The BORA

the rear brake piston is not leaking at the hose at the caliper or at the frame. without jacking up the back of the car thats all I can say at the moment. Where does that large rubber hose lead to? just one of the green gadgets on the same side of the engine bay?

 

Buck up, some lhm issues ahead. Don't panic.

 

the green lake continues to grow. glad I pre ordered a quart of green juice from MEI I"m gonna need it. The front hood piston is totally shot. like its not even there. small issue.

 

do you know what size hose that is on the bottom of the tank? is the way to drain that tank just pull that hose off and have a catch can ready?

 

it appears to be working correctly. thanks

 

Rolls Royce dealers parts departments carry LHM, RR models like the Silver Shadow used Citroen hydraulics from the sixties to the eighties. In Fort Lauderdale that is where I bought my LHM. It is cheap too.

What you are going through is simple routine sorting of a car that has been inactive before you start driving, the car needs to be driven regularly remember, that is what it's about

 

Agree completely that there will be some sorting in order, if anyone can advise the size of that rubber hose I’d like to have it in hand before I R&R the LHM tank to check for leaks.
Do I understand correctly there’s no actual service manual for these cars? Just the owners manual and some mechanical know how? Thanks.

 

It's doubtful that anyone has the info at their finger tips. Just measure the connection point. If I remember correctly it's a metal tube with a bulb on the end. When I redid all of my hydraulics including the new brake hoses (SS braid covered) I got them from a hydraulics shop that operated at an airport in Oakland. The same airport Amelia Earhart departed from and never returned. But there are plenty hydraulic shops that can fabricate for you. Just don't say that they are brakes hoses because most of them don't want that liability.Practice your lying ...

This is also a good time to mention the brake lines that are held to the sub frame with fold over steel tabs. Under the tabs the the brake line is covered with vinyl tubing that deteriorates from heat, becomes acidic, corrodes the tubing and the brake line fails. Inspect them all, particularly the one on the RH side on the horizontal section just before the frame bends down. When I removed mine it broke in half there. Lots of people have had the same problem. I authored a safety alert for this in the MIE magazine a zillion years ago. After the restoration all of my tabs are SS with a high temperature teflon tubing under them.

BTW ... I had a specialist shop in SF weld the SS tabs on the sub frame and at the time they also had a Birdcage they were working on. I didn't even realize how special that was at the time.

 

You can probably get LHM compatible fluid at your local auto parts store.

https://www.fuchs.com/cl/en/products/inspiration-and-knowledge/interesting-articles/news-entry/2856-PENTOSIN-LHM-the-oil-for-Groupe-PSA-hydraulic-systems/

It's typically on the shelves at AutoZone stores around here in NJ.

 

Every car needs a nickname. I’m strongly considering “Exxon Vadez” here
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See my last post, no need to fret or consult a psychologist;-)

 

Bad Kitty ... get her a bag of this.

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That's a pretty serious leak. You should check all the hoses and fittings. See if you can figure out how old they are. Keep it off off your tires and clean it immediately off of any paint.

 

Thanks. Well the receipts with the car show most of the green bits serviced 2 years ago. I will get it on ramps or stands and slide around under there this weekend.

That is a big leak. I think the whole reservoir is draining out. I think I need to remove it and check for holes. Reading through the Citroen hydraulics thread meanwhile.

 

Dean,
Catching up on your latest posts.. glad you are in possession of your Bora!

- That tank in our photo is viewed from the underside, and judging by the drop of LHM from the adjacent framerail, it looks like the LHM is being sprayed/projected from somewhere above that. And yes, that close to the headers, leaking LHM will vaporize white when it contacts the headers.

- You are on the right track with your thinking. Get the Bora up on a lift (or simply jack stands at the rear), then run the engine and observe where the LHM is dripping/spraying from.. unless you know already its coming from that lo-pressure rubber hose. Then fix what it needed and drive it again to look for more leaks.

- My LHM costs me $25/liter, so let us know how you make out at the Rolls dealer if you go that route.

- The white smoke you saw was likely LHM dripping or spraying onto something hot, and vaporizing, probably the headers (I experienced a metal hi-pressure line crack a small leak in our Khamsin 1196 at a traffic light, sprayed LHM directly onto a header pipe. It created very dramatic amounts of white smoke, but I was only 2 miles from home and figured I wasn't going to loose all the LHM in that distance).

... and if it's any consolation, my Bora 932 didn't make it 5 miles from the shop the first time I drove it. The second time I think I got 10 miles. The third time 20 miles, and so forth. Mine had seized clutch, no brakes, suspected blown headgasket, and known overheating issues, but Dave Burnham and Carter Wiley were able to address each issue one at a time, and I was able to join them each step of the way, so I learned what they taught me. Most importantly: These were assembled by hand, and can be taken apart by hand. Everything can be fixed. Careful observation will most often lead to the diagnosis. Find and fix the cause, not just the fault.

Bora 932 engine bay picture for reference, note the upright green reservoir tank in the background.. Look below the reservoir tank for a pressure regulator mounted on the Bora's sheetmetal. That's the closest fixture that has high-pressure lines. The reservoir supply and return lines are low-pressure.

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Art here’s the pictures I took yesterday. Like mentioned the only way to spot the leak is to jack it up and get under there. Will post more pics this weekend.

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Actually, LHM will catch on fire and burn like an old fashioned smudge pot lamp if it gets on your headers. At least it did on mine.

 

Dean,

You are correct. The best information available is contained in the parts manual, which Eurospares kindly provides online (https://www.eurospares.co.uk/Maserati/Bora/Bora/PartDiagrams). The best part here is that, if your Italian is not up to the task, you can cut and past the parts descriptions into Google Translate… it saves so much time! Inspecting those diagrams will tell you much of what you need to know, including sizes for many of the nuts, bolts, and hoses used on the car. Unfortunately, it does not provide that info for your current hose of interest. Another good source is the Owner’s Manual, which provides info that original owners of these cars would never utilize. There is also a CD file from the MOCNA (Technical Reference Library) that has many useful “how to” articles. All of these can be downloaded from The Car Nut’s website (https://thecarnut.com/downloadmanuals/). Obviously, this forum is your best resource. I suggest you read every page and either bookmark or copy each relevant tech discussion into a word document file and make your own “workshop manual”. Then you can easily search it at a later point when something else breaks. You really need to read every page that comes up under “Bora” since important non sequiturs can be found throughout!

Good luck with your new love,

Art

 

questions for the senseis here: If I need to take the LHM resevior out, whats the best way to do so, from above, from below, looking at it, I'm not sure I can sneak it out either way without dismantling something else in the way.
theres a control cable that ends without being attached to anything, choke cable? where does this go? see the pic.

finally i took the cap off the resevior and its pretty full , maybe within 2" of the top of the can. Is that a proper level?

Thanks again.

 

Are these tires from 2012? That seems pretty ripe
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Yes to choke cable.
Yes to 2012. Time for new tires!

 

I believe this is the loose cable and it goes to the boomerang shaped lever at the left rear of the carb linkage labeled 22 or perhaps 27/28??
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I think 6 years is the limit. I’d rather have XWX’s than these vredsteins. My dad was ocd about changing them every 10,000 miles. They didn’t guarantee the speed rating after that or something.

Thanks pray tell attach choke cable to 27 or 25??

 

22... see attached pic.

 

Fix the leaks(s) first. Don't worry about the tires just yet. I can't imagine how you'd get the reservoir out the bottom? Apparently you have a lot of fettling to do. The tires will be just fine until you get everything else sorted.
That cable is for the choke which shouldn't even be needed anyway. I think I've used mine maybe twice.

 

Thanks for the pic. I think my cable is broken off. I’ll see if I can attach it.