Leaking Brake Master Cylinder

[blaze_away]

Just noticed my brake Master Cylinder (M/C) leaking fluid onto the floor of the car.

The car is currently in various states of renovating, dashboard is out whilst I add a Wide Band Lambda gauge and re-veneer it.

Carpets out for recolouring

Interior out for leather treatment

With all that going on its probably a good time for this leak to have happened. I have tried searching Google and PH for a simple guide to removing and replacing the M/C but didn't find much with clarity of process.

Can anyone help with some guidance please.

Edited by blaze_away on Friday 21st May 21:39

[lancepar]

Hi Frank,

I've never taken one out but put one back in attached to the servo and pedal box, So I would imagine that's the way to go.

Can't offer any more than that.

Good luck.

Lance


Edit.
This might help,,
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=15...

Edited by lancepar on Friday 21st May 22:17

[x 7usc]

Master Cylinder is mounted to the servo on the back of the pedal box, not a simple job to get out but its definitely the best time to do it now with no carpet or trim in the car. you'll first need to remove the steering column and the pedal box is then just 6 bolts and the clutch and brake lines to undo and it'll wiggle out. id suggest doing the clutch master cylinder at the same time if its not recently changed, they aren't much money and its only takes a few mins with the pedal box out of the car.

[blaze_away]

Thank you both Mark & Steve

Obviously a bit of divergence in those methods, I do have brake spanners so they might be useful, will give it a try without taking the Servo out first.

Will be back, I'm sure, with more encounters as is the way with these cars.

[MikeE]

I’d take the pedal box out and check the servo if it was me. If the M/C has been leaking you might well did. The servo is suffering from corrosion so you’ll want to refurb or replace e that too.

I’ve just done mine and also replaced the lower steering bulkhead bearing and clutch and brake pedal clevis pins while I was there

[Steve_D]

When removing the MC with the servo/pedal box in place you can improve your access to the pipe unions etc. by removing the brake vacuum pipe grommet from the inner wing. You can even remove the pipe as well.

Steve

[Classic Chim]

Give me a call when your near land Frank.
I’m well up for helping here. It’s one of the few bits that really frightens me so I’d like to do what I can here. Standing watching mostly

[blaze_away]

MikeE said:

I’d take the pedal box out and check the servo if it was me. If the M/C has been leaking you might well did. The servo is suffering from corrosion so you’ll want to refurb or replace e that too.
I’ve just done mine and also replaced the lower steering bulkhead bearing and clutch and brake pedal clevis pins while I was there

Yep agree Mike, have been researching a bit more and maybe fluid has done damage to the servo.

Steve_D said:

When removing the MC with the servo/pedal box in place you can improve your access to the pipe unions etc. by removing the brake vacuum pipe grommet from the inner wing. You can even remove the pipe as well.
Steve

Good tip Steve, looks like I'm going full on removal of the lot now.

Classic Chim said:

Give me a call when your near land Frank.
I’m well up for helping here. It’s one of the few bits that really frightens me so I’d like to do what I can here. Standing watching mostly

Will do Alun, look forward to it. I am going to finish off the dashboard and /leather then tackle this, should be later this week. New M/C is on its way.

[Classic Chim]

blaze_away said:

Will do Alun, look forward to it. I am going to finish off the dashboard and /leather then tackle this, should be later this week. New M/C is on its way.

Great.

[s p a c e m a n]

It's not as bad as people make out, it's only hard work because you can't really see what you're doing half the time. You really need two people to put it all back together, one in the footwell and one aiming the reservoir bottle back into the hole.

Just take the seat and steering column out from the start and if you don't have a pair of those vise grips buy them first, those unions probably won't want to come off of the master cylinder

Edited by s p a c e m a n on Sunday 23 May 09:54

[lancepar]

I'm sure the pedal box will come out if just the clutch pedal is removed from the arm, just something I've read. No need to remove the column,

[s p a c e m a n]

Yeah it probably could. I dropped the column down on mine because it was only 2 bolts under the dash then wiggled everything about and figured I'd also need to take the master cylinder off in order to get the angle needed. Then I'd have to go through all that again to put it back together and I'd probably end up removing the steering column then

[blaze_away]

s p a c e m a n said:

It's not as bad as people make out, it's only hard work because you can't really see what you're doing half the time. You really need two people to put it all back together, one in the footwell and one aiming the reservoir bottle back into the hole.

Just take the seat and steering column out from the start and if you don't have a pair of those vise grips buy them first, those unions probably won't want to come off of the master cylinder

Edited by s p a c e m a n on Sunday 23 May 09:54

Good advice thanks, ordered those grips, they look really neat and useful for allsorts of jobs.

lancepar said:

I'm sure the pedal box will come out if just the clutch pedal is removed from the arm, just something I've read. No need to remove the column,

I have removed the column before, its not too difficult

[s p a c e m a n]

The cable for the bonnet release also has to come out so if yours is all cracked and frayed at the end like mine was you might as well buy a new one of those. Can't think of anything else that I changed at the time at the mo and if you do need a new servo the one from racetech was spot on for mine, I was worried about the reservoir lining up with the hole.

[blaze_away]

s p a c e m a n said:

The cable for the bonnet release also has to come out so if yours is all cracked and frayed at the end like mine was you might as well buy a new one of those. Can't think of anything else that I changed at the time at the mo and if you do need a new servo the one from racetech was spot on for mine, I was worried about the reservoir lining up with the hole.

Cheers for that. Racetech are waiting on stock coming in at present, so hopefully once I get this all apart I will know if I need one and they might have them in.

[Steve_D]

If you are going to remove the whole lot then don't struggle with the brake pipes at the MC.
Find where they go to the aluminium block in the side of the footwell and release them there.
Make sure you mark the pipes so you refit them in the right place.

The whole pedalbox will come out with servo, clutch MC, brake MC and all pipes.

Steve

[blaze_away]

Steve_D said:

If you are going to remove the whole lot then don't struggle with the brake pipes at the MC.
Find where they go to the aluminium block in the side of the footwell and release them there.
Make sure you mark the pipes so you refit them in the right place.

The whole pedalbox will come out with servo, clutch MC, brake MC and all pipes.

Steve

Useful info. Have ordered new m/c and servo so will all be coming out.

[Zener]

Could of sold you a genuine boxed TRW OE/TVR servo and it wouldn't of been no £500 , I'm down sizing my spares presently

[blaze_away]

Zener said:

Could of sold you a genuine boxed TRW OE/TVR servo and it wouldn't of been no £500 , I'm down sizing my spares presently

Interested, see yr ph email/message

[Zener]

Replied Blazeaway