Strange "FUN Fact"

lalessi1 · 2020-03-19 11:40

OK, it is a long story but I got water in the gas tank of my pressure washer... pulled the carb to drain it and it had an O-ring instead of a gasket to the intake. The O-ring had expanded due to the ethanol in the gas and I couldn't get it back in the grove.... bought a couple of O-rings at the hardware store and the store owner told me he had heard that soaking the O-ring in brake fluid would cause it to shrink back to its original size.... WELL IT WORKED!!!! Soaked the O-ring for less than 5 minutes and it fit right back in. I would have lost money on that one.

hiball3985 · 2020-03-20 06:43

Very interesting, I love little tips like that, thanks Lynn

Ecode70D · 2020-03-20 11:03

Lynn
I'm not trying to be a wise guy. Was it dot 3 or dot 5?
Thank you very much for sharing that trick with us.
Jay

lalessi1 · 2020-03-20 16:41

DOT 3 is what I had...

Ecode70D · 2020-03-20 18:15

Quote from: lalessi1 on 2020-03-20 16:41
DOT 3 is what I had...

Thanks Lynnn
I have both types of fluid in the shop.

It would be nice to come up with a similar method for the home water filter. I change it regularly and sometimes the big O ring
is stretched and sometimes it's OK. The truth of the matter is that we don't now what they put in the rubber these days.
Lots of the new rubber that we put in our cars is no good in a short period of time.
Jay

SkylinerRon · 2020-03-21 01:13

Would have to be Dot-3 because Dot-5 is silicon.

I first learned this trick from an old Ford dealer mechanic while installing rear spring shackle bushings about 50 yrs ago.

Ron.

cokefirst · 2020-03-24 00:18

back in the late 60's early 70's mechanics in this area used to put a 1/2 can of brake fluid in an automatic transmission with shifting problems. It solved the problem for a while. I had a 55 Thunderbird (still do) that was shifting poorly. I used the trick and the transmission worked for a couple more years before it became Park, Neutral, Neutral, Neutral and Neutral.

djfordmanjack · 2020-03-24 04:07

Ethanol of course is alcohol, and the o ring probably soaked it up pretty good, expanding it. Dot 3 and 4 are alcohol based. yes conventional brake fluid is not a grease or oil, it's alcohol. most probably the alcohol in the o ring rubber dissolves into the brake fluid, or since both alcohol types are known to soak water or rather Oxygen and Hydrogen molecules, maybe it is moisture that gets drawn back into the higher level alcohol brake fluid. I am not so much into chemicals, but all of this sounds very reasonable to me. Thanx for the tip, Lynn.

Ecode70D · 2020-03-24 08:22

Quote from: cokefirst on 2020-03-24 00:18
back in the late 60's early 70's mechanics in this area used to put a 1/2 can of brake fluid in an automatic transmission with shifting problems. It solved the problem for a while. I had a 55 Thunderbird (still do) that was shifting poorly. I used the trick and the transmission worked for a couple more years before it became Park, Neutral, Neutral, Neutral and Neutral.

HA! cokefirst Now that you mention it I do remember that crazy method of rejuvenation of the automatic transmissions. Never did
have to try it out though because my cars were all standard shift.
I suppose that...... Park, Neutral, Neutral, Neutral and Neutral may have served at least one purpose. It kept the mileage down on the cars.

mustang6984 · 2020-03-24 18:03

Mine are sill except for my P/U, my old U-Haul truck, my grandfather's Buick Le Sabre and the newest addition the '65 Chrysler New Yorker. Both Explorers are even 5-speeds.

I toyed with the idea of a C-6 behind the 390 going into the Courier....but just can't bring myself to abandon my sticks and leave my left leg bored stiff.

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Strange "FUN Fact"