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Don- I'd say your take on worn rear drums is probably right on. I have basically the same problem and yes, it IS drums which have been turned before and are at min. spec. New ones next time around!! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 13415... MORE
Bruce, You should be able to operate both pistons by hand by grasping each shoe near the cylinder and moving both in the same direction (back and forth). This will tell you if one piston is frozen or not. If it is, the piston is rusted to the cylinder wall. The only solution is to remove and disassemble the cylinder, and hone the cylinder. Chances are the cylinder will be too pitted to continue using, but if it's not, install a new seal kit. Wheel cylinder aren;t that expensive, so if it's marginal, it's best to replace the unit... MORE
Don, Make sure you have adjusted the brake microms correctly too. You should go full clicks until the drum is locked, and then back off one or at most two clicks, depending on how the whel frees up. Your ebrake lever should only need to travel 2 to 3 clicks to lock the brakes. When it travels farther, time to adjust the brakes again. You could also replace the clevis pins to reduce the play you have in the rods and cable. Gerard "gerardchateau" 13399... MORE
Both sides, though without the drum on it maybe that the pistons react to whichever side offers least resistance and only one will come out. Be careful operating the pedal when the drums are off, it is possible to pop the pistons right out. You can tell if you have a seized piston by comparing how much wear you are getting on each shoe. "Jeremy Cogman" 13393... MORE
As part of checking out my brakes, a question came up: on a rear wheel (Drum brake, should the piston extend out from both sides of the wheel cylinder when the brake is pushed down? I was watching the action in the brake, and I noticed that the piston only exends from one side of the cylinder. Any tips on cleaning it out/fixing it so I don't have to replace it? Thanks, Bruce "redrider417" 13390... MORE
Bruce, The pistons on the wheel cylinder should operate on both sides. You can take the cylinder off the car and clean it up and try it agani., make sure the rubber on the piston is not damaged and after cleaning lubricate the inside with brake fluid. Mike kna331@... 13395... MORE
Starting fresh this morning on the problem of not having emergency brake function regardless of cable adjustment and new brake shoes . . . I checked the mechanical brake mechanism again and discovered a combination of collective wear of all the clevis pins, clevis pin holes, and the compensator bracket having been bent upward a bit was enough not to provide the correct length of travel to the rear hand brake lever to engage with enough force. Collective wear . . . just like my joints. Don "Don May" 13396... MORE
Perhaps a little background information would help understand my ending up here asking so many questions. Recently Gerard turned me onto a fella that was selling his 62 Midget MK1 that had been sitting on blocks in an old wood working shop for 18 plus years. It had been last run for a couple of months in 1986 and had also been in storage for a few years prior to that. Time is defiantly not kind to brake systems and the sound of an engine starting for the first time in 16 years sounds a bit like a demolition... MORE
Today I jacked the rear end of my Midget as high as I could get it. Squeezing under my car, I see the slave cylinder pointing in a downward direction... the bleeder valve in the back being the highest point... cool! My 5 year old daughter is becoming an expert "press the pedal and hold... now release slow..." helper. Air bubbles gushed out of the slave cylinder... until soon... only pure break fluid would return when the pedal was pressed/bleeder valve cracked open. Out from under the car... press clutch in and hold... transmission in 1st... turn the starter... MORE
I am rebuilding my 62 Sprite and understand that switching over to disc brakes in the front would be a good idea. I have not done any work on the front suspension before and not exactly sure about how to handle the project. There is currently a drum to disc conversion materials on e-bay and I'm unsure what to look for or what to consider a fair price to pay. It is in Canada and I will be passing through that location in a few weeks so I could see the items and pick them up personally but the... MORE
The fluid level on my shocks is quite low. What should I put in to top it off? Are they a pain/expensive to replace? Thanks. Followup to my recent post about overheating and poor running. It was found that the head was warped and it is being milled to fix. Also bad exhaust valves and worn guides were discovered and will be repaired. Hopefully this will correct the apparent pressurization of the cooling system which has caused it to not circulate and overheat. If not there might be a nice parts car available! "mgmidget754" 13338... MORE
Anyone out there experience their midget's gas being sucked into the front evaporative canister (infront of the pass. front tire) when you are driving over 3,000 RPM's. It runs fine under 55 MPH, but when it runs faster, the gas gets sucked from the carb right down to the canister, then after 15 -45 miles, chokes the carb out and runs rough then not at all till I drain the canister (by removing the hose under it). Once I drain it, it runs great again. Any Ideas? Joe Blitz in Rochester, NY. "Joe Bellizia" 13345... MORE
Steve, I am actually going to try the opposite... I did have the front end jacked up... but that put the bleed end down hill (I.E. Air bubble rises). I am going to jack up the rear end, pointing the transmission and slave cylindar down, so that the bleed hole is at the top... Fluid flows down, pushing air out. Getting ready for garage sale today... will try it Saturday Afternoon and see if it works. -Brett "Brett LaCroix" 13348... MORE
Last time I had to bleed the clutch, used an Easibleed to get most of the air out of the system. That didn't work, so got a piece of wood and wedged the clutch pedal down and left it down overnight. In theory, this allows the air in the system to rise up and takes advantage of the fact that the master cylinder is way above the slave. This also gave time to go away and think about the problem. By the time I returned the follwing day, theory and fact had met and the clutch has worked fine... MORE
Oh, yah. That small hole for the hose. On my 76, I needed to replace the battery box floor, so I just modified the little hole to large enough to remove the slave. "Brent Wolf" 13317... MORE
I had this problem last year. Try jacking front of car up as high as you can,gets air to bleed end of slave cyl.then bleed as normal. Worked for me. Steve 72 midget UK "Steve Cowling" 13305... MORE
Brett, You leave the hose connected, but you remove the bolt(s) which attach the slave to the gearbox. Then you lift the slave up to the same height of the master cylinder- all without detaching the hose. Most Midgets had a long flexible hose which allows you to do this- although it sounds like yours has metal pipes rather than the flexible plastic item? I'm not sure why your hose goes through a small hole near the battery either- this may be a modification or a factory change I've never seen before. It sounds daft in any case. :-)... MORE
Air in the slave sylinder can certainly cause the problem you're having- the slave cylinder moves, but the moment it encounters any resistance (like a clutch plate, for example) the air just compresses. Does your pedal feel 'springy'? The other alternative is mechanical problems- worn clevis pins, a pushrod which is too short, worn pivot in the pedal box can all reduce the amount of available travel. Midget clutch hydraulics are a nightmare to bleed because the slave cylinder is so far below the master cylinder. Your best bet is to buy a Mityvac or similar bleeding device, or... MORE
Brett, Bleeding the clutch is a pain!!! (Slightly understated here). I made mine a little easier, by removing the slave from the tranny, wrapping a couple of heavy rubber bands around it to give some resistance and then holding it higher than the master to bleed it. Needless to say, it was a two person job, but much easier than trying to get the air out from underneath. Brent 76 Daily Driver "Brent Wolf" 13289... MORE
OK... I am confused. This is the second reply telling me to bleed the slave cylinder at the level of the master. But... my master cylindar is in the engine compartment... the hose comes out the back, down through a very small hole next to the battery... down to the tranny and into the slave. Am I supposed to unhook the slave... then hook it up... bleed it.. unhook it again without letting air in it? then reinstall it? Or ??? I am missing something? -Brett '76 problem child "Brett LaCroix" 13292... MORE
Master clutch cylinder seems to work fine... the slave cylinder sounds like it is moving... but pushing in the clutch pedal in isn't disengaging the clutch plate. I rebuilt the slave cylinder myself... Can air in the slave cylinder cause this? Should the bleeder valve be in the top most hole... or does it matter? I thought I put it in just like it was... feeder pipe in the top, bleeder in the bottom... but now that I think of it... air would rise to the top.. The slave cylinder can be removed from the trans while it is... MORE
Well, my very colorful engine is now neatly packed into the engine compartment... all hooked up... runs pretty good... just a little rough on the idle... most likely due to the beefier cam. Kinda loud tuning it up, since I am missing the pipe between the header and the Monza muffler... will get that installed tomorrow... but first I have to bleed my breaks and replace the air in the lines with actual brake fluid. Will be nice, after 2+ years, to go from an MG Midget mechanic to an actual driver of one. By the way, does it... MORE
Pretty much right in the centre of the 'flexible' part of the handbrake cable. (the bit which goes from the body to the axle) HTH Growler "Grant Bowyer" 13210... MORE
H'mm, no wonder I have to replace my hand brake cable. That's the only thing if failed on for it's MOT. Without me searching for it, can you give me some sort of idea where to find that grease point? Regards, Gary King (Newcastle UK) 69 Sprite MKIV "Gaz" 13209... MORE
"Other" grease points? Universal joints (reach front one through transmission grommet) and one on parking brake cable. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 13200... MORE
