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Andrew_Grannis

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Hi guys,
I have not posted on here in a long time/worked on the Healey for a while because I bought a 1985 BMW 535i for my daily driver and much of my working on cars time is dedicated to that. But, on Friday, my dad and I started up the Healey for the first time since early July and it started right up and ran like a charm. So, my dad and I have decided that we are going to get our act together and get the brakes done by the end of November. So, my questions to you guys are these:
1. Where should we start... passenger rear? bleed that first and then work our way closer to the master cylinder?
2. Do we need a powered bleeder? and if not, what should we use to get the fluid out?
Thanks in advance for any advice you all can give and hopefully we will have the car stopping with something other than the e-brake. Thanks Again, Andrew
 
Hi Andrew,
The rear driver side (on lhd cars) is the furthest from the MC, so you'd want to start there. I've used a vacuum thingy that has a hand pump to suck the old fluid out. Pretty easy that way. I've heard mixed reviews for the type that uses tire pressure to push the fluid out of the MC. Before doing all that, I'd inspect the rubber bits for cracks and aging. Also check the 2 hoses up front and the one on the rear axle for and distortion. Even if they look fine, they may need replacing if they are original.
 
I won't use the pressure bleeder again--I accidentally ran it with too much pressure and it blew the top off the reservoir and got brake fluid all over everything. The Gunson device came with several tops, none of which fit properly.

Haven't used the vacuum bleeders from the wheel side but they'd be inherently safer in terms of potential mess.

To figure out which wheel is farthest away, contemplate the connection between the chassis and the rear axle as well as the 4-way connector where the brake switch is attached. This will tell you all you need to know about the bleeding order and which wheels are actually farthest away from the master cylinder.

If the fluid is old, before bleeding, use a turkey baster or other device to remove all the fluid from the reservoir and refill with new fluid--this will cause less fluid use by removing the mixing of new fluid with old fluid.
 
If you use vacuum bleeder you will need to use teflon tape on the fitting, and it still may be hard to tell when you have all of the air out of the lines. The simplest way since you have a helper is the old fashioned way by attaching a tube to the fitting and placing the end in a container of fluid and having you partner pump the peddle until the air bubbles are gone.
 
I didn't notice if anyone mentioned using Castrol brake fluid. Normal American brake fluid will eat through the rubber on English cars. How do I know? I once moved my TR3 ten feet to an area where I could wash it prior to taking it to a car show, yes this was within the first two months of having the car professionally stripped to bare metal and painted. In any event, when I tried to stop the car it kept going right over a cliff...
 
Definitely replace the three brake hoses if they have not been done in some time. They may only be 45 yearsold. Also check the front calipers to see if the pistons are pitted. If so, replace with stainless. Obviously, check front pads and rear shoes for wear and replace if necessary. Then start bleeding at rear/driver, rear/pass,front/pass, front/driver. If you have a helper, you don't need a pressure bleeder, just make sure you don't run out of fluid in the reservoir or you will be starting the bleed process over. And yes, it is a good idea to pull out old fluid from the reservoir before you start
 
On older mastercylinders I would suggest not using the jar and tube to bleed the brakes. The lip of the rubber seal could easily be damaged when the pedal is pushed all the way down to the floor and the seal runs on an unused corroded part of the bore.
 
thanks everyone for the input. I think we are planning on doing a complete revamp of the system so the lines will be replaced. Also, if we don't use any type of bleeder, that means you have to pump the fluid out by depressing the brake pedal, correct? If so, that wont work because the plunger in the master cylinder is fused and pressing the brake pedal is like kicking a brick wall...
 
So you will be changing the master cylinder. At that time you can easily drain the reservoir. With the new mc installed you can push the remaining old brake fluid through the lines.
 
As I understand it, from various sources, ALL non-Castrol brake fluid will eat through the rubber parts. I believe English rubber is made from a different compound than American rubber. To double check on this, I suggest calling one of the British specialty shops that have been around for quite some time. Again, this was a hard lesson learned...
 
thanks everyone for the help thus far. I think this weekend, the project will be getting the master cylinder off and then seeing where we stand with everything. I will post more questions/updates as we move along. Thanks Again
 
alright, got the master cylinder off this afternoon. once it was off, i decided to see if i could free the plunger and after just a couple whacks with a hammer, it now moves nicely inside and works correctly (pushing air out and such, no fluid). To get the MC off, i had to cut one of the lines from the reservoir so that will for sure need replaced but i am thinking now that this MC is very salvageable and maybe we can just order a rebuild kit from Moss or something. Now that the old MC is out, what do you guys suggest? Rebuild it, install it and then bleed the system? Thanks
 
I've never heard that silicone (DoT 5) brake fluid will "eat through the rubber on English cars." Silicone brake fluid is fairly inert, AFAIK (as opposed to "organic" BF). The (used-to-be) problem with silicone BF is that is doesn't promote swelling in rubber seals, possibly causing leaking. Newer formulations supposedly have a swelling agent added to prevent this. I've been using silicone brake fluid for almost 20 years with no problems (never tried "silicon" BF :wink:.
 
it really doesnt look to bad inside and i was told along with buying a rebuild kit for it, i need to get a .75 inch brake hone which i assume smooths out the inside of the MC... right?
 
Hi Andrew,
Yes, that's what a brake hone does. The word on the street is you don't want to hone alloy cylinders that have an anodized coating. Cast iron should be fine.
 
hmm i think i was told it is aluminum... but from the same person i heard i had to use the hone hahaha so... anyways, i dont have school this tuesday so my dad and I are going to try to finish bleeding the rest of the wheels and then checking the condition of everything and seeing what exactly we have to order to make everything work. Thanks again for all the help, and you will hear from me soon.
 
Before I new any better, I used a hone on mine during several rebuilds. Seemed to work OK. Next time I probably buy a new one or send it off and have it relined.
 
I think British Parts NW (a very good vendor who advertises on this forum)has M/Cs for about $70 for Healey's w/o the power booster. My feeling has been that for that price it isn't worth honing the M/C, reinstalling it, bleeding the system, only to find that it leaks. Removing the M/C is really kind of awkward and a job that I preferred to do only once.
 
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