Morris Minor Owners Club

I am working on my rear wheels. The left rear brake doesn't work at all, either with the foot or hand and when I pulled the wheel and drum off I found it saturated in brake oil. The slave cylinder doesn't move at all even though fluid is being pumped into it. I have ordered pattern replacement ones from ESM so hopefully that should fix the problem. I also ordered one for the other side and four new shoes. Do I need anything else?

I noticed that the wheel bearing has a bit of play in it. Can it be adjusted or do I just have to buy a new one? Is there a special tool for removing it or does one have to undo that huge nut?

The thin blue Haynes manual (024) I have seems pretty useless!

Nick
Moggy Newbie

PS Tried to post this in Mechanical forum but it kept crashing out into debug mode!

A can of brake cleaner might be useful, otherwise just thoroughly clean and degrease the drum -I'd use white spirit.

I wouldn't worry about the bearing unless it rumbles, there's usually a bit of play in these as they're ball bearings and need the inner end of the halfshaft as part of the support. If there is significant play (compared to the other side, for example) with the halfshalf and wheel still fitted then it's not too difficult to replace them. You need to undo that big nut (flatten the lock washer out of the way first) and it's a left-hand thread on the left side of the car - a 1 5/16" socket is needed but some folks use a hammer and chisel instead! You'll likely need a puller (2-legged is easiest here) to get the hub off. Then drift the bearing out of the hub from behind without damaging the surface or the hub, replace the oil seal too and press the new bearing in using a vice and a suitable sized socket, for example, as a spacer. A new o-ring and gasket would be good too. Oh, and bear in mind that it will dribble oil over your drive as soon as you start taking the halfshaft out but maybe you're already at that stage.

The Haynes manual does have its uses though an original workshop manual is better. I objected to paying so much for the Haynes manual when it was half the thickness of more recent ones!

Thanks very much for that info! I'll hold off on the wheel bearings then until I hear it rumble. I have to save my money for a new floor and rear doors!

Cheers!

Nick
Swindon

Stig28 wrote: a 1 5/16" socket is needed but some folks use a hammer and chisel instead!

The correct socket size is 1,1/8Whit (1,7/8AF is very close and works)

Rog

I measured it at 48mm .....

Nick
Swindon

48mm should fit OK. 1 1/8W is about 47.2mm AF.

Just be sure it's not diff oil that's on the shoes ?? If it is - then new bearing and seals will be required before you fit the new brake parts, or you will just get the whole job to do all over again.

It's an easy job to do too, changing the seals and gasket! Well worth doing, as it is quite likely to be diff oil. Look on the "inboard" side of the brake backplate, if oily, the seal behind the bearing needs replacing. If oil is coming from the hub inside the brake, then it'll be the paper gasket and O ring.
Good luck anyway!

Not sure really. Yellowish sticky slippery stuff was sort of all over the brake innards.

I have replaced the slave cylinder and will try getting some brake fluid into it and then see what happens. Thinking about it, I am not sure if it was brake fluid though.

Is there an easy way to breed the brakes? Do I have to bleed them all individually?

Nick
Newbie Traveler Owner (bucket of rust and rotten wood)

Is there an easy way to breed the brakes? Do I have to bleed them all individually?

No and yes.


That said its not really hard.
I use a tube that has a bearing in one end so it can pass break fluid through but not suck in any air. (not , its not cheating)
You work around the car starting with the drum farthest away from the master cylinder.

Usual business, lossen nipple, get assistant to push brake, tighten nipple, repeat..over and over...

I'm sure I've read that those 'easibleed' automatic kits dont work on Minors...though I've not tried myself.

I'm sure I've read that those 'easibleed' automatic kits dont work on Minors...though I've not tried myself.

I've used one quite happily! - that the type that has the spare type used as a low pressure source (uses about 10 psi - so you have to let the tyre down a lot first!)

To use it sucessfully, you'll need a spare master cylinder cap. This needs the top drilled and tapped to take one of the "standard" thread adaptors (supplied with the kit), plus the breather hole blocked (tapped and screw fitted + epoxy).

It does make the job a one person task, and much quicker. Also, because you're not using the full travel of the brake piston, the piston seals are not being used over the ends of the M/C bore (which can corrode and wreck the seals rapidly).

Obviously got my vote!

Colin

Cool!
Modified MC caps eh?
Nice little niche for one of the suppliers I recon.

Don't they use more fluid or am I thinking of something else?

The Eezibleed kits are great once you've got hold of a spare cap and modified it. I did mine in a slightly different way to Colin - I didn't have the right size of tap in stock so I drilled a plain clearance hole in the cap and then turned the top thinner in a lathe so I could use the pair of nuts and washers that come with the kit to clamp either side of the hole. I plugged the breather hole with a bit of silicone sealant.

I don't think it takes any more fluid to bleed the system.

From what I can see, the handbrake is purely mechanical. Now that I have replaced the rear slave cylinders, I can still spin the rear wheel hubs by hand with the handbrake on. I guess this means I need a new cable? (I have turned the little adjuster screw fully clockwise in both rear brakes. and adjusted the nuts each side of the handbrake lever in the car as far down as it will go so that the springs are fully compressed.)

First off - that yellow sticky stuff IS almost certainly EP90 diff oil !!
And no - the handbrake cables must not be that tight. Slecken them right off, and then adjust up the rear brakes with eth 'snail' adjusters until the brakes are 'just' dragging very slightly (tighten till solid, then back off one click) and then adjust up the cables until handlever is as you like it. Of course - the cables need to be lubricated and free to move - check this first!!
But almost certainly you need new seals and maybe bearing to stop that oil running out again - and of course - top up the diff to make good the leakage.

Whilst "down there" doing all this lovely mucky work (I finally have the handbrake working, have to do the bleeding next) , I noticed that the right leaf-spring suspension main (longest) part is broken! Should I replace both sides?

I have ordered new bearing kits and the large socket.

Thanks for all the advice by the way - invaluable!

Yes, to the spring. I'd say the pair should always be changed, not just the one, or the handling will be a little queer.

I'm sure there have been posts before about replacing springs if you do a search. Basically it's best to replace a few other bits while you're at it - amongst which I'd recommend poly bushes instead of rubber as they're much easier to fit and last much longer (could give a hasher ride though if you fit harder ones). Start squirting penetrating oil onto the U-bolt nuts now while you're waiting for the new parts to turn up!

One of the suppliers (maybe more?) sell a suspension 'kit' which contains all the bits you need.

I bought this for mine as I didnt trust myself to remember how many parts I needed to buy. There's a surprising amount of stuff, most of it needed in 2s or 4s.

Personally I didnt bother with polys, just got whatever bushes came in the kit. I've not actually done the job yet though... to much other stuff to do first.

Any pointers, hints and tips about getting the oil seals out of the hubs? I have a bearing kit with new seals. The old ones seem stuck in!

Cheers!

Nick
Swindon