Brand new brake compensator frozen?

[bluespider262]

Hi,

I opened up a brand new compensator and noticed the piston at the end that the rod touches can't be moved. Is this normal?

I'm thinking either its just bad out of the box, or perhaps the piston actually moves out - but only under pedal action (unless the rod is in the right position, preventing that.)? So I need to get some fluid in there + bleed it for the piston to have a range of movement?

[bluespider262]

BTT - anyone have any advice, or does everyone just rip it out these days?

I was able to bleed my brakes regardless of whether the rod was pressing against the piston. I just can't comprehend how this thing actually does anything like this.

[80spiddy]

It seemed to me it was very stiff to move by hand on my new replacement. The torque rod that causes the piston to move out when hard braking, moves very little. Install it and hope it works as planned during hard braking.

[klweimer]

I'd start by calling your supplier and asking them the question about piston movement. It's hard to say how long some of this stuff has been sitting on the shelf before sale. That said, I think lots of people take these compensators out of their systems with no ill effects. Mark Allison sells a bypass hose to do that. When I re-did my brake lines, I just skipped the whole thing. If you plan on doing lots of hard driving and braking, I'd probably try to keep it for panic stops, or replace it with a newer style in-line proportioning valve. Lots of threads on the subject here on the site.
Kirk

[DUCeditor]

I hope you can work out any issues with the compensator. Or, better yet, that there actually are none.

Today's cars are so sophisticated with each wheel being moment by moment evaluated that it is easy to overlook what an advance the Spider's system rear compensation system was for its time.

Two Summers back, while driving a favorite back road, I was coming up on a couple walking their dog -- a rather rare sight on that stretch of road. The man was holding a leash but the dog was not on it. And out it ran, right in front of our car.

I put the brakes on hard -- how hard I cannot say -- how much was me, an experienced sport motorcyclist who reflexively understands traction control -- and how much the Spider, but in any case there was no swerving. Just a firm enough stop to leave my wife and I with pounding hearts and in front of us, too close to see because of the car's hood, a living, breathing, dog.

That there was no swerving or other unnerving anything (apart from the seming likelihood of bump and a yowl) may well have been do to the compensator.

The dog owners called back their pooch and went on their way. Not a word to us.

For the dog's sake (and ours) I was so very, very glad.

-don