ls1247

iTrader: (2)

I reinforced the bottom side of mine with a tube of liquid nails 3 years ago and it's held up well....

wan2run

iTrader: (2)

Had the windows down last week and both rear sail panels pulled away from the c-pillar. Both were broken so I epoxied a flat washer and re-mounted.

Mike ctsV

Good idea, ill give that a try next time, im on my third one

BaMaDuDe87

Interesting, are these like the reg CTS rear panels? Pull the Airbag tab out and there is a bolt behind? Something is going on with mine, like they are not bolted on, but have not went to looking yet

ls1247

iTrader: (2)

use thin layers, let it dry and keep pilling it on...I used a whole tube before it was said and done but I to got sick and tired of replacing these things too...

ls1247

iTrader: (2)

those are the ones...gluing a washer on them works well.

Choppy_Idle

Yes, pull the Airbag tab off, there is a screw behind!

Regards
Ron

wan2run

iTrader: (2)

I haven't examined a regular CTS, but can't imagine they're any different. They're meant to break away easily for the side airbags, but end up breaking from the wind. I believe there is a revised part, but this seems to be working well. Had the windows down and it's still holding.

BudRacing

iTrader: (3)

I did something similar to fix mine. It may be a little stronger than the washer.







As you can see, a washer would not have worked for me.

vroom_vroom

iTrader: (5)

Had the bright idea to pull my cam sensor out this morning when I couldn't sleep. Seemed simple enough, pull it out put a new o ring and see if it helped with the worlds slowest oil seep. But no that ****** was stuck in there to the point it broke several times trying to get it out. Ended up pulling the radiator drilling half way in the sensor so I could get something solid to yank on.

CTSvOH

How long do they last until you need to replace them?

Mike ctsV

Depends. I Never had a brand new one, just used ones. Im sure a brand new one woulda held up for a long time

AAIIIC

iTrader: (19)

Started interference removal for pulling out my clutch master cylinder (PMC) to fix a leak. Driver seat is unbolted and moved back, wiper assembly is removed.

Still not sure where exactly the leak is coming from, but for a while now I've been getting brake fluid on the inside of the firewall, and the clutch reservoir has to be topped off periodically. I was working in the driveway and it started getting dark, so I'll continue tomorrow with some daylight so I can investigate more. Tilton rebuild kit from Summit should arrive tomorrow.

barrok69

I was installing something under the rear shelf and had to take off the sail panels and noticed they were cracked. I JB welded flat washers onto them and was very liberal with it to strengthen the entire area.

They have not budged at all and I doubt they ever will. Going on 4 years now.

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

I've never seen bad piston seals cause an external leak. Are the drips next to the firewall or is there fluid falling from the end of the adapter onto the carpet? You should be able to find some sort of corrosion or discoloration around the clamping collar, fill port, upward facing outlet (assuming you have a 76 series master), or horizontal outlet.

My initial guess is that you're using the hose barb to 4AN adapter for the fill port, and the hose has loosened up. The second thing to go will be that 90 degree 3AN adapter on the line he provided.



Figure 1 - Tilton 76-series Master Cylinder

wan2run

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, that is pretty beefy. I'd be afraid of the bolts cracking it worse, but seems like it's working for you.

BudRacing

iTrader: (3)

The direction of the bolts puts them in shear stress. They're much less likely to pull out that way.

AAIIIC

iTrader: (19)

Pulled the Tilton clutch master cylinder out yesterday, need to rebuild it to reinstall. Raining today, continuing tomorrow and Saturday, so I probably won't reinstall until Sunday.

I cannot say the same, I'm afraid. I figured that's where the leak had to be from, and sure enough... When I pulled off the PMC firewall adapter piece it had a puddle of brake fluid in it, and I could see fluid looking back into MC where the pushrod comes out.

Well, I never actually saw any drips, but I occasionally felt the pedals (clutch and dead) get slick, and the floor mat is discolored from fluid. There was also fluid on the black rubber firewall liner (or whatever you want to call it) that surrounds all the penetrations through the firewall.



I think the fluid must've been dripping from the MC onto that wire sleeve, then running down to where that thick wiring bundle is. I popped that big-*** grommet out and all around the bottom edge of that there was fluid. (Not bad inside that hole, just where the two rubber pieces seat together.) Picture below is after I had cleaned it all up...



Dirty fluid on the locking collar...



I wouldn't expect a leak from those to lead to fluid inside the car - I would think any leakage there would drip straight down, and/or seep along the MC and drip off the low point at the flange on the engine bay side of the firewall. Anyway, the hose from the reservoir and the supply off the back of the MC were both leak-free. [The hose connection at the barb fitting was loose with the original spring clamp, so I replaced the spring clamp with a screw clamp when I did the initial install; all good there. And the AN adapter is an AN adapter - unless I didn't install it correctly initially (in which case it would've leaked immediately), I have no reason to think it'll start leaking.]

I wish I knew why the seal(s) started leaking, as the whole remove/reinstall process is something I would very much like to avoid. Philistine said only one other person has contacted him about something similar.

While I was in there I replaced the -4AN hose with a shorter one. The RPS clutch slave setup on the car has a rather long supply line - here it was during the initial install with the supplied -4 hose:


And the shorter hose (9" vs 15", I think?):


I bought that shortly after doing the initial install, along with the male-to-male connector. I was thinking that with that connector I could get rid of the OEM dry-break connectors and further shorten things up. After all, why would I ever need to take this thing apart? I've changed my mind now - I'll be leaving the OEM connectors in there!

FuzzyLog1c

iTrader: (4)

That seems premature for a seal failure. Where are you running your clutch line? If your clutch line is running past your headers (instead of through the triangular opening below the master cylinder mounting location), the rubber seals will be degrading at an accelerated rate due to the temperature.

FWIW, I run two short Earl's 3AN brake lines (3000-4000 PSI working pressure) to the Tilton 6000 series slave with a 3AN union fitting near the T56 interface ports to allow me to break the connection if I need to. To date, I've never actually needed to break the hose connection because I've always given myself enough slack to back the transmission out and unbolt the M6 screws holding the slave. I would consider getting rid of the OEM connector, if for no other reason than it reduces claptrap.

Next time, I recommend trying a Tilton 76-812 CMC and deleting that assist spring. There are also a few other tricks of the trade... e.g. using a stiffer, unmodified Tilton CMC rod (minus the machining Jaysen did to weaken it) with a drilled-out pedal position sensor to accept the larger diameter shaft. You don't need an .875" bore master to make your clutch work. I can almost guarantee you'll do better with the reduced pedal effort associated with the smaller CMC.

ls1247

iTrader: (2)

In all fairness, AAIIC bought that used/new from me. I got his PMC NIB with a car I purchased and its possible the knuckle head I got the car from sat in front of the TV and cycled it all night without any fluid in it....And I know for a fact he got the PMC when he bought the car cause he only had it 3 weeks before his wife made him sell it...

His PMC technically had at least 4 owners before it even got installed.

Sorry to see you have problems with this...