The 'E' Type Forum

Or could be a bulging flexible hose, rather than a blocked one.

Blockage would be more likely to make the brake lock on.

Regards

I just had a hose on my Corvair do the opposite - I was trying to blow the old fluid out & you could blow from the wheel up to the master cyl but not from the master cyl to the wheel. They do normally tend to hold the brakes on as you say but this did the opposite.

Red Rubber Grease?
Julian mentioned something about this. Did I miss something in my reassembly?
Regards the brake pipes, the bonnet is off now , soon the head , and the rad and steering rack, might as well pull the starter and alternator too for a look see. Hah might as well drop the sump and check the bearings after all winter is coming in Canada
While I am at it I will pull the front brake pipes and inspect/replace as well for all it will cost.
I have had a real crash course in Jag maintenance these past months. Way more wrenching and VERY little driving. Oddly though , I am enjoying the discovery of knowing my car.
Cheers All !

Sounds like another case of shipwright's syndrome!

We're all lost causes, I fear!

Red rubber grease is specifically for lubricating rubber parts as it does not deteriorate rubber...as e.g. LM grease does. Available from any good motor factor. It is bright red and stains clothing consistency of LM grease if maybe a bit tacky. Does not affect brake fluid either as I understand. So good for reassembly of calipers and slave/master cylinders....a tin will last a life time...

Hi Steve
Yes come the spring I will do a full suspension check to make sure nothing is a miss in that area
currently the head is off and in for a once over ( leaky intake guides)
My shipwrights disease is just about peaking.....

Post resurrection!
2 1/2 years later and this problem continues and maybe getting worse. Over the winter I swapped the front brake pads left to right hand sides, fitted new flexible hoses and bled the brakes. If anything I'd say the problem has worsened with it being noticeable from cold whereas previously it got worse when warm.
To summarise since first noticing this problem in 2014 I have done the following:

• Had the front cylinders sleeved with stainless and rebuilt with fresh seals
• replaced flex hoses
• refurbished the master cylinder and servo
• swapped front pad pairs
• replaced flex hoses

My next job is to check piston operation in the front left calliper by removing the pads and pressing the pedal. Am I missing anything else? I have not touched the rear brakes at all but most seem to agree that this problem could not be caused by the rear.
Thanks

Check for warped discs....and check for play in wheel bearings

What sort of brake fluid are you using?
It could still be the stainless sleeves and or pistons
Are the pistons stainless as well or standard?
Has the car been sitting for a long time?
Just because the sleeves are stainless it doesn't mean they wont rust
Stainless steel works best when its exposed to air
If you trap the air away from its surface it will start to rust
Especially if you have used non silicone brake fluid
Also what grade of stainless steel was used?
Not all stainless steel is the same and there are different grades
It does sound like a stuck or grabbing piston to me
That saying the the brake discs are in good order
Joe

Got to be the calipers. Modern hoses sometimes get blocked, but you've eliminated them. However, if one of the pistons were stiff enough to prevent the brake applying, it would also hold the brake on, and you'd know about that soon enough. But I would pull them off, measure all the bores & compare,, measure all the pistons & compare, and check the internal passages.

Have you had the tracking checked? Badly set Toe-in can cause all sorts of handling problems including what you are seeing/feeling. I have used the Gunson Trakrite Drive Over Wheel Alignment Gauge with great success - costs about £70 and surprisingly accurate.

I think David is probably on to something here.

Why not take it to a garage that can do MOTs and get them to do a check on the front suspension ball joints, track rod ends etc. Lockdown may be limiting you're choices but I have a garage near me that does MOTs and understands classic cars and won't issue an easy pass.

Might be worth a try.

Regards

Trying to find a garage that can do wheel alignment on an E-Type is difficult. My local Porsche specialist said they could do a laser alignment for me but when they checked their machine they would need to spend £1,500 for hub adapters. I bought the Trackrite, drove over it and found that the workshop who changed the track rod ends only adjusted one! Left hand front was the correct toe-in with centered steering wheel, offside was toeing out. On the road I found the car unstable especially when pulling out to overtake and returning - the tail felt it was stepping out.

Trackrite is so easy to use although you do need a few feet on a flat surface to keep driving over it until you are happy.

All that means is that your steering wheel is not centred. Where is it when you are driving?

Thanks for responses all.
With regards to the spec and condition of the stainless steel sleeves in the cylinders; I don't know, Angus might know as I think he did them for me, probably in 2014. As far as I can remember it was this problem that prompted me to get them done.
With regards to the steering and suspension condition; I forgot to mention that I had the front suspension rebuilt in 2017 with new dampers, ball joints and polybushes by an E Type specialist in Swadlincote who are excellent. It's possible that the steering geometry is still out but the problem has certainly existed to a greater or lesser extent both before and after that work was done.
Thinking it through now the discs are the only part of the system that has not been replaced, refurbished or eliminated through substitution.
I am going to see if I can verify the movement of the pistons in each cylinder on the nearside wheel and will inspect the discs at the same time. After that it's going to be a job for the aforementioned specialist!
Thanks again,
Ross

Swap the discs over.

Hi Ross,

I'm going to sound a bit like a typical parts supplier here but..... I've never had a problem reported like this but wouldn't rule it out.

If there is anything we can help with, please let me know (if our caliper is faulty, we will replace it).

Angus

Heuer wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 02, 2020 10:37 am

Trying to find a garage that can do wheel alignment on an E-Type is difficult.

I quite agree but my suggestion was to try to find any possible wear in bushes & ball joints using the greased plates and pry bar method

I am lucky to have an old school mechanic quite close by who is increasingly sought after for his skills with older cars. He also has a gift for building and tuning engines. He has no real interest in building a restoration business or building a brand. He just likes doing his best for people.

Regards

1954Etype wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:39 pm

Hi Ross,

I'm going to sound a bit like a typical parts supplier here but..... I've never had a problem reported like this but wouldn't rule it out.

If there is anything we can help with, please let me know (if our caliper is faulty, we will replace it).

Angus

Thanks Angus, that's very generous and professional of you to offer but I don't suspect the cylinders as the root cause of the problem because if I remember correctly this problem was the reason for having the cylinders sleeved.