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MG MGA - Help, please! - weird noise

Would really appreciate some help as I'm stumped.

Having just renewed most of the braking system, and had the carbs off to put in new jet kits, I took the car for a test run.
Ran very nicely but then all of a sudden I heard a strange scraping noise. My immediate thought was that the exhaust had fallen of and was scraping along the road, it was that sort of noise.
I started to limp home and it was silent. Then it returned briefly, went away and so on.
It appears to be coming from the rear of the car, I think on the near side. Its not in the brake drum, I've had a look.
Where should I start looking do you think? Half shafts?

Thanks, Graham

Graham V

If the sound just started after you just renewed the braking system, I'd still take another look at all of the brake components. Shoes, springs, wheel cylinder; etc. It could be another issue but the timing is suspicious.
Nick Kopernik

Hi Graham

Had a similar bad scraping on my TD, turned out to be the brake shoe retaining spring had broken where it clips into the backing plate. The noise was horrendous, I suspect being amplified by the drum and wheel. It went away then returned and so on as the spring found its way around the inside of the drum. Limped home and fixed it.
Hope this helps and it's not to serious.

Barry
B Bridgens

Nick & Barry
Thanks so much for your help. I think/hope it is sorted. I had already suspected a problem with the rear brakes as I had added a shim between the adjuster mask and the shoe, as in the archives. I had originally thought this must have come loose in the drum, but that was not the case.
Having read your posts, I took the drum off again and had a much closer look inside. There appears to be the smallest of scratches on the inside face of the drum, where it meets the corner edge of the flange.
With no obvious sign of anything coming loose, I assume maybe a small stone found its way inside and has dropped out when I removed the drum. I have put it all back, and just completed a 15 mile run with no noise.
I am just hoping that is all it was, and if so, thanks for your help and sugesting I take another look.
Graham
Graham V

This thread was discussed between 12/08/2017 and 13/08/2017

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