Hi everyone, I have finally gotten another mini since selling my last 14 years ago.

I have a 74 mini, I remember how bad drum brakes are but these are BAD. I have replaced 2 rear pistons one was seized, replaced the rear brake hoses and bled ( there only seemed to be very few fine bubbles) and adjusted ( did up tight and backed off until the wheel just spins) but still no good.

Can you guys give me advice on what to do next please or if I'm doing it wrong.

Many Thanks Julie

Front brakes?

There shouldn't be any bubbles, even fine ones.
Have you also adjusted the front shoes. There is a top and bottom adjuster on each side.

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yes adjusted top and bottom on front, whats your way of bleeding, I used a one way bleed kit like a one way valve thingy but was going forever and just has a couple fine fine bubbles left only on the rear so stopped.

I use a one way kit too.
But I keep going till there are NO bubbles.

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Back off the adjusters first before bleeding. This will allow the pistons to retract back into the cylinders thus leaving less surface area for air to hide. Make sure all the connections you have undone are tight and not stripped or leaking. Start from scratch and do the entire system again.

one of my favouritest things to do is completely drain and flush the entire system with metho, then run trickle bleed fresh fluid through it. Often I can bleed the system to a solid pedal without even a single pump

the trick is, don't be concerned about a/ wasting fluid or b/ getting it all over the floor

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Do you mean open all bleeders as you trickle? Or one at a time?

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

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http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=93352

If I'm carrying on like a pork-chop, I'm having a great time.

If I go very quiet there's a very good chance I broke something.

With the front ones, you need to adjust them tighter in the directions the wheels spin going forward.

If the rear hoses needed replacing there is a good chance the front ones are the same age/condition. I replaced all the rubber hoses, cylinders, shoes a few years ago and they've been great ever since.

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you will need to """UN_ADJUST""" the front brakes before bleeding them

then bleed them

the adjust the back up after bleeding

the front cyls are mounted vertically so if the piston is out, (ie: higher than the bleed hole) then air will be trapped under the piston, above the bleed hole,,, so you will want to make sure the pistons in the front cyls are pushed home properly, i always take the drums off to make sure the cyl-pistons are all the way home, then drums back on, drip-bleed, adjust back up again & bob`s your aunty
Matt

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

"Small air bubbles" beware that when undoing the bleed nipple and putting a hose on the end of it, air can be sucked in from threads of the bleed nipple itself. I've had this happen especially using vacuum bleeders. Only undo the nipple very slighly, just enough for fluid to come out but not enough for air to be sucked back into the cylinders via the thread.

Even then I can't seem to do the back brakes with self bleeders without air bubbles, so I do it Ye Olde manual way, have someone step on pedal and close the bleed nipple before raising pedal.

I don't have these problems with front disc brakes with their bigger bleed nipple, or clutch slave for that matter.


Most of the braking performance is your front brakes, but there is a lot of discussion on rears??
How are the Shoes? Front and back? if they are damp from fluid or 10,000 years old with 11,000 year old material then they won't grab as good.

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I think I open them all for a while, then close them off from the furthest wheel from the MC to the closest. You can put a little bit of tube on each one and drain them into jars, watching the bubbles as they're pushed out.

it's good to have different coloured fluids** too, cos you can see when the fresh stuff comes through

** different brands will have different colours, but make sure they're compatible obviously

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?