Morris Minor Owners Club

Jacked car up, to check the brake squeaky thing, noticed so wet on inside on tyre on drivers side, then see what's in images below.
Brake shoes have same marks on both sides no idea if that is normal, but need to find where I'm leaking fluid from

Judging by the paint stripper effect the brake fluid is leaking from the bleed nipple or the union or both. Top up the fluid in the master cylinder and get an assistant to press the brake pedal hard while you watch. Alternatively, jam the brake pedal against the seat with a piece of wood. Leave it a few hours or overnight and then look for drips. If the piece of wood has fallen out and the brake pedal is to the floor, look for a puddle! Obviously put a spanner on the nipple and the union and check they are not loose first.

As to the brake shoe it looks like it has only been making contact with the drum In two places. Once you have sorted out the leak you’ll need to check the drum isn’t warped. The shoes look pretty new or very new. They may have just been adjusted incorrectly.

Stephen

Ok will give this a try tomorrow, the brake are new, and shoes at bottom have same marks.
Is there away to test drums to see if warped ?

If they're brand new shoes they haven't had time to bed in properly. Chamfer the leading edge of the brake linings with a file and run some emery paper round the inside of the drum to remove any rust or high spots. Put the drum back on, push fully home and do up the drum screws tight. Press the brake pedal hard to centralise the shoes. Adjust the brakes by tightening the adjuster until the drum is locked solid and then backing off 1 click. Spin the drum and if it is still catching anywhere on the rotation back off another click. Then do the same with the other adjuster. Then drive the car being aware that brake linings take time to bed in and the brakes won't reach full effectiveness for some time. Where safe to do so, do some hard braking. When the linings are bedded in you will have to adjust the brakes again.

You're lucky they squeaked because you found that leak!

Stephen

I would say that if the Drum were warped, then the malformation of the drum would give a consistent wear pattern along the length of the shoe.
It can give a judder, as the high and low sections of the drum rub on the shoe, then come off it.
A rotating oddly shaped drum can't wear off two spots when it's spinning around the whole shoe. It can wear one end if the shoe isn't adjusted correctly, but it can't do it in two places.
To me, that's 2 high spots on the shoe....
The way to check is take a shoe off and slide it around the inside of the drum, does it touch everywhere or just those two spots.

Thanks you two, I shall do all mentioned, I just popped into my garage to press the brake down and see if leaking, and it did from picture with arrow when pressed, it seams like it was leaking from the cylinder at top as it run down behind the shoe, also noticed other cylinder looks open and rubber looks iffy, ? Glad I investigated the squeak

The rubber you can see there is just to keep dust and dirt out. It isn't what makes a seal of the piston in the cylinder. If a cylinder is leaking then it would be best to replace it with a genuine one. Some cylinders can be rebuilt with a rebuild kit but that is not always successful. You might decide to replace both cylinders while you're there. More money but I would just for the peace of mind. Remember you'll also need new bleed nipples and bleed nipple dust caps.

Stephen

The ones on it were cheap things, so I'll get new ones all round I think, regarding bleeding, can you get a bleed kit for morris minor like modern cars so you can do it on your own ?

ttwlr wrote: ↑Tue Oct 07, 2025 8:08 pm The ones on it were cheap things, so I'll get new ones all round I think, regarding bleeding, can you get a bleed kit for morris minor like modern cars so you can do it on your own ?

You can use a Gunson Eezibleed but it is not entirely straightforward. None of the caps supplied with the kit fit the Minor master cylinder so you have to make and modify your own cap to use with the kit. There are forum posts about how to do this. This is the very best way to bleed the brakes on your own because it gets around the fact that the fluid capacity of the Minor master cylinder is very small. You can also use a vacuum type brake bleeder but you have to be aware that you will have to top up the master cylinder frequently. Or there's the cheap and easy Vizibleed kit (Halfords).

I have used the Vizibleed both on my own and with an assistant. It's absolutely fine but I have also got an Eezibleed with a modified unvented master cylinder cap drilled and tapped for the Eezibled threaded connector.

Stephen

After looking at price of Lockheed for just front at £142 is there anything else as good but not as costly.
Will check forum regarding the bleeding kit

They are not quite that expensive.

https://www.morrisminorspares.com/brake ... i-p1238344

Stephen

In my experience, it is well worthwhile paying a little more and buying the "genuine" front brake cylinders over the cheap ones.
Brakes are a vital safely issue and shouldn't be skimped on. The cheap brake cylinders don't last so long and you can't repair them with seal kits which you can with the original type if you're inclined.
Personally, I would purchase and fit a set of 4 new cylinders and do the job properly. They should last a long time and give peace of mind

ManyMinors wrote: ↑Wed Oct 08, 2025 8:47 am In my experience, it is well worthwhile paying a little more and buying the "genuine" front brake cylinders over the cheap ones.
Brakes are a vital safely issue and shouldn't be skimped on. The cheap brake cylinders don't last so long and you can't repair them with seal kits which you can with the original type if you're inclined.
Personally, I would purchase and fit a set of 4 new cylinders and do the job properly. They should last a long time and give peace of mind

Absolutely agree 100%. Remember that Morris Minor brakes are not exactly outstanding at the very best of times. You cannot afford to degrade the braking performance of a system that is only adequate at best. It is a single circuit system so a serious fluid leak only leaves the handbrake in an emergency. That is not a situation anybody would want to be in. Yes the better quality parts are more expensive but really are they that expensive when compared to parts for modern cars? What price peace of mind? I think some people think "It doesn't matter, I don't do many miles" but you never know when you are going to be relying on those brakes!

Stephen

Just wondering

Maybe I am naive but surely a business like ESM wouldn't sell the cheap (£6.90 + VAT) brake cylinders if they are rubbish?

It just wouldn't be worth the bother/ risk of returns/ reputation damage etc

Totally agree with you regarding get quality ones, I will now be getting the Lockheed ones,
I been checking the drums with a shoe as mentioned, and took some pictures putting a light under to look for gaps, as your see they do show some.

So Berni was right and there are high spots on the shoes. You can gently remove those high spots with emery paper ideally on a sanding block until you get a better fit to the drum. Even having done this it still takes time driving and braking to bed in new shoes properly.

Stephen

svenedin wrote: ↑Wed Oct 08, 2025 11:51 am So Berni was right and there are high spots on the shoes. You can gently remove those high spots with emery paper ideally on a sanding block until you get a better fit to the drum. Even having done this it still takes time driving and braking to bed in new shoes properly.

Stephen

Yep, those are pretty obvious high spots Even to the naked eye, the material looks to be at least 1mm higher at the points where it's touching the drum.

Good call Berni
So is this drum replace or uneven shoes ?
I can order new 7" drums from ESM, just waiting from them to get rear cylinders back in stock and I'll order my bits.
Thanks again for your replies and advice.

It's uneven shoes. If you are unconvinced, measure the lining thickness in several places with a calliper. A digital calliper is a useful tool and they're not expensive.

Stephen

I'd be contacting the shoe supplier.
It strikes me that 1mm is a lot of variation in a brand new product that's perhaps got a wear "life" of only 2-3mm.
In normal use it would have taken thousands of miles (many years for most owners) for them to bed in to a safe condition.