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HELPFUL HINTS
Fixing a brake problem
By Rob Watson.
The time had come to do a little service on my wife’s Mini. Check the tyre pressures, check the water and the hand brake won’t hold were her instructions.
A little air, a little water, and lets have a good look over all the brakes. I know they stop as well as any Mini. And a set of front pads last about 4 years, but I’ve never had to change the rear shoes. Up went the jack, under with some stands to support the sub-frame. Let’s have a look - signs of brake fluid – the left rubber hose is nice n soft, but appears to leak near the swage at the sub-frame. Ugh, there’s a little bit of gunge in the wheel cylinders. The rear brake cylinders are stainless sleaved, so I thought they would last a lifetime. (HINT- the rubbers still needs changing). Well in went a new hose and some new cylinders as disk brake front should have 5/8" not ¾" bore rear cylinders. Bleeding the brakes showed other anomalies. The left rear bleed well (new hose), but the right bleed very slowly. Stripped the pressure regulator and found nothing wrong. So upon inspecting the old hose it appeared blocked. Cut it open and surprise a hose without a hole.
What happened is the 30 year old hose, whilst firm but pliable on the outside, grew on the inside to seal itself. Cutting the other old hose open revealed the same problem. Replacing hoses and wheel cylinders meant when I stand on the brakes the rear works as well the front. Now the system bleeds better, however it's a little softer under foot, the front pads will last longer but not the rear. And I did get around to adjusting the handbrake.
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