bleeding brakes... help?

[tomothy94]

hi guys. had my 1971 2 door saloon for about 6 months now, but its due for its MOT in the next few weeks - frankly i'm terrified, but one thing i'm sure it won't pass on is the brakes at the moment. i have to pump the pedal twice in order to get pressure back (and thus to stop properly) and i have heard bleeding the brakes will fix this problem. i have googled and looked through many different forums, but I just don't understand this process. if anybody could just show me a picture of where the 'bleed nipples' are, i'd at least have somewhere to start - i know i sound ridiculous, but although i'm pretty good when it comes to the engine, the rest of the car is a mystery to me. thankyou in advance for your help

[mike.perry]

If your brakes need pumping you should not be driving the car
To bleed the brakes yo will need a decent jack, not the one that comes with the car tool roll, axle stands, wheelbrace, plug spanner, 3/8 A/F ring spanner, DOT 4 brake fluid, plastic tube and jam jar. Also one willing helper
First you need the master cylinder, this is under the carpet on the driver's side of the gearbox. Lift the carpet and you will see the cap. Clean the area around the cap and undo it with a plug spanner. The level of the fluid should be just below the bottom of the neck. The bleed nipples are on the back of the wheel cylinders and look like grease nipples
TBC

[kennatt]

don't take offence at this I mean non,but if you don't know where to look for the bleed nipple then do you not think that it would be better to get someone else to do the brakes for you,they are essential for safety of yourself and others.You could be talked through the procedure,but you could end up with a worse brake than you have now,for instance it's very easy to snap a bleed nipple off.I know we all had to learn sometime but better to be shown how to do it for the first time then you have a better understanding for the next time. And by the way the fault you describe is more likely to be badly adjusted brake shoes,the first push takes the shoes out close to the drums,then the next one takes the shoes onto the drums and you get a hard pedal and a brake.Corectly adjusted brakes eliminate the first stage.Please don't take offence i'm all for owners doing their own maintanence and keep watching the forum youll be given as much advice as you want.good luck

[tomothy94]

i know where to look, i just can't make out exactly where they are.. i could probably find them i just like to know exactly what i'm doing is all

[bmcecosse]

Read the workshop manual! But as above - your problem is brake adjustment - not bleeding. Who tells you that rubbish???

[tomothy94]

Ok.. my dad was the one who said it. I'll explain further, well, basically, in order to get a hard brake I have to pump twice... you think this is the brake shoes? If so.. help? Thankyou

[brucek]

As with any 'minor' problem, you need to start with the obvious and simple solutions before getting into more technical stuff. Firstly, are you sure that the brake shoes are properly adjusted? They should be tightened front and back so that you cannot rotate the wheel, then slackened off by one click. Wth each wheel off, rotate the drum until the small access hole lines up with the adjuster screw inside the drum. You may need a torch to see it. There are 2 on the front and one each on the back. If the shoes are not prioperly adjusted, the pedal will travel much further than it should. What condition are the shoes and drums in? when were they last checked or changed? again, if the shoes are worn and/or the drums are worn, then you may struggle to adjust them to work properly. The only solution here is to replace drums and shoes all round.

If all of these are checked and are adjusted as they should be, and you still have to pump the pedal, then check the condition of the master cylinder, which is located between your feet as you sit in the drivers seat. This is often forgotten in routine servicing. Make sure you keep all the crud out of the mc when you take the filler cap off too. The fluid level should be just below the neck. If this isn't in good condition,or hasn't been replaced in many years, this too could be the cause of a soft pedal with fluid leaking past the persihed rubber seals inside. These can be replaced in the mc is not badly worn but it may just ve easier to fit a new mc. If you have to replace the mc you will have to bleed the brakes anyway. Whilst looking at the shoes, check carefully all round the front and rear brakes for signs of fluid leaks and replace wheel cylinders and/or damaged brake pipes as you go.

Just so you know what you are looking for, the bleed nipples can be found on the back side of the brake back plate directly behind each wheel cylinder. You may be lucky and find they have a protective plastic cap on them to keep them clean.

My advice would be to check the easy stuff first, then, if this doesn't work, get a suitably qualified or experienced friend to show you what to do next so you'll know what to do in the future.

Good luck

[tomothy94]

i've adjusted the brake shoes and the problem is now much better thanks for your help guys.

[bmcecosse]

PM sent with useful link.