New brakes etc, funny burning smell & front wheels get hot

[GustavPumpkin]

Hi, need some advice here, please.

The brake shoes and cylinders front and back have just been replaced, plus the master cylinder and handbrake cables.

I can't remember if you get a strange overheated metal burn smell with new brake shoes?

And again I can't remember how the new brakes felt like last time the shoes had to be renewed, but the brakes feel "less sharp", I seem to feel real resistance, have to really press the pedal to get a result (glad I'm not a frail old lady), less refined, if that makes any sense, not sure how else to describe. But that could be the new shoes settling?

Only just got it back yesterday (after 4 WEEKS!!! of waiting for the garage to get it finished)

And all of a sudden the car seems to struggle more going uphill (I cleaned the spark plugs today, they needed cleaning, trying to rule this out, as I had that problem before, I mean dirty spark plugs and a sluggish car) and today I checked the wheels and the front wheels are definitely rather warm/hot after a 10mile journey, the back ones are cold.

And that definitely doesn't feel right.

Any ideas? Thank you

[bmcecosse]

Sounds and smells like the brakes are dragging horribly....back to the 'garage'...... General opinion is that the only shoes worth having are by 'Mintex'. Is that what the 'garage' fitted?

[mike.perry]

I agree, the garage has over adjusted the brakes. Try coasting gently to a stop or lift the brake pedal on a slight slope to see if the car runs freely. Jack the wheels up one at a time and try spinning the wheel.
Armed with this information you will know what you are talking about when you go back to the garage

[kennatt]

without doubt as above,get them to fix it and then find another garage,they obviously haven't tested the brakes before returning the car. If they had it would have been very obvious.I sometimes dispair these days with" Modern" mechanics as soon as they are presented with a vehicle that dosen't have auto adjusting disc brakes,or a diagnostic plug in ,they are stumped. See it time and time again.

[GustavPumpkin]

Thank you soooo much!

I've never used this garage before, only did it because a friend of mine kept nagging me, he thought they were good with old cars. Will never change garages again.

Thanks for all the tips, will go through all of them and then take the car back.

Will keep you posted.

Thanks again!

[bmcecosse]

Did they do anything to the master cylinder? They may have adjusted the pushrod in too far - thus not allowing the master to return to base at the end of the stroke - holding the brakes on.

[mike.perry]

Have your brakes been sorted yet?

[GustavPumpkin]

At last an update!

I went through all the suggestions, coasting, I found the car slowed down much faster, going down a slope where I normally always have to use the brakes, I didn't have to use them once.

At the garage, the mechanic didn't really want to believe me of course, but had a look anyway and adjusted the front brakes on the left. Now on the right, the wheel seemed to turn quite freely, but now it turns out, I need new wheel bearings.

And he put down the fact that the wheel gets hot and smelly on the right side to the wheel bearings.

Does this sound plausible?

Also, wouldn't the car have pulled to one side, if only one brake needed to get adjusted?

I now find that the car is pulling to the right a bit, but could that be the wonky wheel bearing?

Looks like they have to bleed the system again, as for the past couple of days, when I get in the car (in the mornings), I have to pump 1 1/2 times again.

The car is booked in for this at the beginning of next week, which will allow me to get the bearings (will get them for both sides).

However, the wheel on the left (where he's adjusted the brakes) is still getting hot.

Any ideas?

Good point about the master cylinder! Will put this question to him when I take the car in.

[bmcecosse]

For goodness sake - find another garage that actually knows what they are doing.... The 'wheel bearing' - what are the symptoms?? Does the bearing 'grind' or wobble ? Did they remove the hub when working on the brakes (there is no need to do so) and if so -have they damaged the bearings/not refitted them correctly ?? I assume you have read the several other threads which tell us that the front bearings from various suppliers are NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE - I would not order from any of them. The left wheel - seems the cylinders must be sticking on! Needing to pump the pedal first thing in the morning indicates that the brakes need adjusting up - NOT that they need bleeding.... Oh dear - you seem to be in the hands of some very inept people...

[panky]

It's so frustrating for you having to rely on so called expert mechanics to carry out your repairs, and the fact the Minor braking system is about as basic as you can get makes it even worse
Where about are you? maybe there is someone on here local to you who can recommend a good place.

[GustavPumpkin]

I love this forum! Thanks for posting!

Ok, to the wheel bearings, the front right makes a sort of rumbling noise, when it's turned and also wobbles. Just thinking why didn't I notice the heat and smell before they changed the brakes?

I live in deepest darkest Wales (near Carmarthen) and as I'm a woman, I obviously have no idea about cars whatsoever and he's always right.

He spent I don't know how long on "repairing" the brass banjo (hope I got the name right?) for the rear brake bleed nipple, because he wanted to save me money! And he just referred to it as the t thing. After loads of research I finally found out what he was talking about and how little they cost. It's ridiculous.

When he adjusted the brake, he only took the wheel off and then used a screwdriver to adjust it.

I find it very very frustrating, that I have to rely on what he tells me, I just wish I knew/ could do more.

I actually do wonder if it would make more sense to take the care elsewhere to just get this sorted, I only went back to "I know what I'm doing", because I thought he should sort out his mess.

He keeps telling me, he's looking after 2 other Morris Minors....

[GustavPumpkin]

Oh, and the wheel bearings, dang, I should have checked the forum first, have now ordered these


http://www.morrisminorspares.net/shop_item.php?ID=4908

Will check the forum now!

Thanks for the tip, I'm learning....

[GustavPumpkin]

Oh, no, got the wrong ones....

....and I find the SKF website a tad overwhelming...

[panky]

All you need is a screwdriver to adjust the brakes but I would have thought he'd have taken the drums off to clean it and check everything was OK at least. Surprising that a couple of hours labour cost you more than a 'banjo' isn't it

[mike.perry]

Why do people keep sending off to Minor spares suppliers every time a bearing needs replacing and then moan 'cos it's the wrong size? Just take the old bearing to your local stockist and they will inspect it, measure it and match it.
I appreciate that if you live in deepest, darkest Wxxxs a bearing stockist might not be so conveniently located

[panky]

I guess because most people expect Minor suppliers to supply the correct and suitable goods, I go to Commer specialist for bearings for my campers and don't have any issues with them. It's only through reading the experiences on here that would make me do otherwise for my Morris, and not every Minor owner reads every thread on here.

[GustavPumpkin]

but I would have thought he'd have taken the drums off to clean it and check everything was OK at least.

Yes, so did I, I mean I would have wanted to check and I'm no expert, but as I said, he would never admit to have done anything wrong.


And, yes mike.perry, up till now I don['t seem to have had problems using a specialist supplier, I know that I will now comb the forum, before ordering stuff.

How can I get hold of SKF stuff? Online? They seem to have distributers, I think there is one in Pembrokeshire.

[GustavPumpkin]

Did they do anything to the master cylinder? They may have adjusted the pushrod in too far - thus not allowing the master to return to base at the end of the stroke - holding the brakes on.

Would this have an effect on all 4 brakes? It's only the front wheels smelling and getting hot.

Thanks

[GustavPumpkin]

Surprising that a couple of hours labour cost you more than a 'banjo' isn't it

Guess what it took him 3 1/2 hrs to change the front brakes and cylinders and do wonders to the old "banjo".

However, at the time I believed he had done all 4 brakes, because he said, the car is ready, you still need to pump once, but it might stop when the brake fluid is older....blah, blah, blah.... drive around in a car where you have to pump once to be able to use the brakes?

He then said the brake fluid was bypassing the master cylinder, so I suggested, would a new master cylinder solve the problem?

Oh yes!

But at that point he hadn't even checked the back cylinders, as he "was certain" they were ok.

But of course, they weren't!

I'm not a mechanic, but it made no sense at all - no logic in any of this.

I would have thought, hey, let's check the back cylinders, first, right?

[GustavPumpkin]

This morning I had to pump 3 times...

I took the front hub caps off, after a spin of about 6miles and the front wheels are warm/hot, but the wheel bearing hub is really hot on both sides.

Rather strange that all of a sudden both front wheel bearings need replacing after a kind of dodgy brake refitting job or am I just really unlucky?

I feel I don't really want to go back to the same garage. even though they should really be sorting this out.

The Bull Motif bearings arrived , no good to me are they?

Can somebody please let me know where I can get the required ones online, please?

Thank you.