MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Rear brakes binding after short time

I've found that my rear brakes are binding when the car has been parked for a while, they release after 50 meters or so. This happens after the car has been parked. I could understand if it had been months but this happens after the car has been parked (in a damp-ish garage) for seven days. It seems to happen regardless of whether I park with the handbrake on or not.
G Lazarus

Hi Gary

Is the flexible hose from Chassis to diff ok?

Has your got the frogeye sliding wheel cylinder or later spridget cylinder? The sliding ones play up as the piston can stick in the bore.
Bob Beaumont

Thanks Bob, I'll check the hose but I can't remember what type of cylinder. Is there a quick way to check the difference visually?
G Lazarus

Why should they bind when the car is parked with the handbrake off I wonder? Are they sticking under normal braking? Thinking perhaps they stick when you brake and then release again with the forward motion, whereas when you brake to stop in the garage they would stay in that "on" position and with nothing to free them for a while they tend to stay like that and take more persuading to release.
Either way, it obviously isn't right. Is it the car's way of telling you to slow down?
Graeme Williams

"""Either way, it obviously isn't right. Is it the car's way of telling you to slow down?"""


Nah, that would be jesus riding shot gun.

Im wondering if there is rust/binding of the lever action parts inside the drum...maybe the springs are weak

Hard to belive it would be the cly them selfs based on how those work

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

thinking you have drums on the rear it seems more unusual but with mine (I think the front disc) brakes have stuck on twice this winter and I can only think of one other time this has happened and my car has always been outside 365/6 days (for 7 years), so could yours perhaps be because of the weather, not helped by a dampish garage
Nigel Atkins

Hi Gary
Yes if its a frogeye cylinder the brakes are adjusted through the brake drum whereas with the later spridget one the brakes are adjusted by a square adjuster on the rear of the backplate.

If I was a betting man unless you know the age of the hose that will be the culprit. The internals collapse over time and restrict the flow of fluid
Bob Beaumont

Both rear brakes binding or just one side? If it's just one side I'd go for the slave cylinder. I've had my frogeye rear cylinders gunge-up in the past and bind.

Simon
SA Wood

I'll try to check this weekend.
Thanks for the feedback.
G Lazarus

Bob: if the hose is collapsing and preventing the fluid returning and taking the pressure off the brake cylinders, surely in a week it would have had plenty of time to back off but in normal use wouldn't it just lock on all the time?
Graeme Williams

Gary - as just happened to mine. Front off side not come on Front nearside stayed on.
see link - http://blog.fcpeuro.com/2015/01/14/always-replace-your-brake-hoses-in-pairs/comment-page-1/%23comment-14747

You could pass a bike spoke down the middle of the new ones
Good luck
Dave
Dave Price

Graeme

I speak from bitter experience! The restriction (or whatever it was) seemed to act as a one way valve. The new hose cured it. I renewed all the hoses at the same time with braided lines.
Bob Beaumont

Nigel,

In your case it could well be the caliper piston is starting to rust, the pistons in the calipers or just run of the mill mild steel, with no coating

I ran into that years ago when the calipers vot really wet, then the car sat for several months ... the calipers would close but would not release unless I blew compressed air into the caliper

But ive never known this to be the case on the rear brakes

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Prop,
thanks for cheering me up with another part possibly not working properly :)

for various reason I've not used my car much this late autumn/winter, it didn't move for 4 or 5 weeks until I got my wife to drive it and it was fine, it then sat for about a couple of weeks and when I went to drive it the brakes stuck on but the next I drove it some time later it was fine

so hopefully the callipers are fine but who knows I might find later that they're not
Nigel Atkins

This thread was discussed between 09/02/2015 and 10/02/2015

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.