Z32 master cylinder question

[Rittmeister]

Did some searching, no definitive answer:

What reservoirs can you use on the Z32 master cylinder? S13, S14, any others?

Also - if I were to want to swap the reservoir while the BMC is in the car, what bleeding would be necessary? And how is the reservoir attached to the BMC - is it just sort of snapped in?

Forgive my ignorance, I've done numerous caliper and line swaps but I've never had a master cylinder apart...

[superJoy]

I used S13 reservoir in my Z32 master cylinder.

They just pop in and out. Tug out the old one, stick in new one.

Not sure on the S14, but I bet it works if S13 does.

I'd be worried about making a big mess with doing while the master cylinder is in the car, but I'm sure it's possible. Probably rebleed the system since you'll have to drain so much out so you don't spill everywhere.

Advantage of swapping reservoirs is you don't have to rewire the brake fluid level plug and if you buy a remanufactured master cylinder they usually don't come with a reservoir.

[hpipro4]

the stock s13 reservoir tank fits and it just snaps in around the rubber seals

you could swap out the reservoir with the bmc attach to the booster....i'd empty out the reservoir tho. while doing this mine as well flush the system.

[Rittmeister]

I have the Z32 BMC already on the car. The issue is that the reservoir cap doesn't want to stay put - it's brand new but a lousy design. It allows a bit of fluid to seep out, so I have a wristband around it, but I want to find a res with a cap that will stay put.

I was pretty sure an S13 res will work, but I like the narrow design of the S14 res and the small cap. Does anyone know if that one will work?

[projectRDM]

I have the Z32 BMC already on the car. The issue is that the reservoir cap doesn't want to stay put - it's brand new but a lousy design. It allows a bit of fluid to seep out, so I have a wristband around it, but I want to find a res with a cap that will stay put.

I was pretty sure an S13 res will work, but I like the narrow design of the S14 res and the small cap. Does anyone know if that one will work?

I'm 85% sure the S14 reservoir works.

[Rittmeister]

Yeah, I've got someone on another board saying it does. I'm assuming though that the plug for the fluid level sensor is different, in which case I'll go with the S13 reservoir.

[adam s]

S13 res works for sure, and I'm like 99% sure the S14 does as well.

Good luck.

[slider2828]

Rittmeister I have the SAME EXACT Problem and its so annoying there's like fluid everywhere.... Its definitely the reservoir and not the cap threads... I got mine from JTuned... sigh.... I gotta do the same thing too +1 for speedbleeders though....

[Rittmeister]

My reservoir is fine, it's the cap/threads.

Your problem may be the fluid/grease that the MC is packed in. I had to wash mine down with brake cleaner several times until it stopped dripping. I'd think it was clean, then I'd drive it and the engine bay would heat up, the grease or whatever would spread some more and drip again.

[projectRDM]

Yeah, I've got someone on another board saying it does. I'm assuming though that the plug for the fluid level sensor is different, in which case I'll go with the S13 reservoir.

It is, the S13/Z32 use one kind of sensor, the S14 is different. Just cut the plug off a salvage car.

[Rittmeister]

Just got back from the junkyard. Came home with two S13 reservoirs and two from cars whose reservoirs look JUST like S14. The plug is different, but I snagged a pigtail from one of them and since it's a two-wire plug it shouldn't be hard to make it work.

For those who need the info:

The S13, Stanza, and early '90s Maxima reservoir is the same. I actually grabbed one S13 and one Max (A32? A31? Not sure).

There were no S14s in the lot, but the res looks just like the one I pulled from a P10 G20, and one from a first-gen Altima. The narrow body with the small cap. The tubes that go into the master cylinder are the same size and spacing as the S13 res, so I think they'll work too.

[Rittmeister]

Update: swapped the reservoir this morning with a junkyard unit from an Altima, which looks just like the S14 reservoir. Everything seems fine now.

Note - I grabbed the pigtail from the Altima for the level sensor since the plugs are different, and did a splice (two wires easy easy). I also made surprisingly little mess after siphoning the fluid from the reservoir on the car. If you're careful you shouldn't have to bleed anything afterward - I didn't and the pedal is still rock solid. The two ports in the top of the master cylinder basically stayed full, and they're higher than the lines, so no air was able to get into the system.

[slider2828]

He Ritt, do you have one that might fit the z32 bmc that you can send me cheap?