427
Failed
replacement rear brake adjuster
Barrie
Jones finally completed the rebuild of his MGBGTV8 and took
it for an MOT test during which he had an unpleasant surprise
- it's an important caution for fellow enthusiasts.
(Apr 11)
Barrie took Damask
450 to his local MG specialist for its first MOT. But there
was one nasty moment - when the tester stamped on the brake
pedal, there was a snapping sound and the brake pedal fell to
the floor! You
may remember that one of the brand new brake adjusters had previously
stripped a thread when he was rebuilding the brakes, well the
other one failed in a more dramatic way at the MOT test! See
Rebuild Report 31. More
The earlier failure was reported in Rebuild Report 28. More
The
broken part is the rear brake shoe adjuster mechanism. See part
44 in the diagram alongside and above.
Barrie says "I
do worry that some of our new replacement parts are of very
poor quality. Anyway, the adjuster was replaced with one from
a different supplier, and Damask 450 then sailed through the
MOT."
But
when Barrie got home he began thinking about the failure and
hunted out the part that had failed earlier and together with
the unit that had failed at the MOT test compared them with
the new replacement part and the original part removed from
the car during the rebuild. Barrie noted "I found the other
brake adjuster that had stripped its thread earlier during the
rebuild. It was in my `black museum' of faulty and worn MG parts.
When comparing it to the second failure it was obvious that
they were a pair from the same manufacturer. I also dug out
an old original one and a new replacement from a different manufacturer.
I would guess that the failed ones were both made with a soft
alloy that was far too weak for the job."
Barry cannot be certain where the faulty replacement rear brake
adjusters came from but there is a distinguishing feature which
will help fellow enthusiasts identify another unit from the
same batch. He urges fellow members to avoid these replacement
rear brake adjusters as a brake failure of this type is no laughing
matter! It could be fatal. So if a replacement adjuster has
been fitted to your car in the last three years a cautionary
check would be wise.
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Failed brand
new replacement rear brake adjuster
Rear brake
adjuster is item 44 in the above diagram
So what can you do to check for a possible faulty brake adjuster?
Examine the replacement adjuster - does it have a smooth
appearance on the casting?
When Barrie examined the two faulty brake adjusters the overall
appearance is a very smooth surface to the component - it looks
as if it has come out of the mould very cleanly, almost as if
it were an injection moulding. The original and good quality
units have a more "pitted" finish on the surface of
the casting. With two replacement units failing he does not
feel you can ignore this. The first adjuster had the studs pull
out bringing a "twizzle" of metal alloy with it and
the second one had the studs shear off.
Torque test the unit before fitting
Tighten the nuts up thoroughly with a spanner and if they
strip be grateful that test may have saved a life!
This cautionary
note will be added to the Top Tips for a New MGBGTV8 Enthusiast.
The cautionary tip has also been passed to the MGB and MGC Registers. |
