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MG TD TF 1500 - Brake Advice Needed

After my recent brake related brush with the Grim Reaper, I decided to do the whole break thing. I have a few questions and desire for some advice direction.
#1 Noticed brake cylinders need service ( 1 actually frozen) Is it better to resleeve ,rebuild or replace. #2 If I replace I noticed a major difference ( factor 3) cost between the two major US suppliers is there a real difference etween the different manufacturers #3 On inspection of my front brake found huge amount of axle grease, bearings seem smooth and spin quietly and wise, is this indicative of a problem or just previous overzealous greasing of bearings. Would appreciate some advice and direction in approaching basically a four wheel rehab
Jon Levine

Jon, IMHO, if your wheel cylinders are not leaking they are not in need of sleeving/replacing. Chances are that about $45 spent on rebuilding kits will have things working fine.

There are correct ways to grease front wheel bearings and a correct method for reassembling the bearings. Knowing your car, I'd be surprised if both of these were done by the book.

Give me a call if I can help.
Bud Krueger

Thanks bud, would the rebuilding kits address the frozen cylinders, not only were the front shoes caked with grease a cylinder on each side were frozen
Jon Levine

You still have to look at the cylinder bores to tell if rebuildable or not. In our hot humid climate, they end up with really deep pits in the bore where the piston corrodes and sticks, then forcing the piston out causes deep longitudinal scratches due to rust on the piston- no way to rebuild without sleeving. The wheel bearings need a minimal quantity of grease. Sounds like it was way overdone. Likely Bud could advice over the phone- lots of details. George
George Butz

My six were frozen solid...soaked for days in a 'dolphin unfriendly' liquid... finally with air they came apart. The mechanic had to hone each one quite a bit, however, they have been great since....!
gblawson(gordon)

Jon, I've emailed you directly. Let's see if we can get together. Bud
Bud Krueger

Don't forget the master cylinder as well. If the wheel cylinders are bad, I would suspect the master cylinder to be in the same condition. Also, (since the car is apoart already) check the condition of the 3 rubber flex lines.
John Masters

A bit of a follow up -- I went to Jon's yesterday with a full set of rebuilding kits in hand. Started with the left front wheel and wasn't surprised. The forward wheel cylinder was frozen and its micram components were almost glued together. Pulled the wheel cylinders off and, after a bunch of ablutions, managed to get them back together with new innards and bled. So far so good.

Went to the left rear and didn't need a wheel puller. In fact it took very little effort to remove the axle nut. There was much evidence of fluid. Couldn't say if it was brake or axle. Main standout item was that the rear edge of the lower brake lining was totally worn away, right to the shoe. When Jon had his nearly catastrophic failure he drove home using the hand brake!

Pulled the right rear wheel, again no need for a puller. First trouble sign was that the wheel nut cotter pin was sheared off. I removed the nut with my fingers. There were metal shavings in the drum. Saw that an appreciable portion of the outside edge of the wheel cylinder had been ground off from contact with the brake drum. The lower portion of the wheel cylinder had broken off and allowed the cylinder to tilt in its slot. It looks as if the wheel nut was in the act of removing itself.

Jon's car is going to be up on blocks while a variety of new parts are acquired. He was very lucky to have gotten home one piece.
Bud Krueger

Yikes! were the ends of the axle splines and drum splines trashed? George
George Butz

Not that I noticed, George. I suspect that, had Jon gone much farther, the axle nut would have come off and all he** would have broken loose. His car is a classic case of DPO.
Bud Krueger

This thread was discussed between 09/08/2008 and 16/08/2008

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