Rear caliper bleeding

mtb_tuli said:
It should be 3/8 UNF, or I hope it is, because I´ve ordered a 480 mm long brake tube (with male and female connector) plus one Speedbleeder, after I had realized last sunday, that it´s not a good idea to be under the car, close to the diff and loosening the bleed nipple. I´m doeing those work on one of those "flat trolleys" for mechanics. It´s ok, when you are moving under the car, but if your garage ground is sloping you should be prepared that these trolleys have no brakes. When I stopped under my Smart, I said, ok, go for Clive´s tip.
Before Richard informed about the Speedbleeder, I found a similar thing from stahlbus.com. Same principle, but as you may know from the Germans, a little bit overengineered but a real nice thing with a CNC machined cap available in all happy colours :). They also have nice quick-release drain-plug systems for sump-pans (engine, gearbox etc).
But, if speedbleeder or the Stahlbus thing, these oneway bleeders make life really easier and safer.
Demetris, the car stands (rear raised) on blocks on its tyres, so the DeDion tube is "up" and you have no access from the rear.
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Have you actually tried the 3/8 unf fitting in the car, is it the correct thread size etc?
Would that also do for the front disc calipers?
Peter
 
There is an older thread which calls 3/8 unf for the front bleeders. I looked into the parts book, but no dimension found for front and rear.
So, I thought, I cannot imagine, that they use different sizes on one brake system and 3/8 unf is a common size for English cars from this period.
Hope, I will get my parts today or tomorrow, then we will see !
 
Ok, got a 480 mm long brake hose and the speed bleeder on saturday. But, you need a car lift, or better, take off the caliper, as you cannot see, if the brake hose fits as it should. So, at the moment, I had cut now a 11 mm wrench in halfs and bleeded it the traditional way.
Blind actions on the brakes should be reduced to a minium :cool:
 
The one way bleed nipples are the way to go! I have them on my car and they make life a lot easier. I also place a jack under the diff, remove the three bolts holding the diff to the back plate and lower it a bit for easier access while the rear of the car is on ramps. That along with the workshop manual prescribed method of pumping the pedal works a treat. I've tried it without dropping the plate, but its makes life so much easier that wouldn't do it any other way.
 
mtb_tuli said:
Ok, got a 480 mm long brake hose and the speed bleeder on saturday. But, you need a car lift, or better, take off the caliper, as you cannot see, if the brake hose fits as it should. So, at the moment, I had cut now a 11 mm wrench in half's and bleeded it the traditional way.
Blind actions on the brakes should be reduced to a minimum :cool:
Click to expand...

Have you actually tried the 3/8 unf fitting in the car, is it the correct thread size etc?
Would that also do for the front disc calipers?
Peter
 
No, not yet tried, as I did not have access to it. I used the old one and bleeded rear (and front) brakes the traditional way.
The speed bleeder I also bought in 3/8-24 unf, am pretty sure, I read it in another thread here for the front brakes. But, sorry, still not tested. When I bled the front brakes I simply forgot to change one side to the speed bleeder....
 
mtb_tuli said:
No, not yet tried, as I did not have access to it. I used the old one and bleeded rear (and front) brakes the traditional way.
The speed bleeder I also bought in 3/8-24 unf, am pretty sure, I read it in another thread here for the front brakes. But, sorry, still not tested. When I bled the front brakes I simply forgot to change one side to the speed bleeder....
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I am about to go down the path of buying 3 speed bleeders from
Goodridge Speed Bleeder - Replaces Existing Bleed Nipples - One-Way Valve
and wonder if you have now determined if the correct size is 3/8 unf ?
I have just dismantled the 2 calipers on an old diff that was given to me, to try to understand how the hand brake and other mechanisms work.
I removed the cover and discovered that the entire spring part and valves and pointy things were totally rusted and could not even get it apart.
It is the most complex design that I have ever come across and must have been designed by a Committee!
How did you find the internals, easy to understand or other?
I still have not found out why the hand brake is only engaging on one caliper and not the other, it is
something to do with handbrake adjustment or an internal fault with the pointy things being seized?
Peter
 
The pawl tooth is rounded off on one of the caliper, most likely. The system is complex, but actually quite simple in operation as it's just a beam & fulcrum arrangement.

Yours
Vern
 
Vern Klukas said:
The pawl tooth is rounded off on one of the caliper, most likely. The system is complex, but actually quite simple in operation as it's just a beam & fulcrum arrangement.

Yours
Vern
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I have one that's a little rounded. Most of the time its fine, but once in a blue moon I feel the pedal travel and handbrake lever travel getting longer. I get under the car with the wheels chocked, wiggle both calipers, if one has more movement I'll whip off the stamped steel cover and use a small screw driver to get past the bad tooth. By very careful or you'll lock up the caliper and have to remove the discs and pads to wind it back in. Just moving it once will normally free things up again.
 
sdibbers said:
I have one that's a little rounded. Most of the time its fine, but once in a blue moon I feel the pedal travel and handbrake lever travel getting longer. I get under the car with the wheels chocked, wiggle both calipers, if one has more movement I'll whip off the stamped steel cover and use a small screw driver to get past the bad tooth. By very careful or you'll lock up the caliper and have to remove the discs and pads to wind it back in. Just moving it once will normally free things up again.
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is that the knurled flat disk with the locating spring underneath it? when dismantling my rusty ones, that was the part that would not unscrew!
Peter
 
That’s the one Peter. Should be free moving so that the piston unscrews and takes up wear in the pads.
 
I am about to go down the path of buying 3 speed bleeders from
Goodridge Speed Bleeder - Replaces Existing Bleed Nipples - One-Way Valve
and wonder if you have now determined if the correct size is 3/8 unf ?
Peter
 
I have bled my rear brakes together with one of the front brakes as per the WM. And although i see brake fluid coming out when my helper holds the brake pedal in and I open the bleed screw, when I close the bleed screw there is absolutely no reaction on the rear brakes. What can the reason be, can it be the piston that needs winding out? That has happened to me once before on another Rover. Can I fix it by working the handbrake several times in order to wind out the piston? Is it suppose to work like that?
Regards, Barten
 
Barten said:
when I close the bleed screw there is absolutely no reaction on the rear brakes.
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Oh dear. Is it just the footbrake not working? Does the handbrake work?


Barten said:
What can the reason be, can it be the piston that needs winding out?
Click to expand...

Yes.


Barten said:
That has happened to me once before on another Rover.
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What can I say? Caught out twice.


Barten said:
Can I fix it by working the handbrake several times in order to wind out the piston? Is it suppose to work like that?
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It does work like that, but your arm will fall off before you get any brake function, and even then you won't get as good a result as dropping the discs out and manually operating the quadrants on the caliper itself, which is what I would recommend, even though I'm sure that you won't be keen to do it.
 
Yes I know, caught out twice, but with one single and one dual line system ! The hand brake works well. I guess I just have to bite the bullet then and do what you tell me Harvey, unless the good handbrake mean that there is some other things wrong?
Regards, Barten
 
A good handbrake usually means the adjustment is OK, unless the cable adjustment has been taken up so holding the quadrants off their stops with the handbrake off.

What work has been done to bring about the need to bleed the brakes?
 
Oh, the whole system has been rebuilt from scratch. And I have recently changed the master cylinder, and done some work on the servo slave cylinder.
 
You could always post some pics of the calipers, with the handbrake off, and then on, and I'll see what I can see.
 
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