Mini Front Brakes not working - help / ideas needed!!

Jun 29, 2006 13 Replies

I'm working on an '89 Mini - the brakes are dual circuit front/rear. The master cylinder, pipes and calipers have been replaced all round.



Having bled the front and rear circuits, the rear brakes are working fine. However the front brakes do not work. Bleeding them again and again makes no improvement although they do come on slightly when pumping the pedal. Everything has been checked again and again and I am pulling my hair out!! Has anyone got any ideas.



you tried bleeding the master cylinder ? get an assistant sat in the car, undo all the pipes to the master cyl and get the assistant to push the foot brake down once, fluid should come out, do all the pipes up, then let the foot brake up, repeat this a few times and see if that makes any difference.

Usually the top pipe has the air.

One question was the MC overhauled? or a new one? If it was OH then the springs could be in the wrong way.

Only other thing I can add is if the front calipers are 4 pots, check the bleed nipples on the wheel side of the caliper. The other trick to try is when bleeding tap the pedal a few times quickly and then stamp it to the floor, this can help removing the air that can get trapped in the master cylinder.

-anthony

Have you checked the Brake Valve thingy mounted on the bulkhead (all the brake lines run off it), just below the brake servo, as that can cause problems if it needs changing?

I know many people have fitted brake bias valves instead.

Taffy

Clamp off the two front brake flex hoses with mole grips, try the pedal, if its improved, then the master cylinder and all the brake pipes are ok, so the fault must be with one or both callipers, release the clamps, one at a time and monitor the pedal travel, the calliper that causes excessive travel is the culprit, this is just a quick way to reduce the search area,

IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR WITH CLAMPS ON FRONT BRAKE FLEX HOSES, ;-) Fitzy

My apologies to all for your help.

I fitted the lh caliper to the rh and the rh to left hand ------result bleed nipples below and nice cavity above that cannot be bled my aonly excuse was the box said l/h when was right hand

Ed

Fitzy wrote:

Nice one rock steady eddie ;-) Glad you sorted it out mate, Fitzy

eddie (ed snipped-for-privacy@msn.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Pardon?

Still, it explains the top-posting.

Don't roll your eyes, they might stick. By the way, top posting is not a crime.

Adrian wrote:

Thanks for being honest enough to let the NG know.

Chris

I thought inciting murder _was_ a crime?

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required