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MG MGA - brakes lock

Early A all drum system. The braking system has been comprehensible rebuilt. With a booster, the car stops on a dime in a straight line, that is ,up to a panic stop. High pedal pressure. Then the left front only locks up. The drums are good , swiching left to right makes no difference. The linings are bedded in 100% and the pedal is solid and high, no air. The hoses have been renewed, but could the right one be faulty and expand under high pressure ? If so would the system equalise and the pedal just sink a little/ Anyone struck a simular problem ? Sean
S Sherry

Almost certainly a master cylinder problem in that the fluid is not returning properly. Have recently had a similar problem with both of my 1600's (roadster and coupe), the front disc calipers/pads (without the benefit of return springs!) were binding. My cars do not have boosters, could your booster be compounding the problem?
Barry Bahnisch

Do you mean that the front left wheel locks during the braking and skids? or that the front left brake doesn't release afterwards?

If the former, could it be tire condition?
Dan Smithers

Dan, the front left locks and skids under heavy braking , otherwise the brakes are faultless. The tyres are in new condition Thanks Sean
S Sherry

Maybe it means the right front is not generating enough braking force. One seized piston on the right front brake maybe?
Barney Gaylord

This sounds like a problem I had for a couple of years, but which now seems to have gone away. For me, the trouble seems to have been with the brake shoes, which I'd had done at a local specialist. New linings were bonded on(and I don't know whether the material was the most suitable)and long after I thought the brakes should have bedded in, I still had this locking up problem, usually, in my case, on the right, even after I'd changed the bits around. I managed to get an axle set of really old stock riveted new shoes (from Ebay) at a reasonable price, and fitting these seems to have done the trick. I have attached a photo of the appearance of one of the shoes I'd taken off, and you can see that there's some sort of uneven wear showing. Whether that's due to poor bonding, or the wrong material, I reckon this could be what's causing your problem.

Gus


Gus Gander

Ok, silly uniformed question here but I just found a rear drum on mine had a shoe fitted (or rather the adjuster)incorrectly. The wear on that set of shoes was inconsistent also which made me think the shoes were not expanding onto the drum properly?
Even adjustment on both sides was not possible either it seems.
A M Wakefield

This thread was discussed between 14/05/2008 and 15/05/2008

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