Spongey Brakes

[Guest b3nny]

I had to have some welding done as I had snnapped a suspension bracket which in turn knackered my cv joint, the guy that done the work for me took the whole lot out on the passenger rear, now all back together the brakes are very poor and spongy I've bled the system twice with a easy bleed putting a full easy bleed bottle through each caliper and drum but with no luck?

 

They where working spot on before the work, is there anything in the drum that may not have been put back together properly causing my problem?

[Guest mower man]

1, Jack rear as high as poss and rebleed 2 Is the auto adjuster correctly asssembled ok and every thing set up correctly ? mower man

[Guest Ian & Carole]

If you paid the guy to do the work and now it is not as it was before I think I would be knocking on his door.

[Guest b3nny]

I'm in contact with him but I said I'd have a look over this weekend and let him know. But if I can't he will be getting it back.

 

How do I go about setting up the drum and checking the adjuster assembly is correct? The handbrake didn't feel as good as before would the shoes not being adjusted enough cause the rest of the brakes to feel and act this way?

Edited August 31, 2014 by b3nny

[Snapperpaul]

Handbrake auto adjuster will if not working cause the shoes to be far away from the drum surface giving a soft feeling

Jack up rear end turn 1 wheel, apply hand brake turn again, if you can still turn it hand brake adjuster mechanism needs resetting.

Haynes manual shows how, usually stamping on the brakes does it but with old brake internals the grooved wheel can be stiff

[Guest b3nny]

Will this also cause the the braking in general to be poor?

[Guest Ian & Carole]

Will this also cause the the braking in general to be poor?

 

Yes.

[Guest b3nny]

Just had her apart and I'm pretty sure what I've found thed the pproblem, I've found to tiny pin prick holes in the wheel cylinder seal that is leaking fluid under pressure.

 

This is bound to be the problem I would have thought?

[Guest mcramsay]

If you have a leak, then rather than the pressure build up in the fluid causing the pedal to go hard it is forcing the fluid out of the leak site. Plus the fluid will contaminate the brake drum/ shoes making them pretty much useless.

[Snapperpaul]

The rubber boot is just a dust cover the seal is inside the cylinder

Any leak means new cylinder, not expensive and an easy fix.

As you will take the shoes off clean up all the bits make sure they are free moving, small spots of copper ease where the moving parts are

But I do mean a very little smear

[Guest b3nny]

Just been looking at cylinders and as you say very cheap, now I'm not 100% what my rear end of the car is made up from, from Google images it looks like I have escort drums, am I right in saying that the wheel cylinder on a escort is at the bottom where as on the Sierra it's at the top?

 

Mine has 2097 stamped on the front of it

Edited August 31, 2014 by b3nny

[Snapperpaul]

Sierra at the top

[Peter Bell]

Cortina was at the top too, do you have a solid axle?

 

Looks like Dolomite ones are at the bottom.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Peter Bell

[Guest b3nny]

No I have the diff with drive shafts but my drive shafts are also hybrid, allowing a bolt on fitting to the diff bit a push fitting to the hub.

 

My drums have Ford printed on them which led me to belive they are escort as the cylinder is at the bottom?

Edited September 1, 2014 by b3nny