?

The wipers sit inside a plenum type chamber that also feeds air to the cabin (hence the slots in the panel below the windscreen).  There should be a drain pipe that comes out of the firewall behind the engine on the carbie side, if you stick your head under the dash you should be able to see drain port out of the plenum.  The water from the valley either drains back into that or our sidways into the guards and onto the ground

The car moves freely for the first time, I will give its first test drive on the weekend if I manage to get the brake bleeding sorted out.   It does not seem to be pumping brake fluid to the rear callipers very well!

The brake reservoir is split so it has to be very full before it starts to fill up the rear part.  If been pumping the brake pedal for a while wondering why no fluid is coming out and then realising there wasn't any fluid in the rear part of the reservoir (idiot!!)

[Tim Jobson]

Yes Colin I understand where the water drains when it comes through the slots in the front section, it is the valley as shown in the picture, where does water drain from here.     It looks as if the only drain points are the openings at either end of the valley, however that leads to the wheel wells and the back of the A pillars?

Yes I am always careful to keep the single brake reservoir full as it feeds both circuits so that is not the issue.

Regards
Tim

[1750GTV]

Tim,
I've attached a photo of the inside of my firewall with the dash removed.
"A" points to where the fan assembly bolts up onto the square hole that is the air entry point for the cabin.
"B" points to the drainage pipe that goes back through a firewall grommet behind the carby airbox and thence onto the ground below - this is where excess water goes and if this elbow is rusted, water will enter the cabin during rain. My pipe is grey corrugated plastic.
"C" just indicates the internal curvature of the housing for the wiper mechanism. The air intake is covered from the elements by a thin curved metal plate visible through the grill covering the wiper motor etc.
Further excess water leaves through the two A pillar drains.

Hope this helps.
Good luck when the brakes. I use the three "P"s when bleeding brakes - gentle Pressure, a little Prayer and considersble Patience.
Merry Xmas,
Chris

[1750GTV]

Tim,
Sorry - I just reread your post. The water in that part of the trim, as Colin said, just runs laterally and out onto the road via the holes you identified at the base of the A-pillars. I tried it this morning with my car and whilst the floor of the gutter is fairly flat, the water does eventually get to the ends and down the holes.

As to your brakes, you may also have to replace the flexibles hydraulic hoses as these deteriorate with time both externally from the elements and internally from old brake fluid. Poor rear flow may also be indicative of crud in the pipes or in the rear pressure proportioning valve.

Good luck,
Chris

[Tim Jobson]

Yes Chris, I reckon the 3 P rule must be very common when it comes to working on the brake system hydraulics!

Thanks for the pictures of the inside drain arrangements, very interesting.    However it seems alittle strange that the water that collects in the front gutter exists from the holes at either end going out via the front wheel wells and the back of the A pillars.    I would of thought that all this water should only be allowed to drain via the wheel wells, why encourage any rust and dirt to collect in the lower area of the  A pillar.   

When I reinstall some new front wheel splash guards I may block off the water passage that leads to the A pillar area.    I will also run a level over that gutter because the middle part of it looks lower than the side drain holes, this would not help to drain water way if it is not been driven, I wonder if a small hole drilled in the centre would help this.

Thanks again for your paitence,

Regards
Tim