flat tires, sluggish drive train, no brake pressure, finger pains

"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus) 12/11/2016 at 09:59 • Filed to: None

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20

its cold out there

yesterday I took out the mountain bike and road some trails. it was cold, 24*F. The first time pulling the rear brake I got 0 response (hydraulic discs). If i pumped the brake I would eventually get pressure. Could this be just that it was cold or do I have another issue going on? Maybe low fluid? air or moisture int he line? I’ve never serviced them so it could be time. I have no idea how to go about doing that.

My legs were sluggish, probably from lack of sleep and cold. My fingers were killing me half way thru from the cold, which is just about the time I blew out my front tire. I wasn’t about to sit there and try to swap out the tube so I just put air in it. It would last about a half mile until going flat again. Today its 18, I’ll probably just hide inside.

S65 > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 10:03

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SEE THIS IS WHY YOU STAY INSIDE

I’m going to go cycling later today, maybe not on a trail though

bob and john > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 10:05

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definetly have some sort of contamination in the lines. bring the bike inside, let it warm up. take off the calipers and give them a good clean. bleed brakes, and have at it again

OPPOsaurus WRX > S65 12/11/2016 at 10:10

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What’s the temp like there?

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 10:12

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Having to pump the brakes to get pressure sounds like a low-fluid situation to me.

I recommend topping up the fluid and then seeing what impact that has. And if it has no impact, then I would look at bleeding the brakes. And if that doesn’t fix it, then it might be an issue with the brake master cylinder.

And note... this is just a general overall approach for any vehicle with hydraulic brakes. I’ve never had to work on any bike with hydraulic brakes.

OPPOsaurus WRX > bob and john 12/11/2016 at 10:14

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I figured as much. I wish I had a garage or basement to work in. My wife probably won’t like the idea of turning the living room into a shop

S65 > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 10:15

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Cold

bob and john > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 10:16

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then turn the bedroom into the shop and see how much she likes that :)

*Peter Black is not responsible for any trips to the dog house caused by, or in part by, his advice*

OPPOsaurus WRX > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 12/11/2016 at 10:18

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Yea, this is the first time looking into it. I thought this would be a good place to start as OPPO has all the answers

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 10:34

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My last ride of the season was last Saturday. Pushing 6" of snow. You probably need to flush and blead your brakes.

sdwarf36 > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 11:11

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Show her this. I bet you will be allowed to bring the bike in.

OPPOsaurus WRX > bob and john 12/11/2016 at 11:14

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That would mean relocating the bassinet which would mean I’d be sleeping on your couch.  I have a decent size shed I could use. I’ll have to dig out the space heater. So I don’t freeze.

OPPOsaurus WRX > sdwarf36 12/11/2016 at 11:15

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I’m assuming he’s single

OPPOsaurus WRX > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 12/11/2016 at 11:16

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Damn how’d you even move?

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 12:24

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You have snow yet?

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 12:57

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Borrowed this from a friend, went for a ride last weekend. It wasn’t bad at around 0°F. Had to unzip my jacket a few times to avoid sweating. As much as I wanted to take my wet gloves off (Gortex though) any time I did the wind over my knuckles was a bit much. But she’s rip through snow until it was deep enough the pedals were paddling through it.

It was -30°F this morning. The breaker my block heater was plugged into tripped at some point last night, and the Jeep didn’t quite want to catch. After a while it was cranking fine, but just didn’t want to more than cough. It’s a little upsetting, cause the original motor with twice the miles never had problems even with no block heater at -40 one morning. After five minutes of not quite catching I didn’t want to wear the battery down much further so I gave up and just walked the mile to work. Absolutely beautiful clear morning.

Your brakes probably just need bled. That or the fluid is just cold enough it shrunk and/or is too thick to flow nicely.

MyJeepGetsStuckInTheSnow > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 13:11

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Definitely not cold related. They will work and feel just fine below zero if they are good quality hydraulic brakes. You definitely have a leak somewhere. O rings tend to go bad after a couple years. Get a rebuild kit an be careful. These calipers are aluminum and very soft/easy to damage. When bleeding them they should feel even better than a good brake pedal. High and tight with zero squish. The only give after contact between the pad and rotor should be the brake lever flexing.

cluelessk > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 13:33

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It was -24f with the wind chill yesterday. Pretty common for it to reach -40f and cooler.

Enjoy your comfortable Winter weather.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 14:08

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It was very, very difficult. Granny gear the whole ride. This climb usually takes me about 30 minutes, it took me a solid hour to get up the hill.

OPPOsaurus WRX > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 12/11/2016 at 14:13

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I think there was a dusting while we were in the delivery room. Have u?

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > OPPOsaurus WRX 12/11/2016 at 14:15

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Just some frost so far. Living next to the water FTW.

So are we gonna travel together for the oppo rally?