Minor 1000 brakes

[sirrom]

I have got a Minor 1000 (948cc) which had 8" brakes fitted to it before I got it. It had a firm brake pedal but it took some stopping. If you were on a downhill run not sure whether it would have stopped you. I took the drums and shoes into a brake shop and they couldnt find anything wrong with them. The only thing I found was at the bottom of the adjuster a small plate had been added obviously to get more adjustment as the drums may well have been skimmed at some stage. The wheel cylinders appeared to be OK.
I decided to put new wheel cylinders in the front and put a set of 7" on that I already had. These were practically a new set I had and the drums had been skimmed.Have bled and adjusted brakes but still has fairly low pedal. When I was bleeding the fronts I noticed that each time on the press down of the pedal the fluid would come out not squirt out or come out under the pressure that it should.
Question is could there be something wrong with the master cylinder that doesnt allow the pressure to come while bleeding and inedequate braking.
If you sit with pressure on the pedal it seems to stay at the same level as doesnt move to the floor, but it does seem to come up higher if you pump the pedal.
My prior Morris 1000 if you jumped on the pedal hard you could lock up but there isnt any hope this one would.
An ideas??

[chickenjohn]

That extra plate to get adjustment sounds dodgy. From your description, I would suggest the following:-

1) Replace all flexible brake hoses, these are cheap and fairly easy to change provided you have Whitworth openended spanners- the rubber hoses collapse internally over time and should be replaced. Then bleed the brakes. You will find the front and rear brakes bleed a lot easier with new flexible hoses.

2) The front drums are probably worn, hence the need for a plate under the adjuster. Buy new ones, they are only about £22 each, cheap for the sake of decent stopping! http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/pop ... hp?pID=425 the usual companies, Bull Motif or ESM do ship parts all around the world!

3) Check the master cylinder, while these can fail on the rare occasion, they usually last decades and usually give plenty warning by leaking or going soft requiring pumping as the seals start to fail.
Unscrew the rectangular plate that sits under your left heel, remove this cover and inspect the master cylinder for leaks, pump the pedal to check. Any leakage of brake fluid in this area means a new master cylinder is required.

Brakes and tyres are the two areas most definitely not to scrimp on!

[sirrom]

Thanks for that John
I did forget to say that I did replace the flexible hoses on the front when I did the brake changeover.
When you say the master cylinder failing when it pedal gets spongey. Dod the fluid leak out of the master cylinder or does it stay in the cylinder by seeping past the seals

[chickenjohn]

It can seep past the seals, pull back the rubber boot at the front of the cylinder to check for leakage.

By the way, if you are at all in doubt, then replace the master cylinder, they are not that expensive at less that £50 for the new Lockheed item. and once fitted, with care can last decades.

[kennatt]

if I were you I would buy new 8 inch and throw the 7s out,7s are next to useless and certainly not good enough for a 1000,they were only just about adequet for 850s.8inch properly sorted are good enough for most minors. If when you press the pedal it holds and then get firmer on the second stroke then 90% of the time its a sign of poor brake adjustment,not the master cylinder.If the master is leaking there will be signs of fluid inside the chassis leg.

[bmcecosse]

You probably just have shoes that are either contaminated - or 'glazed' - possibly due to overheating at some time in the past. The 8" brakes should easily lock the front wheels assuming the cylinders are not seized. You should perhaps inspect closely all the brake pipes in case one has been kinked and is restricting the flow. The little 'plates' (or shims) are common addition - to help the shoe sit more evenly to the drum, and therefore rub all the shoe surface on the drum more effectively. The drums are unlikely to be significantly worn - but easily measured as a check. I would just fit NEW 8" shoes and see how that goes.