New master cylinder sight glass

Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2016 10:38 am

Came across these on ebay and thought I'd give 'em a try. A bit of a tight fit, but then it needs to be. Also re-used the original o-ring, as the kit version seemed a bit thicker. I bought 4, and fitted 2 to the VF, and a third to the 1100F. They're the same size.

ebay sight glass

Haven't actually filled it yet - still waiting for some braided lines. Fingers crossed.

Ian

Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2016 5:01 pm

G'day Ian,
Thank you for that great information. Going to order some.
Thanks
Cheers
AJ

Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2016 5:04 pm

Not sure, but I think tomk1960 makes these.

Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2016 5:10 pm

Mine are made out of Lexan and don't hold up to DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid. This guy on eBay has been selling a lot of these for several years now and they're glass, which is a better material for this application. He must have recently lowered his price, which I think is very fair. I'd say that this is a better alternative to what I offer. You just have to be careful installing it since they will break if you're too forceful.

Tom

Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2016 12:21 am

tomk1960 wrote:

Mine are made out of Lexan and don't hold up to DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid. This guy on eBay has been selling a lot of these for several years now and they're glass, which is a better material for this application. He must have recently lowered his price, which I think is very fair. I'd say that this is a better alternative to what I offer. You just have to be careful installing it since they will break if you're too forceful.

Tom

From the auction description;

EBay wrote:

Please note: These are press fit in place, you'll only need to remove your old trim ring and lightly tap this into place. Be sure to cover the lens with a rag or cloth to prevent damage. They are OEM style reproductions. While these are a great value priced option to replace your failing lens, they are not a long term solution like our traditional glass lenses. They WILL degrade over time. You can expect a few years out of these, possibly more. For a permanent repair, please order our GLASS replacement lenses.

CB1100F Joined: May 13, 2005 Posts: 3217 Location: NE OHIO

Bandit65 wrote:

tomk1960 wrote:

Mine are made out of Lexan and don't hold up to DOT3 or DOT4 brake fluid. This guy on eBay has been selling a lot of these for several years now and they're glass, which is a better material for this application. He must have recently lowered his price, which I think is very fair. I'd say that this is a better alternative to what I offer. You just have to be careful installing it since they will break if you're too forceful.

Tom

From the auction description;

EBay wrote:

Please note: These are press fit in place, you'll only need to remove your old trim ring and lightly tap this into place. Be sure to cover the lens with a rag or cloth to prevent damage. They are OEM style reproductions. While these are a great value priced option to replace your failing lens, they are not a long term solution like our traditional glass lenses. They WILL degrade over time. You can expect a few years out of these, possibly more. For a permanent repair, please order our GLASS replacement lenses.

That is why the perceived price drop .

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 5:51 am

Tried to install these earlier tonight. Had to turn off the lights and come in from the garage--screwed-up both of them.

I'd purchased a "2-pack". They were delivered directly from Communist China in a padded envelope. No instructions whatsoever. I decide to practice on my spare master cylinder--needs an overhaul any way, the piston went in but won't come back out, and the fluid in it was orange and chunky.

I'd expected a snap-ring holding the original sight glass in place. Nope. Finally just punctured and cut the original plastic, then discovered there's a press-fit steel ring that has to come out. A diamond-point chisel worked nicely. Actually wasn't too tough. Did not scar the hole in the master cylinder.

Cleaned the hole, installed the O-ring, and tried to press the new sight glass in by hand. Nope. Found an impact socket the right diameter. Tapped with a hammer--cocked the sight glass and destroyed the steel ring. Except I didn't understand what had happened. I didn't realize that the steel ring on the new sight glass was actually damaged.

So I then proceed to do EXACTLY the same thing on the master cylinder that I'm actually going to use. Too stupid to learn from my first mistake, I guess.

Another two-pack of sight glasses on order. I probably should have ordered four of 'em.

My "new" plan is to cut or sand a bit of taper into the master cylinder casting at the leading edge that the sight glass presses into, hoping that the taper will guide (funnel) the steel ring around the sight glass into place.

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 9:37 am

Schurkey wrote:

Tried to install these earlier tonight. Had to turn off the lights and come in from the garage--screwed-up both of them.

I'd purchased a "2-pack". They were delivered directly from Communist China in a padded envelope. No instructions whatsoever. I decide to practice on my spare master cylinder--needs an overhaul any way, the piston went in but won't come back out, and the fluid in it was orange and chunky.

I'd expected a snap-ring holding the original sight glass in place. Nope. Finally just punctured and cut the original plastic, then discovered there's a press-fit steel ring that has to come out. A diamond-point chisel worked nicely. Actually wasn't too tough. Did not scar the hole in the master cylinder.

Cleaned the hole, installed the O-ring, and tried to press the new sight glass in by hand. Nope. Found an impact socket the right diameter. Tapped with a hammer--cocked the sight glass and destroyed the steel ring. Except I didn't understand what had happened. I didn't realize that the steel ring on the new sight glass was actually damaged.

So I then proceed to do EXACTLY the same thing on the master cylinder that I'm actually going to use. Too stupid to learn from my first mistake, I guess.

Another two-pack of sight glasses on order. I probably should have ordered four of 'em.

My "new" plan is to cut or sand a bit of taper into the master cylinder casting at the leading edge that the sight glass presses into, hoping that the taper will guide (funnel) the steel ring around the sight glass into place.

Alternative: Just send the thing to Tom, he'll sort it and send back to you...

Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 11:04 am

I now offer an improved version that's made out of glass - no more Lexan. There's no trim ring - you sand the edge a bit to get a snug fit, then you lay down a bead of clear RTV and press in the glass. Send me your email address and I can send you a copy of my installation instructions to try with the glasses you ordered. You can also see how to install them on my YouTube video down below.

Thanks for the plug Rick!

Link