Posted by Troy Schneider on January 23, 1999 at 11:25:12:
I topped off the master cylinder on my M-37 this morning, and when I was tightening the plug I heard a very depressing "SNAP!" I don't know where the leak in the system was before, but now there's a pretty obvious one.
Some questions:
1. Am I an idiot? Can over-filling the cylinder cause enough pressure to crack the cover? Or is this a case of an old part just finally failing? (I'd like to tell myself there was a hairline crack already, and that's where the fluid was leaking to begin with...)
2. Can I replace just the cover and gasket, rather than yanking the whole master cylinder?
3. If so, is it possible to buy just the cover & gasket?
4. Anyone have a recommendation about where to buy the cylinder and/or cover? I've seen master cyclinders listed for anywhere from $50 to $80. Anyone had particularly good/bad experiences with the various MV parts vendors?
Thanks in advance -- the experience that gets shared in these forums is a huge help to us non-mechanics who are trying to muddle through.
-TKS