New Dolomite owner! Help with brakes

[LJColeman]

Good morning all,

I am a current MG Midget 1500 owner & have recently purchased a Dolomite 1500 (From a member on this forum) and will be collecting it later on this week.

I will start a restoration thread as soon as ive got it home.

For now im after some advise on the brakes, The owner has said the brake pedal is spongy & the fluid in the reservoir drops a small amount every few weeks. However there is no signs of any leaks anywhere? He has replaced the rear wheel cylinders & rebuilt the master cylinder but it still the same.

Has anyone got any advise on where to start? i think ill strip all the brakes apart once its home and double check everything. If it turns out its the master cylinder am i better off replacing it or rebuilding it again?

Can anyone tell me if my car will have tandem brakes or single line?

Many thanks

[Flyfisherman]

If there are two brake pipes coming from the master brake cylinder reservoir its tandum (twin brakes) if only one is a single brake line.

Paul

[Galileo]

Check to see if the servo is filling up with fluid. Rebuilding the master cylinder doesn't mean much if the bores are worn, not necessarily scored but oval and fluid is getting past the new seals.

[xvivalve]

Check to see if the servo is filling up with fluid. Rebuilding the master cylinder doesn't mean much if the bores are worn, not necessarily scored but oval and fluid is getting past the new seals.

It's rare for this to happen without a telltale dribble from the cylinder/servo junction under the cylinder, but one thing is for sure, if you are losing fluid it is going somewhere; it doesn't evaporate! A broken spring, now or in the past can score the inside of a cylinder giving a route past the seal that even a new seal doesn't cure. If the cylinders and calipers are all dry, you need to follow each brake line in turn along its full length looking for any sign of dampness.

[mahony]

Check the drivers footwell, sometimes the fluid can end up there after passing the seals in the cylinder , even if it's recently been rebuilt the bore may well be scored as Alun said

[LJColeman]

Brilliant thank you all for your replies,

I will have to hang on until Saturday when i collect the car to have a good look around. There is 2 pipes coming from the Master cylinder so must have tandem brakes.

If i need to replace the Master cylinder where is the best place to source a replacement? from a quick google search it seems parts are slightly harder to find than with my Midget.

Im looking forward to starting a build thread for the Dolly and getting it back to its former glory.

Thanks again, Lewis.

[GTS290N]

Check the drivers footwell, sometimes the fluid can end up there after passing the seals in the cylinder , even if it's recently been rebuilt the bore may well be scored as Alun said

+1 for this, especially with very small leaks, check the bulkhead and the carpet, the leak on mine wasn't enough to wet the footwell, but the bulkhead and carpet always felt damp.

[xvivalve]

The tandem cylinder is unique to the Dolomite.

Some retailers will sell you a LHD tandem master cylinder, but you'll struggle to get it to fit and they'll charge you upwards of £125 for it.

The other place you can get a cylinder is through this Club; we do an exchange purchase whereby you get a fully refurbished cylinder with the added benefit of a stainless steel sleeve having been inserted. The delivered cost to UK addresses is £105.

Other than that, you might see a NOS cylinder appear on ebay or for sale elsewhere, but be prepared to pay!

[LJColeman]

The tandem cylinder is unique to the Dolomite.

Some retailers will sell you a LHD tandem master cylinder, but you'll struggle to get it to fit and they'll charge you upwards of £125 for it.

The other place you can get a cylinder is through this Club; we do an exchange purchase whereby you get a fully refurbished cylinder with the added benefit of a stainless steel sleeve having been inserted. The delivered cost to UK addresses is £105.

Other than that, you might see a NOS cylinder appear on ebay or for sale elsewhere, but be prepared to pay!

Thank you for the information, it sounds like a exchange unit through the forum would be the best way to go. If I need one who do I contact ?

[xvivalve]

Some folk don't like this fact, but we can only sell to paid up Club members to avoid becoming 'retailers'. Once a paid up member you get access to the spares ordering line and e-mail address and you can place your orders.

Membership is £27 per year, or £50 for two years for which you also get a bi-monthly magazine, free insurance valuations and discounts with dozens of suppliers etc

Membership benefits become clear when you consider the alternatives:

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-GMC225R

[LJColeman]

Some folk don't like this fact, but we can only sell to paid up Club members to avoid becoming 'retailers'. Once a paid up member you get access to the spares ordering line and e-mail address and you can place your orders.

Membership is £27 per year, or £50 for two years for which you also get a bi-monthly magazine, free insurance valuations and discounts with dozens of suppliers etc

Membership benefits become clear when you consider the alternatives:

https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-GMC225R

Sounds reasonable enough to me! How do i become a member?

[triumphdolomiteuk]

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2412

[LJColeman]

Thank you for the link. I have emailed my membership form & paid via PayPal.

So I collected the dolly today. As advised I checked the bulk head & confirmed I can see lots of fluid running down from the servo/master cylinder. So looks like I’ll be needing a replacement master cylinder.

[xvivalve]

Welcome (Again!), and congratulations on your purchase!

[LJColeman]

Welcome (Again!), and congratulations on your purchase!

Thank you! How do I get a Master cylinder ordered?