Servicing Guide to British Motor V ehicles
Construction
The main component of the servo is the
body and cylinder, treated as one unit as they
are jig-assembled for concentricity. There are
three union mountings on the servo unit, the
uppermost in the drawing being the vacuum
pipe, the one at the side being the supply from
the master cylinder, and the one on the
projecting cylinder being the outlet to the
normal circuit. The cylinder, closed by an end
plate with a breather, contains the piston
assembly, consisting of a leather cup with
expander ring supported by steel plates and
clamped between a flange on the piston rod and
a lock nut. A return spring is fitted between the
closed end of the cylinder and the piston.
The other end of the piston rod is conical
and passes through a seal into the hydraulic
chamber. This conical end can seat inside a
plunger, which, with a seal with a small central
hole, seal abutment collar and compression
spring, are fitted inside a hydraulic cylinder
screwed into the body and sealed by a copper
washer. Note that when the servo is not
operating, the piston rod end is clear of the cone
seating, the plunger being returned by the
copper washer.
Near the vacuum inlet is the reaction valve.
This consists of an annular diaphragm clamped
at its outer periphery between the body and a
domed metal cover, and at its inner periphery by
the two halves of the valve cage. The cage
contains a spring-loaded rubber-faced disc valve
which seats on the vacuum inlet port or on the
lip of the cage. At the opposite end of the cage
are a series of holes for air venting, and through
the centre passes the valve operating spindle.
The entire valve unit is free to move with the
diaphragm, which is itself spring-loaded by a
compression spring returned by the domed
cover. A passage connects the closed end of the
vacuum cylinder with the chamber enclosed by
the diaphragm.
From the hydraulic inlet union a passage
connects with a space between the piston rod
seal and the plunger, and from here a cross-
drilling connects with a small cylinder into
which fits a spherical-ended plunger, with a
pressure seal. The valve lever is pivoted on a
forked lug on the body (note that there are
alternative positions for the pivot pin). Near the
pivot the lever is in contact with the outer end of
the small plunger, and at the opposite end it is
linked to the valve-operating spindle.
Operation.
To consider the operation, it is first necessary
to visualize the state of the various components
before the brake is operated. All the hydraulic
passages are filled with fluid under the slight
pressure provided by the master cylinder to
keep the seals in their correct conformation. The
piston is kept at the outer end of its travel by the
return spring, and the plunger is held against
the copper washer by the compression spring.
Spring pressure also presses the reaction valve
fully home. In this position the disc valve seals
the vacuum port, but is pushed clear of the lip of
the cage, so that the vacuum cylinder is vented
to atmosphere by the passage, diaphragm
chamber, the interior of the valve cage, and the
drillings in its end.
Now assume that the brake pedal is
Note 1: ROCOL, ROCOL House, Swillington, Leeds LS26 8BS
TEL: +44 (0) 113 232 2600
PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.software-partners.co.uk
slightly depressed. The fluid can pass between the return spring. When this happens the piston
the end of the piston rod and its seating on the
plunger, through the centre of the plunger, and
through the small hole in the seal. From the
hydraulic cylinder the pressure is applied to
the wheel cylinders via the outlet union. At the
same time the small plunger is subject to
pressure. If the pedal pressure is slightly
increased the force applied by the plunger,
multiplied by the effect of the lever, is
sufficient to overcome the loading of the
diaphragm spring. Initial movement of the
diaphragm causes the cage to be withdrawn
until the disc valve under the influence of the
internal spring seats on the lip of the cage.
This seals off the air vent to atmosphere of the
piston. Further pressure causes further
movement of the cage, so that the lip of the
Cage withdraws the disc valve from the
vacuum port. When this happens the chamber
behind the diaphragm, and thus the cylinder,
are subject to vacuum. The piston now has
atmospheric pressure on one side and a
vacuum on the other. This pressure difference
causes the piston to move inwards, overcoming
the return spring. As it moves, the tapered-end
piston rod seats in the plunger, sealing off the
fluid passage, and forces the plunger and seal
into the hydraulic cylinder, causing a high
pressure in the wheel cylinder circuit. This is
the start of the boost, and it occurs at a low
pedal pressure so that there is no noticeable
"step”. Notice that in addition to the servo
piston effort, the plunger is also subject to
pedal-pressure on the annular area around the
rod, and the brake supplying force and
reaction force are “locked” inside the cylinder
and servo body.
If the pedal is further depressed the disc
valve will be drawn farther from the vacuum
port, giving an increased vacuum and greater
braking effort until the limit of the servo effect
is reached. Beyond this point, where the
vacuum valve is fully open, increased pedal
pressure will increase the total braking effort
by the direct action of this on the annular
plunge area. If the brake is applied, and then
“held”, the vacuum behind the diaphragm will
build up until the pressure on the diaphragm,
plus the load of the diaphragm spring, balances
that of the smaller plunger acting through its
leverage. When this balance occurs the cage is
in such a position that the vacuum port is
closed by the disc valve, the pressure difference
in the cylinder being sustained. Since the
pressure on the small plunger is that provided
by the master cylinder, and the vacuum is
common to the diaphragm and the cylinder, it
is apparent that at this point of balance the
braking effect is directly proportional to the
applied pedal effort, in a fixed ratio.
When the effort of the brake pedal is
released, the pressure on the smaller plunger is
reduced, and the diaphragm return spring
overcomes this force, moving the cage farther
inwards. This causes the interior spring load to
be overcome, unseating the disc valve from the
lip of the cage, and thus permitting air to pass
through the cage into the diaphragm chamber
and the vacuum cylinder, reducing the pressure
difference to which the piston is subject,
thereby reducing the braking effort. If the
pedal is completely released, the atmospheric
valve is fully opened so that the vacuum is
destroyed, and the piston is fully withdrawn by
rod end is clear of its seat in the plunger and so
fluid can pass through the seal and plunder,
allowing normal recuperation of the system.
In the event of the vacuum servo failing, the
return spring ensures that the piston rod end is
clear of the cone seating, thus fluid can pass
through the servo so that the brakes operate as a
normal non-assisted system.
Lubrication
Follow vehicle manufacturer’s specification.
Notice that on no account should any type of
mineral oil be used. General recommendation is
Molytone C Grease available from Rocol Ltd,
Rocol House, Swillington, nr. Leeds.
Cleaning and Examination
To clean, remove unit complete, after
brushing away all dirt near pipe connections.
Unscrew union nuts, disconnect all hydraulic
and vacuum connections (and breather, if
applicable) and plug open end of pipes.
Supporting servo from below, remove three set-
screws securing unit to chassis, lower and
remove from vehicle.
Plug open connections to prevent entry of
foreign matter and clean exterior with a rag
dipped in carbon tetrachloride, petrol or
paraffin. Do not immerse in or add excess of
liquid, otherwise seals will deteriorate.
Cleanliness is essential. Handle unit with care to
avoid damaging seals.
Between major overhauls dismantling the
servo is not necessary, but routine service
procedure is as follows: —
Stand unit with hydraulic cylinder upright and
allow fluid to drain from vacuum cylinder
through breather. Check valve lever for freedom
of movement and lubricate pivot pins. If lever
and pins are removed, pins must be replaced
with heads towards servo fixing bosses. Wide
clearances on valve lever assembly are
intentional, not to be confused with excessive
wear. Check fitting of split pins.
Remove end cover, withdraw piston assembly
and return spring. Wipe cylinder walls and piston
assembly with clean cotton cloth and re-lubricate,
clean piston return spring, replace in cylinder, and
carefully insert piston rod in seal. Push piston
assembly into cylinder and replace end cover.
Bleeding
After fitting servo to chassis and re-
connecting pipes, hydraulics systems should be
bled in normal manner. As hydraulic unit of
servo will be refilled during the operation,
volume of air expelled at wheel cylinders will
be more than usual. It is essential that fluid
level in reservoir is maintained during this
operation. After bleeding, start engine and
apply footbrakes several times, after which
system should be re-bled to clear any air
pockets from internal passages of servo.
Dismantling and Assembling
Complete dismantling and assembling should
not be necessary, as recommended procedure is to
return unit to manufacturer for attention or to
follow procedure given in fault-finding chart.
Note, however, that cleanliness is essential, that
extreme are must be used to prevent damage to
seals, that vacuum cylinder should not be removed
from body, and that seals must not come in contact
with degreasing fluids or mineral lubricants.