Rich9804 Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 Evening all, I have a problem with my front HS33 lever caboodle.I've not ridden my trials bike for about 2 years :$ but whenever I walk past it in my garage i always squeeze the levers just to feel how sexily smooth they were (bled with WD40 about 18 months ago and set up perfectly)Today however I gave it a squeeze and the pads stayed against the rim and the lever went slack... Slowly the pads came out and the lever worked again...The same thing happened a few times. Eventually they stopped working all together. I decided i should probably bleed them again or something, so bled them through, but realized that the lever was jammed in. Having taken the whole lever apart (as much as i can) I've come to the point photographed. I can see that the piston has jammed(?) at the bottom but cannot get it to budge. I've tried poking things in from the hydraulic side of the piston but to no avail...What i'm after really is an internals schematic and some idea how i fix the bugger. I've tried pulling the piston back with some long nose pliers but to no avail.Please help me -Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krisboats Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 Is it the cylinder in the lever you're on about? if so you can just pull them out by grabbing the edge of it with a pair of pliers, You should just see the whole that the cylinder slides down with a spring inside the push the cylinder back out and two holes at the bottom. Just pull it out and give it a clean and see if that helps.Maybe have a look at the spring as well to see if that's corroded or mishapen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich9804 Posted April 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 [attachmentid=3454]Is it the cylinder in the lever you're on about? if so you can just pull them out by grabbing the edge of it with a pair of pliers, You should just see the whole that the cylinder slides down with a spring inside the push the cylinder back out and two holes at the bottom. Just pull it out and give it a clean and see if that helps.Maybe have a look at the spring as well to see if that's corroded or mishapenCheers mate, it is the lever yes...I did attach a picture, don't know what happened to that though. Because the thing is stuck at the bottom with the spring compressed i can't grab it with pliers, not even long-nose ones can grip it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawnmowerman Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 Get something like a co2 pump or anything high pressure on the hose end. It'll pop straight out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobnobs Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 Stick your bleed syringe into the bleed bolt at the lever, give it some pasty and the cylinder will come out, did it earlier today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deonn h Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 This happened to mine just pull it out with pliers.Then clean all the inside out thenput abit of grease inside and then stretch the spring a little and put it all back together.The piston will keep popping out of the lever until you put the lever blade on then it will be fine. ThanksDeonn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich9804 Posted April 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 Hmm, thanks for all of your sugestions. it seems to have seized or something, I've just tried about 6bar of pressure on it and it won't budge. given it some welly on the pliers, and tried poking through the little holes with a twist drill and pushing very hard, but still it hasn't moved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave85 Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 tried soaking it in some hot soapy water? that usually helps to free hydraulics off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaffacakes Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 This happened to me a week ago then my mate a few days ago.Get some vasaline and smear it all over the sides of the piston, then steep it in water and have a play with the piston and it should come out, just treat it well for a few minutes greasing it up then rebleeding it gently and it should come back to its former self.I had to bleed it a fair few times and cover it in some grease before it was working soundly again. I think its the water that's seizing it up . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich9804 Posted April 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 tried soaking it in some hot soapy water? that usually helps to free hydraulics off.I've just thrown it into some very hot water, I hope it works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medwaytrials Posted April 3, 2006 Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 If it was still bled and the brakes pads were sticking out you could have pushed both pads together really hard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich9804 Posted April 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2006 If it was still bled and the brakes pads were sticking out you could have pushed both pads together really hard If you didn't live 150 miles away i would kick you. Nah i realised that about 5 minutes after starting the bleed job. I thought there might have been air in there. On bleeding it became aparent that there wasn't, just the usual black rubishy stuff that does not look drinkable and stinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich9804 Posted April 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 At last i have rebuilt it.I eventually got it out by soaking it in hot soapy water for 20 minutes, it still hadn't moved so i poured almost boiling water down the hole. bangi got a master cylinder and some boiling water on my face, but i was happy it was out. I sujest using safty goggles or being very careful if anyone else tries this!once it was out i tried to put it back in but it was very stiff, I refured to some verniers and the inside diameter was 13.99mm and the external diameter was 14.02mm basically it would not push in. I lubed it up with some vasaline and pushed it home with a pillar drill but it only had travel in the bottom of its bore. After some more soakes (now with the lever in place to avoid expolsions) with boiling water and warm rinces it popped back out, now it works. I never realised how many little bits there were in my lever until just. I've loctited the lever bolt in place so it doesn't have to be done up so tight as to clamp the leverIt's not perfect, so i'm not going to re-fit it now, I'll leave it until tomorrow evening or later to make sure it's not going to re-seize, then I have to re-bleed the system again.Trauma over, thanks people for your help and I hope this can be a reference for the rest of you. I couldn't find any other information online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave85 Posted April 4, 2006 Report Share Posted April 4, 2006 There's a step in the bore, right at the end to prevent the piston falling out, that may be what your calipers were measuring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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