Morris Minor Owners Club

Got a "Do your brakes kit", I was lookin for hints on doing the lot, ive read some post on doin the shoes but im replacing pipes,cylinders,shoes and nipples. seems straight forward enough to do the shoes, all hints and tips very welcome.

Thanks Mark

The brakes are straightforward, master cylinder is a challenge tho, just keep a camera handy and take loads of shots before you dismantle, and replace like for like. Good luck

It's all in the workshop manual - good luck! Main thing - make sure you don't get the different threads mixed up when changing the pipes!

Got all the shoes, cylinders, and brake pipes replaced today, have to bleed the brakes yet, can I use dot 4 brake fluid,or do I need a certain type of brake fluid,

Thanks Mark

Dot 4 is fine, try and suck/siphon out as much of the old fluid from your master cylinder as you can before you bleed

Start at rear nearside then work towards the master cylinder. Good day's work changing all that lot!

Yea it was a good days work!

I tried to bleed the brakes as per manual instructions, but when I press the foot brake the pedal goes to the floor before the car stops.(thats at very slow speed)

My question is,

In the manual it says to undo the bleed nipple connect a piece of tube etc, then press pedal quickly and release, letting the pedal rise up on its own, do this a few times and on the last press hold the pedal to the floor, then tighten the nipple and repeat on the other 3 wheels.

Do I need to keep the pedal on the floor before starting on the next nipple or let the pedal up again?

Does letting the pedal up between bleeding each nipple draw more air in?

Wouldnt the cap on the master cylinder need to be kept off until all nipples are bled, to ensure the master cylinder is kept topped up?


Thanks Mark

put the manual that tells you to bleed your brakes that way straight in the bin!


you put the pipe on the nipple.

push down on the peddle

release the nipple

the peddle will sink to the floor

do up the nipple

release the peddle

top up the master cylinder when required.

repeat until you have no air bubbles.

than move on to the next nipple.

Then go around once again insuring no air comes out of any..

as you thought by not doing up the nipple inbetween pumping you are just sucking back in the air you have pushed out.

The manual I was using was the British Leyland (Austin Morris) Workshop Manual.

The Haynes Manual describes the bleeding process exactly the same way.

as you thought by not doing up the nipple inbetween pumping you are just sucking back in the air you have pushed out

I tightened the nipple that had just been bled before moving to the next 1.

I agree with Charlie, this does need a patient wife/assistant though, or you can buy Gunsons Eezibleed to do it on your own, but I cannot confirm that eezbleed has an adaptor to fit the minor master cylinder.

The official way works fine - provided the tube is in a jam jar of fluid. Of course it's all to much for me - I just let gravity get on with it - while I have a nice cup of coffee.

Gravity? Roy

Yes - great invention - I think Newton was the man ? Put tube on nipple - open end in jam jar with some fluid - open nipple and pump the pedal down and up a couple of times - then sit back with the coffee and watch the little bubbles trail down into the jam jar.

I tried bleeding one of the rear brakes tonight, I saw the bubbles going into the jar but every time my wife pressed the peddle they kept on coming, then next thing the master cylinder was nearly empty,

How many times should the peddle be pressed, and will there always be very small bubbles appearing or should the fluid be completely clear.


Thanks Mark

You do have to keep the master topped up. And yes - the fluid must become completely clear. It's an idea to go round them all briefly - and then back to the start and do a more thorough job. But the master must always be kept topped up. And - do adjust the shoes up tight before you start - but leave the handbrake off.

I read this on the useful tips section.(Brakes/Bleeding etc) It says to loosen the adjuster to prime the cylinder??

and it also says the rear connector banjo should be aimed upwards.

Whats a banjo.
NO funny remarks saying its a musical instrument


Regarding #1 it is not easy to bleed a Minor. The rear bleed nipples do not bleed the cylinders, they only bleed the pipe and connector, therefore you need to 'prime' the rear cylinders by removing the brakes (or at least slacken the adjuster) allowing the piston to move when under pressure. This movement allows fluid into the cylinder and when the piston is pushed back, the air at the top of the cylinder will be pushed back into the pipe leaving fluid behind. This can need to be repeated a fair few times when fitting a new cylinder.
The rear connector banjo should be aimed upwards to allow the air to collect under the bleed nipple, which helps with bleeding out the last remaining air.



Thanks Mark

Never found any of that to be necessary - but try it if you will!
The so called 'banjo' is the connector piece between cylinder and brake pipe - and yes - it looks vaguely like a banjo - apparently!

Mark=1960=2=door=saloon wrote: My question is,

In the manual it says to undo the bleed nipple connect a piece of tube etc, then press pedal quickly and release, letting the pedal rise up on its own, do this a few times and on the last press hold the pedal to the floor, then tighten the nipple and repeat on the other 3 wheels.

sorry the way i read this is
undo the bleed nipple..
pump a few times
tighten up the bleed nipple and move on the next slave.


what i am saying is
keep the all the nipples done up tight
press the peddle, keep the pressure on the peddle
undo one nipple letting the air + fluid out ( via plastic tubing)
keep the peddle pressed down
do the nipple up
release the peddle only after the nipple has been done up
refil the master cylindar and repeat until you get no / very little air out of the cylindar

move onto the next cylindar.

go around the car again, until you get no air out

I seem to recall last time i changed my rear brakes i used over 1liter of fluid but i had to drain out a lot of dirty fluid

I have never primed the rear cylindar before fitting it and never had problems.

as for using gravity.. brake fluid melts paint so i do not like it going anywhere other than a little jam / coffe jar. I think one of the arguments for doing it this way was that kwik fit etal do it this way.. which i think is enough to make me think it is the wrong way to do it.

My main concern against gravity is that if you have an air lock somwhere, the fluid is under very little gravity pressure (after all the difference in hight between the top of the master cylindar and the pipes is not very great) and will probably not force out the air lock.

however if I have missunderstood what you have written are you sure that all the brake pipes unions are done up tight?

this is what the banjo looks like..

http://www.morris-minor.org/brass-banjo ... f9904cbd91

I have pm'd you my number if you want a chat..

No need for the fluid to escape from the jar! It runs out nice and gently taking the air bubbles along with it. It's never failed me yet - on a range of cars. No need to hold the pedal down either - IF the tube is in a jar with fluid - it can't suck back air even if it wanted to. But if you have a willing assistant - then yes probably the quickest way is - pedal down - open/close nipple sharply - pedal up is the way to do it.

Brakes now sorted (I think)

I will have to go for a run tomorrow night just to make sure.

They are much better than they were when I first tried to bleed them.

Thanks Everyone