View Full Version : Rear brake leak?
AkiraSV
04-01-12, 12:44 PM
My SV is currently being stored in a family members garage over winter (I don't have a garage at home) and hasn't been used since late October. The other day I went to check on the bike, got her out, started her up, gave the clutch and front brake a few grabs, both were fine. Then I gave the rear brake some pressure and the lever went down for miles, hardly any pressure at all.
I had a look and there was a neat line of brake fluid that had ran down the brake hose to it's lowest point then dripped down the swing arm. The leak appears to be coming from the bottom of the reservoir from what I can tell (not so much of an educated eye..). Any idea on what could be causing this and how to fix it?
Before this the brake fluid was at the 'max' line, but it had gone down 8-10mm from what I can remember; wiped all the brake fluid up and wrapped a cloth around the hosing for now to absorb any more leakage.
Hope everyone here had a good new year. :)
Check the banjo connection at the master cylinder (footpeg end) is secure, and the hose between the reservoir and master cylinder is securely attached at both ends.
Also carefully check both the hoses for any splits or damage.
Had similar on mine but back in the summer. Used it as a sign and got a HELL brake line, new hose from reservoir to master cylinder and all new hose clamps. Works a treat and not lost a drop since.
AkiraSV
04-01-12, 09:41 PM
Used it as a sign of?
TamSV, will check those when I'm next there (next weekend from the looks of things, sigh...)
muzikill
04-01-12, 10:43 PM
Used it as a sign of?
TamSV, will check those when I'm next there (next weekend from the looks of things, sigh...)
Whats akira is saying is 'its a sign to replace/renew something'
Look across at at the gubbins of it all on the back of the heel plate from the other side of the swing arm. You should see where the leaks coming from. Report back here.
K3 perhaps? Im in the process of replacing the hoses with braided ones.
Guess which hose end was the front caliper & the rear caliper.....
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6637561045_19be503d3f.jpg
AkiraSV
04-01-12, 11:16 PM
Ahh I get ya! And yep it's a K3.
Will try that then, and I'll get some pics if it isn't immediately obvious. Been pricing up some rear hoses, £27 for a HEL rear line isn't too bad at all if it turns out to be a case of replacing that. We'll see...
Thanks for the replies everyone. :)
Tell HELL when you order you're a member of the SV.org and ask for 20% off.
AkiraSV
05-01-12, 08:17 PM
Tell HELL when you order you're a member of the SV.org and ask for 20% off.
Serious??
You can pick up braided Hel/goodridge kits quite cheap on ebay, the kit on my sv is actually for a gsxr, i think as long as the lines are long enough the kits are prety interchangable within reason.
Serious??
Serious. Just say your a member and please can I have 20% off and the geezer will say 'no probs mate'.
AkiraSV
06-01-12, 09:54 PM
Serious. Just say your a member and please can I have 20% off and the geezer will say 'no probs mate'.
Har... har... :rolleyes:
AkiraSV
28-01-12, 09:48 PM
Right. Finally got round to having a proper look at the rear brake. There was some fluid forming half way down along the hose between the master cylinder and the reservoir, along the horizontal bit (attached photo). The fluid level had also gone up above the max line so I decided to bleed the system with fresh fluid to get some pressure in the system. There were some big air bubbles that came out straight away when I bled them. Nothing else jumped out at me though, unless there's something I've missed or should be looking for?
Stopped short of fitting the new HEL rear hose I bought though as I wanted to check in here and see what everyone thought?
If its leaking between the reservoir & master cylinder the hel line won't make any difference cos that's for m/c to caliper. I'd guess the hose is perished or the reservoir has somehow cracked or maybe even overflowed since it was past the full line?
AkiraSV
29-01-12, 02:44 PM
If its leaking between the reservoir & master cylinder the hel line won't make any difference cos that's for m/c to caliper. I'd guess the hose is perished or the reservoir has somehow cracked or maybe even overflowed since it was past the full line?
Do you reckon the whole lot will need replacing then? :(
When I first saw the leak (start of the thread), the level had dropped to about half way (as I recall) in the reservoir, but then yesterday it had gone back up.
Not the whole lot, it would make most sense for it to be the hose between the reservoir & m/c. Take it off & have a look for any cracks or signs of leaks etc
Sounds like you have same issue I experienced. Replaced m/c - reservoir hose and clamps and new m/c o-seal and fitted the HEL hose because the whole system was in bits. That fixed the issue.
AkiraSV
29-01-12, 09:53 PM
What was the issue that you had?
Will nip to the garage next week and take the system apart then, see what's what, and get some new parts if necessary. Will keep you all posted.
Any tips/things to look out for when replacing the m/c, reservoir, etc etc?
AkiraSV
29-01-12, 10:28 PM
Kind of hoping I don't have to replace the m/c after seeing the price of them... eek!
Kind of hoping I don't have to replace the m/c after seeing the price of them... eek!
I saw a couple on eBay the other day not too pricey. I'd try & suss out what's wrong before ordering anything unless you're really desperate to ride it.
AkiraSV
29-01-12, 10:45 PM
True, hoping that it's the hose or reservoir, a lot cheaper to replace!
Also, I noticed today that the HEL replacement line is a bit longer than the standard line, might be a silly question (amongst my other silly questions), but is this normal? Will it be an issue?
I found exactly the same with mine, apparently that's what they do. Just make the curve it does bigger, its fine.
AkiraSV
29-01-12, 11:09 PM
Ahh I see! Just wanted to check that it was the norm. :)
What was the issue that you had?
Will nip to the garage next week and take the system apart then, see what's what, and get some new parts if necessary. Will keep you all posted.
Any tips/things to look out for when replacing the m/c, reservoir, etc etc?
It was just a small amount of fluid visible on the hose from the reservoir and some corrosion on the clamps. Seeing as I was changing the hose (as the good books says hoses should be changed every 4 years and my bike was 5 years old) I thought I'd give the master cylinder a clean and replace the o-seal.
My replacement HEL line is slightly longer than the original but not a problem. I have glued a small piece of rubber to the swing-arm where it makes contact so as not to cause any rubbing.
Kind of hoping I don't have to replace the m/c after seeing the price of them... eek!
Hopefully you shouldn't need a whole new m/c but instead a repair kit part no 69600-34820, not sure how much it is though
Parts from Main Dealer:
Hose RR Reservoir tank - 69731-16G10-000 - £10.32
Clip (x2) - 09401-13417-000 - £3.06
O Ring (master cylinder) - 69686-34200-000 - £2.13
Piston seal set - 69100-04820-000 - £8.65 (if you fancy stripping the rear calliper as well)
AkiraSV
30-01-12, 11:26 PM
Parts from Main Dealer:
Hose RR Reservoir tank - 69731-16G10-000 - £10.32
Clip (x2) - 09401-13417-000 - £3.06
O Ring (master cylinder) - 69686-34200-000 - £2.13
Piston seal set - 69100-04820-000 - £8.65 (if you fancy stripping the rear calliper as well)
Read my mind. Ordered those parts a few hours ago. Never stripped a calliper before but figured I might as well whilst I'm renewing the hoses; I knew I'd need new seals if I did though.
This shall be fun. :D
I'm sure the Haynes manual will see me right with stripping the calliper, any other general tips you can give though?
Haynes Manual is good. Make sure you remove the pads and pump out the pistons first otherwise they are a bugger to remove to replace the seals.
AkiraSV
31-01-12, 09:57 PM
Haynes Manual is good. Make sure you remove the pads and pump out the pistons first otherwise they are a bugger to remove to replace the seals.
Will do. Gonna pop and have a tinker tomorrow I reckon.
AkiraSV
14-02-12, 07:27 PM
So I finally got round to taking a look at this once the parts had arrived, I took the rear brake, res, mc etc off the bike completely and took it home to do as the bike is currently garaged on a different property, and I don't like being cold...
Fitted the new hoses and also fitted new seals whilst I was at it. The system isn't fitted back on the bike yet however I noticed when removing the hose from the res to the mc that the hose came off the res VERY easily, yet took a lot of effort to remove it from the mc, so I think I've found the culprit there...
Hopefully once it's fitted to the bike and bled with fluid everything will be spot on! Thanks for the help everyone. :)
It's not that cold! Heated grips next then?
Glad you're getting sorted.
AkiraSV
14-02-12, 10:29 PM
Been ice and snow here for the past few weeks, that's cold enough for me!
Also, I'm pretty tempted to put some braided lines on the front now...
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