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MG MGA - Removing rear brake cylinders

Anyone know the secret to removing rear brake cylinders? I wanted to replace all the cylinders. Had no problem up front but could not get the rear cylinder out through the square hole. So I gave up, reassembled the rear and bled the system. Now the rear wheel is frozen. Should I bleed it and see if that releases the cylinder? Frustrating.
J Plegue

Try backing off the adjuster. Not difficult getting the cylinder off with the drum off, once the banjo bolt is out. You may need to free the cylinder so that it will slide back-&-forth in the backing plate in order to get the tabs off the backing-plate.
David Werblow

I had it torn down all the way to just the cylinder. I could get it only part of the way out of the square hole of the backing plate. Should I take a hammer to it or is it just supposed to ease out of there?
J Plegue

If the drum is seized and won't turn, open the bleed nipple to relieve pressure. If that lets the drum turn, then you have a hydraulic problem, possible a clogged brake hose between battery box and rear axle (very common for an old hose).

If no pressure and still locked up, back off the adjuster. That's a Catch 22, because you have to rotate the drum to align the access hole with the adjuster. You may have to put the wheel on and apply muscle to the tire to get it to rotate. That brings up the question, how did the adjuster get the tight if you have just recently assembled it?

Remove wheel, brake drum, and brake shoes. Remove banjo bolt to disconnect the banjo fitting from the cylinder. The cylinder floats in a slot in the backing plate. If it is stuck and won't move, apply penetrating oil and a hammer. When the cylinder will slide in the slot, just slide it to one end of the slot and pull it out.
Barney Gaylord

Actually, I had reassembled the wheels and bled the system and that's when the wheel locked up. Prior to bleeding, it was moving free. The adjuster is backed off all the way. The rear brake hose is new but maybe I screwed up when I reattached the banjo?

Initially, I had everything removed and still could not force the cylinder through the slot, even though it was free to slide back and forth. Guess I'll just apply oil and hammer.

But first I'll bleed the cylinder and see if that frees the drum.

Thanks everyone.
J Plegue

I discovered why I could not remove the rear cylinder. It was partially open, which made it just long enough that it wouldn't fit through the slot. I put a C clamp on it, compressed it and it practically fell out. Lesson learned. Now if I can just stop the banjo from leaking...
J Plegue

J, be sure to use new copper washers on the banjo fitting.
G Goeppner

This thread was discussed between 11/09/2012 and 18/09/2012

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