Scorpion Hydraulic Lines

[davidb]

I've disconnected most of my recently acquired
Scorpion's brake lines including as many 3-way
connectors as I could readily access. Blow thru
them w/my mouth w/a hose, flush w/brake fluid.
Is Valvoline synthetic okay for the braking system?
Today I began to purge the clutch system thru
the bleeder screw on top of the transaxle-clutch
housing. Slave/master cylinder I don't know. The
fluid which came out was an awful graphite color.
Does the clutch system take the same fluid? Where
are the master/slave cylinder in these cars anyway?

[John O]

David,

You might want to try posting in the Scorpion specific forum rather than the Beta forum to get more timely answers:
http://www.lancisti.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=8

Synthetic's probably okay. I'm kinda old school, so I tend to use "natural" brake fluid in older cars, but it's getting harder and harder to find.

Ya, "awful graphite color" is bad. Doesn't mean anything's damaged, just old nasty fluid. I like to change out hydraulic fluid completely every couple years just to keep things fresh.

Clutch takes plain old brake fluid.

Both brake and clutch master cylinders are attached to the pedal box directly under the steering column. Clutch slave cylinder is where you were purging the fluid at the transaxle.

Hope that helps for a start.

John O.

[Will]

You MUST use glycol, either DOT 3, DOT 4, or DOT 5.1 (NEVER DOT 5)

Synthetic fluid is OK if you are doing a comple flush and fill(let's not revisit DJ's definition that synthetic means "synthesized", but what makes a synthetic (glycol) brake fluid different from any other glycol fluid?- does glycol appear in nature, and if not, aren't they all synthetic?). But don't confuse synthetic with silicone (DOT 5) which you must avoid.

I suggest good old DOT 4. The ratings of brake fluids are by boiling point, DOT 4 is practically identical to DOT 3 but has a slightly higher boiling point- good for an extra safety margin especially if you are using metallic pads, which generate and conduct more heat back to the caliper than the original stock organic pads did.

DO NOT under any circumstances use DOT5 (silicone) fluid, it forms an emulsion with the DOT 3/4 already in your system and will make an ungodly mess.

DOT 5.1 is a high-temp, newer glycol based fluid that you could use after a full drain, but unless you are going racing there's no need for it IMHO.

DOT 4 is the most widely used, widely available fluid and works fine. You should do a full bleed every year or when the fluid gets to a honey color. If it looks like used motor oil you are way overdue. Always use a SEALED container of brake fluid, and check the color, should be nearly clear when you put it in.

[davidb]

I'm doing my best to thoroughly purge/flush/clean both
the brake & clutch lines. The clutch was somewhat
straightforward. Breaking free all those brake line
coupling nipples & flushing them, well? Well I've done
as many as able thus far. No doubt there's some DOT
rated something or other left somewhere. Madd Matt
@ Midwest X-19 said don't think quarts think gallons:
Flush, FLUSH & flush again. Hopefully I won't gunk up
the system.

[Todd D.]

Does anyone know of a US/Canada source for "cunifer" (cu=copper, ni=nickel, fer=iron)
brake line material.
I used cunifer brake lines on my Scorpion from the Monte Hospital and found that it's really
nice to work with. I'd like to buy it by the roll for the other cars.
Any ideas?