Robin

Ok - Thanks for all the advice

I’m a bit late to this thread but i’ve had my vitesse for 5 years and it came with a Halfords HB063 maintenance free battery and it’s always started first time - until this evening. I took the car out on Sunday for a quick spin and it ran fine but went to start it this evening and it was flat as a pancake. It’s been on charge now for about 3 hrs but the charger is still showing less than 20% charge so i’m assuming the battery has had it. Is there a problem with Halfords apart from price? Tanya seems to be recommended - is there a particular battery I should look for? Thanks

Took the plunger out and lubricated the cylinder with fluid and the piston now works fine. I've topped up the recess between where the piston mets the plunger and as yet there's been no fluid seeping past so I guess the new rubber must be working. Will fit it at the weekend and see what happens. Thanks again to everyone for the advice

Hi Pete Ok will try it. So I'm assuming that if it was working correctly the piston should return to it's full extension (after it's been pushed in) straight away? Thanks

Hi All Thanks for all the help - one last question.... I picked up a second hand clutch MS last year - think it's a Girling. I replaced the seals and cleaned it out but when I now depress the piston using the plunger, the piston doesn't return immediately - in fact it takes an hour or so. There's no fluid in the cylinder so I wonder if this is normal until it's actually fitted and full of fluid? Or should the piston return immediately regardless of the fluid level? Thanks

Hi Johny so does a smaller reservoir affect how the pedal feels?

Thanks for the advice I've attached 2 pics of the Master Cylinder that's currently fitted but I think the one I need is similar to the one James Paddock sells - GMC205P. Does it matter that it's sloping and not straight?

I need to replace the leaking clutch master cylinder on my Mk2 Vitesse and just wanted some advice on how to bleed the system once the new cylinder is fitted. Is it straight forward? Also, any advice on where to get a new master cylinder - the one currently fitted doesn't look to be original ? Many thanks Robin

Thanks for all the comments - I always use 97 Ron so might try a compromise and add a drop every 3 or 4 fill -ups

Apologies if this has been covered elsewhere but there seems to be quite a price difference between Wynnes and Redex lead additives products - is it worth spending the extra on Wynnes? Thanks Robin

That's brilliant - thanks to everyone for their tips and once again the Forum is just a fantastic resource of info. Will post a pic when I've done it!

I need to tidy up the bulkhead on my Vitesse mk2 - primarily because of brake/clutch fluid drips affecting the paint around the master cylinders. So my plan is to remove the cylinders, wiper motor , and heater and then rub down the area ready to spray a primer and top coat using aerosol cans. Three questions; 1. Is newspaper and masking tape ok to use to cover non-painted areas or should I use something else? 2. How long do I need to leave the paint to dry before rubbing down between coats. 3. How fragile are the brake / clutch pipes i.e. can I simply move them out of the way or will they break? Any other tips? Thanks

if you decide to part with one I do need a spare wheel in the boot.

Yep - found out it’s a herald wheel! Almost gave up trying to find a vitesse wheel ( seems pretty difficult to find) but eventually tracked one down and the hub cap fits perfectly

Ah - ok , got it now!

Hi Colin Not sure I fully understand - how would this allow the hubcap to fit flush to the wheel rim (as the other hubcaps do on the other wheels)? Thanks Robin

The hub cap on my Vitesse mk 2 has always been proud of the drivers side rear wheel rim (see pics) - the hub cap fits flush on all the other wheels. So two questions; 1. Can anyone identify the rear wheel that's fitted i.e from what other model? 2. Does anyone have a wheel for a Vitesse mk 2 that they want to part with? Thanks Robin

Great - thanks guys

Apologies if this is obvious but do you number pistons from the radiator end or the bulkhead end i.e is the piston nearest the radiator number 1? thanks

Thanks for all the advice - will check diaphragm and hoses again.

Hope someone can help.. I've just noticed a slight 'whine' coming from the breather valve assembly on my Mk2 vitesse - I took it apart and cleaned off the build up of oil (see photo) which has helped but it still has this slight whine which I assume is due to leaking air (see video). I can't see any damage to the rubber diaphragm but is it worth replacing just in case? If so, where's the best place to get one? The whine has also coincided with a slight increase in tick-over but this may be due to what I think is a a sticking choke cable. Overall performance doesn't seem to be affected. Any thoughts? Thanks Robin Breather Valve Assembly.mov

Ok - i’ve Managed to refit with the curved one on first- seemed much easier second time around! hope this is correct?

Hi Pete i think i’ve fitted mine the other way around - flat one with holes on first and then curved one with dimples on top. It seems pretty secure and because I had such a fight getting it on I’m hoping it’s ok.

Hi Pete - thanks for the encouragement. This is the way I did it but not sure if it’s right. With the rear driver side drum off I removed the brake shoes and disconnected the brake line to the cylinder. I then took off the rubber cover and undid the bolt holding the handbrake lever. I managed to push out the top male (?) u clip followed by the female (? ) u clip. I then pulled out the brake cylinder. So far so good. I fitted the new brake cylinder and new rubber cover and then loosely connected the brake line - this is when the fun started. Fitting The female u clip was easy but there wasn’t enough room between the cylinder and the handbrake lever to fit the male u clip. I ended up putting as much space between the cylinder and lever as was possible and then jamming the male u clip in between the two. I then managed to get a screwdriver onto the clip edge and then tapped it down onto the female u clip with a hammer. Took ages but finally got it on. Like I said I don’t think this is the right way to do it but I could’t figure out another solution. In Richard’s picture it looks as though there are three u clips but i’ve only got two - One with two holes at the end and one with two dimples. I put the u clip with the holes ( female ?) on first and the one with dimples (male ?) on top. It seems pretty secure but is that correct? thanks , Robin

Hi Again I finally got round to changing the rear brake cylinder on my vitesse but what a nightmare! As Richard said the biggest problem was fitting the 2 x U clips as there doesn’t seem to be enough room between the handbrake arm and the body of the cylinder. After about 2 hrs of fiddling I finally got them on but more by luck and a bit of brute force rather than anything else. The Haynes manual doesn’t offer much help - is there a correct way to do this? Thanks robin