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MG MGB Technical - replacing the brake master cylinder

I have very novice mechanical skills (but I can follow instructions). Should I even attempt to replace my master cylinder on my 73B, or should I just take it to my mechanic?
Matt L

Matt,

I notice no one has responded to your question (granted, it's only 9 hours old). I think most are shy of telling you to go ahead and try it yourself. The thing is, brakes are one of the things on the car that can save or lose your life. If you were recovering the seats or replacing the wiper motor, we'd be all over each other telling you to go ahead. But since brakes are such a critical system, this is one place where I would not suggest a novice go it alone.

My advice would be that you find an experienced, knowledgable mechanic and ask if he or she will do the job with you as assistant, teaching you along the way. If that's not possible, then I'd let a professional take this one on.

However, in the future, and on less life critical systems, I encourage you whole-heartedly to work on your own car. Since you mention that you're new to this, have you checked with a local community college for courses on auto mechanics? Many have courses for a range of experience levels and if need be, you may be able to find some held on nights or weekends. An MGB is so basic, it's the perfect car for a new mechanic to learn on.

Best wishes,

Matt K. (Formerly of O'Brien, south of Grants Pass)
Matt Kulka

Matt. I have replaced the master cylinders on a number of cars without any problems. This includes the one on my 68 GT which has the same master cylinder as your car. Not a difficult job. As Matt K. notes, you do have to be careful, but this is not rocket science. Make sure you check the connections to ensure they are tight after installing the new master cylinder and make sure you do not cross thread the connections as you are installing them.

Some people like to bleed the master cylinder before installing it. This process is called "bench bleeding" and Daniel Wong has a tech article on how to do it. Check out the MG and articles section at www.custompistols.com/ and it should tell you all you need to know about that procedure.

After installing the new master cylinder, you will need to bleed the brakes. Start at the left rear brake as it has the longest run of brake line to it. (On US cars you start at the right rear because they were designed to be left hand drive rather than adapted from a right hand drive design.)

When you have the system bleed, take the car for a short test drive, then, inspect the level of brake fluid. It would remain topped up. If it does not, find the leak and fix it. Check the brakes again the next day to make sure nothing has changed over the night. It is also a good time to adjust the rear brakes as this is often overlooked by people who have been driving cars with self adjusting brakes their entire life. Les
Les Bengtson

This thread was discussed on 14/09/2004

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