Do MK3s have brakes?

[Lobby 99]

Hi all, 

 

Timing and carb done, I thought I'd take my first drive in the car since1999 and I have a question...... do MK3s have brakes?!!!  I'm not sure whether it takes some adjusting to driving an old car again but blimey the brakes don't do much do they?

 

Has anyone else found this or is it just me? :) 

 

[sheffieldcortinacentre 529]

Moderns are more assisted ( over servoed).

Edited May 21, 2021 by sheffieldcortinacentre

[dgo 66]

Brakes should be fine but as Craig says not over-assisted. Assume you have bled them carefully and made sure the rears are adjusted?

 

It's been done before - you can install the front calipers upside down. The bleed nipples go at the top....Just in case

[sheffieldcortinacentre 529]

As said rear brake adjustment can give excessive travel of done via cable rather than at shoes inside drum.

[Lobby 99]

Cheers for the comments, I'd missed the replies somehow! The brake pedal seems pretty solid when I press it and almost unassisted, the new master cylinder was not fitted by me and I was told it was a Land rover model?  Are there a few simple checks I can make to identify the problem? If I disconnect the hose to the servo should I feel a big difference?  (I'll also run through the bleeding procedure all round). Thanks in advance.

[sheffieldcortinacentre 529]

With the servo blanked off the pedal should be harder to press.

 

Another way to check the servo is working properly is withe the engine off press the brake three or 4 times ( this will remove any vacuum stored in the servo).

Then hold the brake pedal down & start the engine if the servo is in good condition & working properly the brake pedal should drop approximately an inch.

If it doesn't then there's a problem somewhere.

 

[Captain Scarlet 84]

Land Rover cylinders have a slightly larger bore size,that will make a difference to the pedal feel,conversely a slightly smaller bore results in less foot pressure required (sharper brakes) but more pedal travel,go too small and the pedal could end up to close to the floor ,it’s a fine line.

i have got an escort cylinder that is slightly smaller to fit on mine,but I still have not tried it to see how low it goes yet .

[Lobby 99]

8 hours ago, sheffieldcortinacentre said:

With the servo blanked off the pedal should be harder to press.

 

Another way to check the servo is working properly is withe the engine off press the brake three or 4 times ( this will remove any vacuum stored in the servo).

Then hold the brake pedal down & start the engine if the servo is in good condition & working properly the brake pedal should drop approximately an inch.

If it doesn't then there's a problem somewhere.

 

Thanks Craig, I'll give that a try today.

[Lobby 99]

31 minutes ago, Captain Scarlet said:

Land Rover cylinders have a slightly larger bore size,that will make a difference to the pedal feel,conversely a slightly smaller bore results in less foot pressure required (sharper brakes) but more pedal travel,go too small and the pedal could end up to close to the floor ,it’s a fine line.

i have got an escort cylinder that is slightly smaller to fit on mine,but I still have not tried it to see how low it goes yet .

 

That makes sense, I thought that I'd read somewhere that Land Rover versions can cause problems. Once I've tried the tests mentioned I might get the original master cylinder rebuilt, I'm sure it wasn't like this when I drove the car in the 90s as I was flat out everywhere! 

[Lobby 99]

I tried the brake pedal this morning, with the engine off and then started it.  With the engine off the pedal was solid with barely any movement, I then started the engine while applying pressure and it didn't move at all (just stayed solid), does this mean my servo has had it? If so, are they available or would I need to send it to be reconditioned?

 

Thanks in advance.

[sheffieldcortinacentre 529]

Yes sounds like it's not working, don't know of anywhere that recons them.

You'll most likely have to get a used one.

Mk3/4 fits but Mk5 is a bigger diameter & won't physically clear the inner wing ( they have a recess ).

 

Never had a problem when using a land rover one???

[Lobby 99]

Thanks Craig.

 

Will this car of mine ever be on the road?   Has anyone used these companies in the past?

 

http://jlspares.com/brakeparts.htm

 

https://www.powertrackbrakes.co.uk/brakes.html

 

Remanufacturing (pastparts.co.uk)

[Captain Scarlet 84]

19 hours ago, Lobby said:

I tried the brake pedal this morning, with the engine off and then started it.  With the engine off the pedal was solid with barely any movement, I then started the engine while applying pressure and it didn't move at all (just stayed solid), does this mean my servo has had it? If so, are they available or would I need to send it to be reconditioned?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Even with the LR cylinder it should move a little,so possible servo,vacuum supply pipe problem,not run since 1999,possible  engine not producing much vacuum.check the pipe for leaks with a gauge,don’t know if those one way valves have a history of blocking up.

Cortina servos are not a particularly powerful boost ratio.

fairly sure I have the mk5 servo on mine (sorry Craig )it’s only about 2mm clear on the inner wing,I think I may have swapped servo brackets around ,(got the solid bracket and not the straps,is that right Craig,my memory is letting me down on that one) jiggled it a bit and maybe even massaged the panel very slightly.Even so the mk5 servo produced no discernible improvement for me.

I am told Mk1 Granada is a boost improvement but definitely would need work to fit it.

Edited June 7, 2021 by Captain Scarlet

[Captain Scarlet 84]

Just thinking,if the car has not been used since 1999,have the callipers and rear cylinders seized up ?

[Lobby 99]

5 hours ago, Captain Scarlet said:

 

Even with the LR cylinder it should move a little,so possible servo,vacuum supply pipe problem,not run since 1999,possible  engine not producing much vacuum.check the pipe for leaks with a gauge,don’t know if those one way valves have a history of blocking up.

Cortina servos are not a particularly powerful boost ratio.

fairly sure I have the mk5 servo on mine (sorry Craig )it’s only about 2mm clear on the inner wing,I think I may have swapped servo brackets around ,(got the solid bracket and not the straps,is that right Craig,my memory is letting me down on that one) jiggled it a bit and maybe even massaged the panel very slightly.Even so the mk5 servo produced no discernible improvement for me.

I am told Mk1 Granada is a boost improvement but definitely would need work to fit it.

 

Hi, cheers for the tips. The calipers were rebuilt during the resto so should be ok and new wheel cylinders were fitted. Everything does point towards the servo but I will check out the vacuum pipe as well. One thing I did notice was that with the engine running and once I'd pressed the brake pedal there was a rattling from behind the instruments and I think I've heard this noise comes from the one way valve but I'm not exactly sure where it is located and if it can be checked / replaced? I got a quote for the servo to be rebuilt today, £228 in labour, parts, VAT and postage but it's a 4 - 5 week turnaround.  Thanks again :)