Braking Issues

[Guest mastarforth]

Hi all

 

I am pcking your brains everyone.

 

I know several posts have been made very various people but just want soem quick advice

 

Pedal movement seems long on braking (is it just as I am used to antilock brakes?)

 

I have bled and bled the brakes in the last few days, this is my only worry for SVA now. whilst on a test drive she does stop, but I am not to happy with the overall brake pedal moveent inolved.

 

I have read on the site that it may be a good idea to blead the brake master cylinder using bleed nipples in the three holes. can anyone tell me if this works as i do not wnat to have to pull all the brake pipes only to find it no different. I have enough bleen nipples so should not be an issue to do.

 

Can you also tell me, I have fitted a non return valve into the vaccuum from inlet manifold to servo, can you tell me which way round this should be. I have it so the flow (indicated by the arrow) was away from the servo towards the inlet manifold, is this correct as I am wondering i this may be causing my problem

 

Thanks all

 

Andrew

[DAVE CASTLE]

Hi Andrew the arrow should point towards the manifold have you got the calipers the right way up,bleed nipple to the top

Dave

[Guest mastarforth]

thanks dave

 

yes calipers are correct way around withteh bleed nipples to the top.

 

I think I amy have to just bite the bullet, I ahev a self bleed kit so will not be a big problem, maybe it is just a break disk stuck at thefront. Like i say I have had her out and she seems to be stopping but the travel is a bit worrying and the fact that it is spongy.

[Guest timswait]

I've never been entirely happy with the brakes on my 2B. it stops fine and had no problems with SVA or subsequent MOT tests, but the pedal is long and to me lacks feel. They always feel subjectively 'worse' than most modern cars I drive (incidentally this has nothing to do with whether or not they're antilock. Until the ABS cuts in there won't feel any difference due to the ABS, the difference comes from other compenents in the brake system). I suspect that there's actually nothing wrong as such with your brakes, that's just the way they're meant to be, ie not great. I think some of the problem comes from drums on the rear, there's always going to be slack which needs to be taken up before the shoes contact the drum. Cars I've driven with discs all round always feel much nicer on the brakes. Are you on rear discs or drums? I'm just about to upgrade to rear discs, hoping this wil help me.

I have read on the site that it may be a good idea to blead the brake master cylinder using bleed nipples in the three holes. can anyone tell me if this works as i do not wnat to have to pull all the brake pipes only to find it no different. I have enough bleen nipples so should not be an issue to do.

I've heard of this for some cars (e.g. Minis) which are prone to air locks on the master cylinder, but I'm not sure this applies to the Sierra cylinder. One thing I've found that really helped was an Eezi-bleed kit. It works off air-pressure from a tyre and automatically keeps topping up the fluid reservoiur. You don't need to pump the pedal, just connect it up and then open each bleed nipple in turn. You get a much better flow of fluid than you can get by pumping, so it really clears any air out. It worked really well for me, I had bled them as well as I could with a one way valve and by getting a mate to pump the pedal while I opened and closed the nipple. Then I tried the Eezi -bleed and managed to get out air which had been left behind by the other methods.

[Guest timswait]

BTW I don't think the servo has anything to do with it. That valve is just a one way valve to hold vacuum in the servo after the engine is switched off. If you have it the wrong way round you won't get a vacuum in the servo, so you won't get any power assistance so the pedal will feel very heavy.

[Guest mastarforth]

I have been using the eazi bleed to bleed them still not happy.

 

Am going to go back out on a test drive and see what i think of them.

 

maybe you are right that they are just meant to feel like that. strangely I have checked the rear calipers and iam very happey in that the adjusters are working fine on the backs so something else is not working for me.

 

Andrew

[Guest craig030774]

i had easi bleed and couldn,t get decent brakes had to take drums off and use g clamp on slave cylinders took bloody ages to find but using nipples in master cylinder pinpointed to rear so just went through everything put me back about 2 months and gallons of brake fluid

[Guest timswait]

I have checked the rear calipers

Do you already have rear disc brakes then?

[Guest mastarforth]

no using drums

[Guest salty_monk]

Try wedging a lump of 2x4 between the seat & the pedal to keep the pedal fully compressed & leave it a couple of days. This method worked for me on a morris minor when all else incl an Eezi bleed failed.

 

The fluid being under pressure seems to help the bubbles rise to the top of the system.

 

I know you say it feels spongey but does it "pump up"?? If it doesn't get firmer with multiple strokes then air in the system is not your problem.

 

Dan

[Guest Ian & Carole]

Andrew have you tried clamping the flex bake hoses one at a time.

 

Clamp each flex (rubber) hose and try the pedal each time.

 

You might find you can pin point which area of the system has a problem.

 

Just a thought, I have used this method with great success.

 

HTHs

 

Ian J

[Guest mastarforth]

thanks all

 

I think I located it, it looks like the brake pipe from the flexi, to the drum is leaking through the female end.

 

I am going to make a new one now

[Guest john]

If you've bled all the air out , the thing most likely to give under pressure is the flexibles ballooning.

 

Are they new ?

[Guest chris brown]

Andrew are the rear brakes correctly adjusted in the drums and not on the cable? If not this can give a long pedal. To adjust first slacken the hand brake cable right off (plastic nuts on the outer) now remove one brake drum and adjust the shoes, centralise them as best you can and replace the drum and hit it on the front face (never on the side) to further centralise the shoes. You may have to repeat this two or three times until when the drum is spun there is just a very slight bind. (BTW if using old drums remove any lip on the first 2 or 3 mm on the inside, just run round it with the angle grinder being careful not to touch the working surface), Once you have done both brakes adjust the hand brake cable for three clicks to on.

[Guest mastarforth]

Thanks for all of your help

 

Turned out it was a dodgy flare on the rear brake (that I had just made ;-( ) NEw pipe and a guick bleed, and all is well now only have to fit mirrors, protect some of the front end (nut covers, and pipe lagging with selaf amalgamating tape), and sort horn, centre push on the horn is reating a head ache need to fit some new insulated terminals.

 

Also have an indicator bul off at the back, will go and get the car filled and a indicator bulb at the same time.

 

Again thanks for oyur help it is much appreciated.

 

andrew