1.6 Brake Compensator / Queries

[rikky 37]

i'm rebuilding my 205, completely, so have an empty engine bay. me being me, i removed the cylindrical brake compensator (it's a 1.6 shell) and can't find it now. no problem, i'll buy another. but oh no, looks like they're NLA and i can't find them at my usual parts suppliers

 

i'm guessing this is just to provide the right pressure to the rear muchlike the newer 306 load ones on the beam with a spring and whatnot? is that why it's at a slight angle aswell? so i'm guessing it's fairly crucial

 

if i get rid of it completely and just plumb the brakes i'll have massively incorrect rear brake pressure so what are my options?

 

in my mind i was toying with a 1.9 rear beam setup. how do the 1.9 ones work with discs - the same? the compensator mounted on the chassis leg above the subframe in the same place as the 1.6? and if so, what do people do with them if they need new ones? (i've not checked part numbers for 1.6 vs 1.9 but i bet they're different)

 

furthermore, i was wondering about the brake side of it. it's getting a gti6 engine. i have a set of gti6 brakes ready to go on, and also have a gti6 master cylinder doing nothing including the top reservoir. is it advisable to use this with the gti6 brakes? or will the normal 1.6 205 one be ok? (standard 205 1.6 gti servo)

 

on my old track car (306) i had a gti6 MC with the front port providing the front brakes (split at a T piece) and the same for the rear brakes and the rear port (but it ran thorugh an in-car-adjustable Wilwood bias valve). this 205's a road car. a standard one, with carpet etc, so no valves will be going inside it

Edited August 13, 2012 by rikky

[welshpug 1,646]

I'd stick up a wtd ad for a 1.6 unit, its a sliding bb type, hence the angle it sits at front/rear single line.

 

1.9 used a pair of sprung pressure limiters sat just in front of the fuel tank (two line diagonal split)

 

 

23.8 mc is preffered with the 57 mm piston gti6 caliper, will work fine but worth checking the clearance of the rod to front face of the servo, details in haynes.

[feb 47]

On a similar topic, which way should the 1.6 compensator be tilted to have more rear bias?

[Anthony 1,002]

AFAIK, the more upright it is, the more rear bias, although I've never personally tried adjusting it.

[rikky 37]

cheers, for some reason i've had no emails to say someone had replied to this

 

anyway, i actually managed to find a 1.6 proper compensator new on BrakeParts. the only place i hadn't checked. £40 approx so i might just buy one of them. 23.8mm is the later gti6 one isn't it? which would be fine as my six was a V plate P3

[welshpug 1,646]

All 6's use the same mc, similar to all 406's that only used 23.8mm

[rikky 37]

cool, ta. i've got the MC and reservoir off the '6 so will see of I can get it plumbed up. failing that I have a new 205 reservoir on order anyway. (incase the top sensor doesn't wire up but it's I ly two pins so should be fine)

[allye 530 3 Cars]

I'm running 1.9gti front set up and 1.6gti beam and drums and never fitted a compensator, front lock up before the rears. Its fine! Never driving it in icey cold weather though.

[Anthony 1,002]

It's certainly *not* fine running without compensators if he's planning on using a 1.9 beam as per the first post!

 

1.9 front calipers and rear disks without compensators will lock the rear first, as anyone that's owned a 1.9 and had a rear compensator stick open will confirm...

[pug_ham 243 3 Cars]

I'm running 1.9gti front set up and 1.6gti beam and drums and never fitted a compensator, front lock up before the rears. Its fine! Never driving it in icey cold weather though.

Was it definately a full 1.6 beam or were the back plates / brakes from a lower spec model with the compenstor built into the wheel cylinder yet the same 40mm wide shoes?

 

g

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Was it definately a full 1.6 beam or were the back plates / brakes from a lower spec model with the compenstor built into the wheel cylinder yet the same 40mm wide shoes?

 

g

 

Its a 1.6gti beam (I hope!) re-built by anthony, I rebuilt the brakes with all new cylinders, shoes, lines etc etc so its in good shape. As said though I've never driven it in icey weather nor tried locking them up in the wet.

 

I did have a compensator fitted but as with (what seems like) the vast majority of 2nd hand hydralic parts it was siezed and stopped the brakes bleeding so I just removed it, the fronts are also completely rebuilt with decent pads and discs so I imagine that helps.

Edited August 15, 2012 by allye

[pug_ham 243 3 Cars]

I rebuilt the brakes with all new cylinders

Easy way to identify the cylinders, what size was the union into the cylinder?

 

10mm union is 1.6 GTI cylinder without built in compensator, 13mm union is base model cylinder with built in compensator.

 

g

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Its definetly a GTI beam! Without the compensators built in.

[austingm 0]

cheers, for some reason i've had no emails to say someone had replied to this

 

anyway, i actually managed to find a 1.6 proper compensator new on BrakeParts. the only place i hadn't checked. £40 approx so i might just buy one of them. 23.8mm is the later gti6 one isn't it? which would be fine as my six was a V plate P3

 

Can you post a link to the compensator on BrakeParts as I cannot seem to find it?

 

Thanks

 

Austin