Month: May 2011

I found out my reservoir was causing a fluid leak, and not the Brake Master Cylinder after all. I was able to find a brake master cylinder with reservoir at NAPA for over $314, however opted not to buy it. Similar new units on eBay were around $200. DMC Europe sells a new Reservoir, but I decided against overseas shipping and currency conversion. I tried to find a better deal. Sure enough, Amazon turned up this gem:

The Centric unit “Includes Reservoir And Cap, Brake Sensor Switch.” I choose free shipping, and waited about a week for it to show up. It arrived, and sure enough, the Brake Master Cylinder did *not* include the reservoir! I sent it back for a full refund. I lost about 2 weeks with that purchase. The price has since been raised more than $25.

I explored a few local salvage yards without any luck. Then, miraculously, I was able to purchase a NOS Girling Brake Master Cylinder with reservoir on eBay. Here’s the unit I purchased:

My D’s reservoir and the new reservoir compared:

My old yellow tank’s build date is between 1978 and 1980. The new tank looks to be made sometime around 1983 or 1984.

I installed the new(er) tank with my old cap, all mounted on my new brake master cylinder. It held fluid! No more leaks!

I ended up reselling the NOS Girling unit (without the reservoir) on eBay.

While waiting for my Girling unit to arrive, I also went on a buying spree and bought another Saab Reservoir and a complete Saab Brake Master Cylinder with Reservoir on eBay.

The Saab reservoir would need different grommets since the tank connections are larger. Also, there aren’t any mounting points for the Saab reservoir. My old unit left, Saab unit right:

I also found a local parts store that carries Castrol GT LMA, albeit the 12oz bottles.

Now I’ve got lots of spare parts. Hopefully I can sell some more on eBay:

Costs

So far, $83.65 to find a working reservoir. Hopefully I can recover some more money if I sell some parts on eBay.