Brake cylinders

Locky1978 · Apr 12, 2012

Hi All. I'm sure I posted this once already but I can't find it so apologies if you've replied already.

I'm having a small issue in that my brake pedal seems to need a couple of pushes to go firm. I've bled the brakes twice so I'm certain there is no air in the system. I replaced the rear flexi hose, and have new brake cylinders on all four corners.
Brake shoes are also adjust correctly.

The only thing I did notice when I received my brake cylinders is that all four are the same size. I have standard front axle and salisbury rear all of the cylinders were 1.5's if I remember correctly.

Could this be the problem, should my rears be smaller? 1.25's

jamesmartin · Apr 12, 2012

master cylinder ok ,does fluid splash back in reservoir when pedal pumped ,clamp flexis one at a time see if you can isolate ,because there new cylinders doesnt mean one cant be poor ,air can be sucked in on return stroke even though no obvious leak

Locky1978 · Apr 12, 2012

Hi James, I'm starting to wonder about the master cylinder myself. The second time I bled the brakes I did have trouble getting any fluid to pump out of the rears. I took the master cylinder lid off and tried again and the rears pumped fluid just fine. I wasn't sure what happened. When I had the bleed screw open with my one man bleeding kit there was no resistance at all on the brake pedal. Do you think a master cylinder may well cure it?
I don't remember seeing fluid splash back. What does it mean if it does?
The braking efficiency was good on a recent mot, but I don't feel like I could lock the wheels up. Not that I've tried that hard.

jessejazza · Apr 12, 2012

Before you go out and spend try the following.

I'd suggest that you isolate each part of the system where possible to eliminate the problem.

e.g. i keep a female union handy with a bleed nipple in one end. Take the pipe out of the front 4-way junction and put on the end... bleed and test. If pedal nice and hard it aint the MC. Then you can work through the rest of the system to find the problem.

I always had a problem years ago with my Escort mk 2. One flare was not formed correctly... sometimes i could bleed them, fine other times ?

what material are the pipes? copper, kunifer, steel? copper is awful stuff and is far better being replaced with kunifer.

When i flare pipes i then use the spare male or female union to tighten up on first before putting on the motor. Just allows the two bits to seat together.

Are you sure you haven't got a metric nut on a 3/8 flexi. I've just done a car and some noddy garage had done exactly that. It's close but the two should not be mixed.

Locky1978 · Apr 12, 2012

Ok thanks for the replies guys. I'll try isolating some parts of the system this weekend and see what I can find.
All the lines are new, with imperial fittings. I used some new old stock pipe my dad had from his mini days. It's galvanised steel pipe. Is this kunifer?

I'll see what I can find this weekend.

jessejazza · Apr 12, 2012

Locky1978 said:
Ok thanks for the replies guys. I'll try isolating some parts of the system this weekend and see what I can find.
All the lines are new, with imperial fittings. I used some new old stock pipe my dad had from his mini days. It's galvanised steel pipe. Is this kunifer?

Kunifer is in 25 ft lengths normally about £15. Looks more brass coloured than copper piping does. You can get steel piping but it's called bundy tubing but i'm not sure it's galvanised on a reel or that it's rated to 3000 psi which is what kunifer is. Kunifer means you don't have to worry about corrosion. Knifer is copper nickel - 10% nickel.

dominicbeesley · Apr 13, 2012

When you're bleeding make sure your snail-cam adjusters are set right otherwise when you press the press the pedal the pads may move a lot and not much comes out and if they go back they suck crap back in....been there and wasted gallons of brake fluid on an old bus - similar brakes to Landy but about 4 times the size and a lot of walking...crawling to the bleed nipples from the cab!

Don't bother with steel / galv pipe. Its a **** to bend, brittle and won't last as long as cunifer...

D

Locky1978 · Apr 15, 2012

Damn, I refitted the whole lot with glavanise pipe. I had the stuff sitting there so I used it.
Hey Dominic I'm a Beesley too. Long lost relatives maybe

?

I think I've tracked it down to a slightly bulging front flexi.

dominicbeesley · Apr 16, 2012

There's not many of us about, specially not ones that spell it properly!

pobby · Apr 16, 2012

We have had this many times in the past
Get some body to pump up the brakes while you watch the fluid level
You should see it drop but then it will come back up a lot, this is wrong the fluid should only drop a tiny amount
Check that the springs on the shoes are in the correct position and not over pulling the shoes back together in the rest position

Brake cylinders

Locky1978

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jamesmartin

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Locky1978

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jessejazza

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Locky1978

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jessejazza

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dominicbeesley

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Locky1978

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dominicbeesley

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pobby

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