Replacement X1/9 Brake Fluid Reservoirs (Part II)

Jeff Stich

Jeff Stich

True Classic
A continuation of my similar offering from about a month ago (see original post here: http://xwebforums.org/showpost.php?p=175261 )...

I now have 2 more of these replacement brake fluid reservoirs available. Same choice of caps as before, same low price of only $37 each shipping included (within USA). Payment via Paypal preferred, thanks. :italia:

xbr02a.jpg


UPDATE 7/15/13: Both reservoirs now SOLD (to PaulD & Dr.Nightowl). I will repost when new items become available.

For those folks wanting one of these reservoirs without having to constantly check Xweb for a new post/offering from me, just PM me & I'll put your name on a "Waiting List". That way, I'll just PM you direct when more become available (to be fair, I'll go down the list in order of requests received - first come, first served). Arman, you're at the top of the list. :)
 
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ooops

Damn, I didn't see that 2 people already responded....

Keep me in mind if you have more....
 
Nice!

Tribalwars said:
I bought one and it fit perfect.Thanks Jeff:dance:
Click to expand...

THANK YOU. This photo is great feedback for me to see/hear. If there are/were any fitment issues, no matter how minor, please let me know. This will help me know if I need to change anything on future offerings of these reservoirs.

Without having an X1/9 on hand to test with, my two main concerns are:

1. Fluid port/hose size. Were you able to simply slide your X1/9's flexible fluid hoses directly onto the short stubs of OE BMW hose that were on the reservoir (as was my intention)? If so, how was the fit? If not (& you removed the BMW hose stubs), were the bare lower fluid ports (nipples) large enough to just slide the X1/9 hoses straight onto them & adequately clamp them?

I'd like to know if I need to continue leaving the BMW hose stubs on, or just remove them, or maybe seek a better "adapter" fitting between the reservoir nipples & the X's fluid hoses. :)

2. Reservoir bottom-to-X-body clearance. With your reservoir mounted in place as your photo shows, how much (vertical) clearance is there underneath the reservoir, between the bottom of the reservoir & the horizontal (sheetmetal) surface of the car? If there's a lot of clearance, I might be able to leave a little more material on the bottom surface, thereby allowing the tank to actually rest directly on the car body as well as being secured via the side bracket.

Side note: In your photo, is that the smaller OE X1/9 clutch fluid reservoir I recently sent to you, as well?
 
Reservoir

I took the little hoses off. Because I bought The hoses that fit the clutch Reservoir from Napa. It just so happens to be the same size as the BMW Brake Fluid Reservoir. The hose does run under the clutch Reservoir so I did have to raise the clutch Reservoir a little bit. I just added a little SS plate to raise the clutch Reservoir.
 
Jeff, no need to leave the hoses

attached. I (also) removed the black hoses you supplied with the reservoir prior to connecting the new hose.

But a word of caution: Removing the hose with a razor blade should be done very carefully, as putting a cut along the plastic spline on the reservoir can cause a leak with a new hose attached.

Also FYI, the 7mm hose Matt Brannon sells fits these reservoir's perfectly.. :woot:

I don't have a photo yet... :angel:
 
What I found when I first did this 3 years ago was that a spacer was needed between the reservoir and car so that the bracket held the thing firmly. I used a short piece of timing belt there and it worked perfectly.
 
Ok...

Thanks for all the feedback from the 3 of you - good stuff! With the info learned from your comments, on future reservoir fabrications I'll go ahead & eliminate the original BMW fluid hoses from the reservoir ports (as noted by both Tribalwars & bbrown), & consider the possible addition of a fabricated metal plate (with hardware) to slightly raise the clutch reservoir (like Tribalwars made), & a shim strip for the rear of the brake fluid reservoir (like both Tribalwars & spiderrey have done).

These adaptations will help future X owners to receive a replacement reservoir "kit" that is as easy-to-install as possible, with no other fabrication or parts needed & requiring basically just a screwdriver & a small wrench/socket to install. Ease-of-installation was the whole reason I took the time to source out the necessary 2-spade cap for this reservoir, & I think the mods noted above will help carry forward that same designed-in simplicity while not being too difficult or time/money-consuming for me to do. :italia:

In order to do this, I'll need a little more info from you guys, if you don't mind? One possible issue I foresee with raising the clutch reservoir is if someone has an X with the early style clutch reservoir cap (as seen in spiderrey's photo), which has a stepped/domed top that sits slightly higher than the later flat-topped cap (as seen in Tribalwars' photo). I can't remember what the underside of the X1/9 hood looks like at the right/rear corner, so I'd like to make sure that any sort of reinforcing architecture on the underside of the hood in that area won't interfere with the top of the early cap if the clutch reservoir gets raised say, 1/2"-3/4"? This may not even be an issue, but I'd like to make sure now before I go ahead & fab any adapter plates.

Ron (Tribalwars), on the adapter plate you made, how far above the original mounting studs did you locate the new holes for the reservoir retainer bracket? Also, the clutch reservoir that I recently sent you had that early style cap on it - can you put this cap on your car & check for any hood clearance issues? This will tell us right away if the height you've already raised your reservoir is ok to use with the early cap (or not). With the same clearance issue in mind - spiderrey, did you also raise your clutch reservoir, & if so, how & how much? Any hood clearance issues with your early cap?

As for the rubber shim strip to fit between the car body & the rear of the brake fluid reservoir, any insight on thickness needed? 1/16"? 1/8"? 1/4"? :confuse2:


"Help me, help you". :grin:
 
Cap heights

Hi Jeff
The clutch Reservoir you sold me with the old style cap fit as well. But it did come close to the hood when closed about a 1/4. The stainless steel plate I made was 1 3/4 high and 3 3/4 wide with the holds to raise the clutch reservoir 7/8 a part. I used stainless steel because it is in the rain tray. And I used stainless steel fuel injector hose clamps. If you need anything else let me know Jeff. Hope you have a good day.:)
 
Re: Info

Tribalwars said:
Hi Jeff
The clutch Reservoir you sold me with the old style cap fit as well. But it did come close to the hood when closed about a 1/4.
Click to expand...

Ok, thanks. So now we know that if I fab some adapter plates using the dimensions you've provided, both style caps will fit (1/4" clearance should be fine).


Tribalwars said:
The stainless steel plate I made was 1 3/4 high and 3 3/4 wide with the holes to raise the clutch reservoir 7/8 apart. I used stainless steel because it is in the rain tray. And I used stainless steel fuel injector hose clamps. If you need anything else let me know Jeff.
Click to expand...

Perfect info, just what was needed. With your permission, I'll go ahead & make the adapter plates using these dimensions, since we know they obviously work. :laugh:

I'll have to check my scrap-metal bin to see if I have any stainless plate. If not, I'll just use a regular steel plate, primered & painted black to make it blend in with the existing sheetmetal bracketry of the X, while also providing some rust protection. I'll leave the choice of hose clamps up to the X owner (ie: I won't include these).

One more item I need to know is the thickness for the rear shim for the brake reservoir. In your photo, it looks like you used a strip of black rubber between the car body & the reservoir? If so, how thick is that rubber strip? This item is pointed out by the light blue arrows in this photo:


 
1 minor detail...

Tribalwars said:
The stainless steel plate I made was 1 3/4 high and 3 3/4 wide with the holds to raise the clutch reservoir 7/8 a part.
Click to expand...

I just realized yesterday that I hadn't made these adapter plates & shipped out the 2 reservoirs yet (sorry!). Got the metal plates cut & measured out the 7/8" vertical spacing, only to realize I don't know the horizontal spacing needed so I can drill the 4 mounting holes. :doh:

So...What's the horizontal distance between the 2 original clutch fluid reservoir mounting studs on the car? This should be measured from center of one stud to the center of the other stud, please. (I don't have an X1/9 on hand to measure this myself)
 
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BUMP!!!

Jeff Stich said:
Got the metal plates cut & measured out the 7/8" vertical spacing, only to realize I don't know the horizontal spacing needed so I can drill the 4 mounting holes. :doh:

So...What's the horizontal distance between the 2 original clutch fluid reservoir mounting studs on the car? This should be measured from center of one stud to the center of the other stud, please. (I don't have an X1/9 on hand to measure this myself)
Click to expand...

I still need to know this measurement before I can finish the adapter plates & ship these 2 reservoirs...Anyone??? :sigh:
 
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The spacer that I used didn't go between the bracket and the car. That would defeat the purpose of the spacer all together. it goes between the reservoir and the car to give the reservoir a tight fit in the bracket. I can get a dimension when I get off work. But it should be a tad shorter in width the the reservoir.
 
Reservoirs bolt width

Sorry Jeff I have been out of touch. I have been on vacation. I have measure the width and it is 2-3/4 I hope this helps. Send me a message if you need any more help.:)
 
6 more available!

Jeff Stich said:
UPDATE 7/15/13: Both reservoirs now SOLD (to PaulD & Dr.Nightowl). I will repost when new items become available.

For those folks wanting one of these reservoirs without having to constantly check Xweb for a new post/offering from me, just PM me & I'll put your name on a "Waiting List".
Click to expand...

I did a small production run of these last night - I now have 6 more replacement brake fluid reservoirs available. Same choice of caps as before, but now the clutch fluid reservoir adapter plate & mounting hardware are also included. Due to the extra fabrication time & cost of adding the adapter plate & hardware, I've adjusted the price upward slightly to a still-reasonable $40 each with shipping included (within USA). Payment via Paypal is preferred, thanks. :italia:

After my last offering of these reservoir kits, I had a few folks express interest in acquiring one whenever they became available again. So with that in mind, I will extend a "first dibs" courtesy of 1 reservoir kit each to SpidArman (Arman Labrada), rjplenter (Rob Plenter) & al_ngl (Alex Nagel). This will leave a total of three (3) additional reservoirs available for any other interested Xweb members on a first-come, first-served basis. :thumbsup:
 
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