MG MGB and MGB GT Tech Talk
I went to adjust my back brakes. I exercised them by pushing the shoes side to side, no problems. I then went to open the adjuster full, but it is a little stiff. When I look in the middle (where they are pushed apart), it doesn't really move. Any ideas other than new one?
Keep at it. If you can turn the adjuster something has to be moving. Lube it a little.
Reach behind backing plate ,,,,turn and watch what happens..
LUBE IT UP FIRST. Any kind of spray lubricant. Then work it back and forth until it'll turn freely. Then turn it in. The adjuster part (between the shoes) is square, so you should see or feel the shoes bump every 1/4 turn. It IS possible the screw part is broken. You'll just have to turn it far enough to tell.
the adjuster is a 1/4" square. best wrench for this is a 3/8" 1/4" drive 12 point socket. Use this on a 3/8" ratches, inserting the ratchet into the 12-point end. that gives you a nice 1/4" square socket to adjust with.
Take the adjuster out of the car and take it apart, clean up the corrosion and reassemble using antiseize. You may find that you'll have to use a propane torch to get the pieces apart from the body but it will all come apart.
The only reason to replace it is if you break one of the mounting studs while taking it out of the car.
For a couple of bucks you can buy an 8-point socket that's made for this kind of job.
Tom
I just performed a read brake job this past weekend on my '75 Roadster. I took the adjusters off, cleaned them, and re-installed without incident. The 1/4 inch adjuster is not able to handle much torque, so be careful. I used a medium crescent wrench and PB Blaster (on the bench vice.) Once clean, I checked it for action, and noted that the two sliding plugs move very slightly with each 1/4 turn of the adjusting screw.
Patience will prevail - this is a fairly simple piece of gear.
Russ the moving parts are tappets and the adjuster part is the wedge. Moss says they are NA. When I got the units cleaned up I found that the tappets were worn so deeply that moving the wedge in did not move the shoe out. The adjuster was useless. After the cleaning l had to replace the adjuster assemblys on both sides anyway.
Good Luck
Paul
Paul, The individual pieces might not be available but the entire adjuster is.
Mark that is what I had to do, buy the whole adjuster assembly. They are easy to put in and not too expensive.
Tom it seems that a wedge shaped piece ought to just turn easily between the tappets - I can only guess that in the 89000 miles before I got the car they were never greased and so somehow, ?, got grooved with the turning of the adjuster. The tappets were so worn down there was no more adjustment in the adjuster.
Russ, how is your brake work coming?
Paul
