Brakes!

[acmsb]

Hello everyone

I have a 1969 1098 Morris Traveller. She's bit sitting for a while so I am getting her back up and running.

The brakes were extremely spongy so I bled them in total, and got new brake fluid throughout and topped up the master cylinder. The pedal felt much harder afterwards, but the brakes still seemed a bit weak/slow. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Any suggestions or ideas welcome - not sure if I missed something really obvious or if it may be another problem (they are drum brakes not discs)...

Thank you!

Alex

[philthehill]

When the car is sitting doing nothing the brakes should be slackened right off and the brake pedal pressed down on a regular basis to exercise the cylinders.
I suspect that with use they will recover.

[simmitc]

Depending on how long "a while" is you may have some seized or partially seized wheel cylinders and or rust on the inside of the drums. The best bet would be to remove all wheels and drums one by one and check that everything is clean and that the cylinders all move out when the pedal is pressed and return when it is released - with the front brakes it is normal for the first cylinder to move whilst the second stays put, but having proved the first, clamp it closed and then the second should move freely as well.

[kennatt]

can you explain what you mean by a bit slow/ weak? is this on driving or just the feel of the pedal ,you may get a better answer.

[acmsb]

Hi guys

Thanks so much for the replies - really helpful! I will take the drums off and check inside.

In terms of the feel, the reaction to the brake pedal feels a bit slow, and the stopping distance a bit too long. I appreciate it may just be as a result of sitting too long as well, so will do a lot of stopping and starting up and down the road to get them freed up!

Alex

[jaekl]

Seized cylinders are very likely, but will also give a very hard and short traveled pedal along with poor performance. Naturally check for leaks from the master cylinder, but the main seal can be leaking as well. Pits form directly below the ports to the reservoir and the main cylinder encounters one in the beginning of the stroke. As long as the seal is not damaged, it should be able to supply pressure, but in time it will fail. Typically, the secondary seal hits the other pit which usually is bigger and you will start losing fluid. Keeping the strokes short will allow you to limp along for a while. How long has it been since the MC was rebuilt/replaced? What kind of fluid and for how long? High moisture content with temperature changes and idle time are great for forming the pits.

[Nickol]

Do not overlook the three flexible hoses which can also be the source or erratic braking. The older they are the more likely they will either fail and lead to binding Brakes or , as in your case perhaps, bulge under pressure and not deliver enough pressure to the cylinders.