HELP!! Bendix Treadle Vac full of powder

Hope someone can help me with this.

I bought a Bendix Treadle Vac on eBay. Th eseller said it had been re built and put in storage. When I received it and opened the filler cap I found it was full of powder.

Is this dried up brake fluid? If so how long would it have taken to turn to powder?

Not even sure why it would have any brake fluid in it unless it had been used on a car after the rebuild then removed without emptying it.

Any ideas on cleaning this without a re build?

Thanks in advance.

 

Bendix Treadle Vacs are notorious for catastrophic failure in other words you go from having great brakes to NO brakes at all in an eye blink with no warning.

There is a lot of discussion on the Packard board about this, some 50s Packard owners replace the Treadle Vac with a different power brake unit on general principles, even though this is far from easy on a Packard.

 

I believe the fluid reservoir is a aluminum or zinc die casting and if so the power is corrosion. Brake fluid would not leave a powdery residue in my experience as it never really seems to dry out.

 

Not sure it's corrosion there is too much, the master cylinder is almost full of it.

 

Here I have tipped most of it out..

 

I'd be contacting the seller and the site and paypal. I don't think you could ever trust that to be good. Unless you tear it completely down and then it may be beyond use. I have 3 that will be replaced with more modern very soon. They work but worry me so I won't use them. Jack

 

did he put it in there to keep dry? never seen that before, looks toasted

 

When I told him about the powder he said

"It was rebuilt over a year ago. Fresh fluid will work."

I have asked for a refund, or will be lodging a protest in paypal.

Waiting for his response.

 

I picked up a mid '70s Kawasaki that had been sitting for about 15 years, the inside of the master cylinder looked the same, it was almost spongy. I assumed it was dried out brake fluid, I had a spare on the shelf and tossed it without trying to clean it.

 

This is the description from ebay


This is a 1956 cadillac brake booseter,This is an original unit rebuld not a reman. It is a rebuilt unit that my grandfather had in storage. We are unable to test it so were giving you the oppurtunity to send it back if it doesn't work. Looks great and has all the valves and boots that it needs. This is an great pieace.

 

Send it back. Use a more modern master cylinder and booster. Unless you are doing a museum restoration, in that case buy a good rebuilt by a reputable rebuilder.

 

Looks like some of the crap you see in old motor cycle masters.
Have any of you guys rebuilt one ? I rebuilt one and have no idea how thay work thay dont even have a piston seal in them. Must be magic.

 

"... it so were giving you the oppurtunity to send it back..."


There you go

I've sold some stuff on there that I really had no idea what it was or if it worked. A 0.99 auctions to start and this in the description- consider it for parts and bid accordingly , it may work perfectly but I don't know

 

I had a treadlevac from a 55 packard, the master was filled to the top with that crud. Looked like a combination of brake fluid and the master cylinder corroding, no way would I use it. Send it back.

 

welcome to Ebay !!!!

 

Evil Bay............

 

Water related corrosion.