Technical Mot fail and a burst radiator!

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Technical Mot fail and a burst radiator!

Ronnie63

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Our 130 2002 moho failed it's mot on rear brakes inbalance on rear axle! On looking at it one of the hubs had a badly leaking cylinder so a new one was ordered, I removed the shoes and cleaned the whole hub inc the shoes, they had plenty meat so after cleaning them I scuffed them up, I also ground the edge of the brake hub, put it all back together and adjusted up the shoes so they were just brushing the drum and no more, this was after bleeding the brakes with an easy bleed.

So I took it back for a retest and it failed again on the same wheel! Tester said it was better but still weak! I don't know what else it could be?

Also while on the rollers the radiator let go sparaying a jet of steam out the front of the van!

I ordered a new one from costal motor homes for £58 my local factors wanted £145 plus vat! I need to figure out the correct coolant and amount needed if anyone Knows? it's a 2.0 jtd

As for the brakes I'm at a loss!

Thanks ronnie
 
It is not possible to clean brake fluid from shoes, the fluid soaks into the friction material it may look clean but as soon as it gets warm the fluid comes out. Fit new shoes . Do not scuff up the friction material years and years ago it was done but it is counter productive - makes things worse.

Drums need a good clean too (also porous), very hot water and detergent then good rinse followed by hot drying

I'm glad you got good value rad.
 
Methylated spirit is often suggsted for cleaning brake parts. It has the advantage of being a good solvent, and drying off quicker than water.

Is the "130" mentioned at the begining of post #1 a typo, for the x230 model, which was made until 2002.

eLearn for the x244 2.0jtd mentions 10.5 litres for filling the cooling system, while the Owner Handbook for my x244 gives 9 litres, both for the 2.0jtd.

Most unlikely that system is completely drained so perhaps expect 10 litres, and you may have some left for topping up. eLearn for the x244 mentions bleeding the system to avoid airlocks.
 
Methylated spirit is often suggsted for cleaning brake parts. It has the advantage of being a good solvent, and drying off quicker than water.

Is the "130" mentioned at the begining of post #1 a typo, for the x230 model, which was made until 2002.

eLearn for the x244 2.0jtd mentions 10.5 litres for filling the cooling system, while the Owner Handbook for my x244 gives 9 litres, both for the 2.0jtd.

Most unlikely that system is completely drained so perhaps expect 10 litres, and you may have some left for topping up. eLearn for the x244 mentions bleeding the system to avoid airlocks.

Yes sorry 230! I cleaned with white spirit and brake cleaner! So maybe not the best method.

The coolant in the system is the pink stuff so will buy some of same kind, as for the brakes all I can think is new shoes

Thanks Ronnie
 
Yes sorry 230! I cleaned with white spirit and brake cleaner! So maybe not the best method.

The coolant in the system is the pink stuff so will buy some of same kind, as for the brakes all I can think is new shoes

Thanks Ronnie

Nothing cleans brake fluid off brake friction material....nothing......new shoes is only answer.

The drums must be cleaned as described before.

Methalated spirt can be used for hydraulic brake components, pistons cylinders etc
 

Try that it may work
Cheers just came up with oil when I got the. Belt and water pump done it had red stuff put in
 
Ethylene glycol / oat lasts 5 years at correct dilution
 
It was changed 3 years ago now, I looked at the Halfords stuff looks like that would do thanks
 
Your brakes are incorrectly balanced . New shoes are a start , but they will need adjusting inside the hub . What are your mechanical skills ?
Yes that seems to be he case, I'm fairly good at mechanics but never had a retest fail again
 
Yes that seems to be he case, I'm fairly good at mechanics but never had a retest fail again

Rear wheel balance has become a major test issue recently , i had my first mot fail due to it . I think it has always been an issue , but recent developments in technology has mean't its easier to test individual wheels . Basically the machine deems one wheel will lock before the other , and could lead to the vehicle pulling to the strong side . The aim here is to get both wheels locking at the same time .

Now before you start anything , securely chock both rear wheels , and put the vehicle in gear . You will find at this point , it's an advantage to slacken the wheel nuts on both rear wheels , but you already know this don't you , then jack the rear of the van up enough to remove both wheels . Release the hand brake fully , and once your happy the vehicle is secure , you can now remove the wheels . Next slide under the van , and fully release the handbrake adjusting nut . Brake adjustment can be a pain with this in tension (please don't ask me how i know this) , plus the cable may not centralise which of course will add to the imbalance .

Okay , so i'm gonna stick my neck out here and say the main problem wheel , will be the one where you replaced the wheel cylinder . You probably had to fiddle with the adjuster to get the hub back on , and never readjusted after you had . If you had , the chances are you wouldn't be asking the question !

Right , so taking the hub off , you will see the shoes set in the vertical orientation with the , in your case , replaced wheel cylinder at the top yeah . At the bottom you will have a post that the shoes sit in held in place by a long spring . Yes i know there are clips that hold these in place as well , but lets just ignore them for the present okay .

So at the top , just below the wheel cylinder you should see a strange piston like arm , along with another spring . That cylinder should look something like this ;


Okay so it won't let me upload an image , so we will have to go this way .

This is the self adjusting mechanism , and the bit you need to adjust ! . Now it maybe better if you take the hub off and take a look at this thing , even check that it will adjust . My guess is it will , and probably the bit you upset to replace the hub . The cog to the right of the image is the actual adjuster part , it turns on a threaded shaft so should turn freely . The two metal plates you can see in the picture are a lock which will only allow the cog to turn in one direction to prevent it unadjusting , so you will need to gently prise these out to unlock the the cog to turn it back . Notice as the cog is turned the two forks extend or retract . Mine were very stiff so i replaced them , but then i replaced a good 90% of the rear braking system as well , so don't be too surprised . Yes i had a failed wheel cylinder as well , found it while replacing , would you believe , the wheel bearings .

Now the next bit is really fiddly , so prepare yourself . To adjust you need to slip a tool through one of the wheel stud holes in the hub and turn this cog to achieve the adjustment . I used a small hooked tool , so you will need to find something similar . A second tool i would strongly suggest you source , is a fish scale . This is how i balance the braking effect , and i used something similar to this :

I've had them for years , and proved it ideal for the job . You won't get a perfect balance , but it will be within the 10% required to pass the test . I think my first attempt was something close on 94% , leaving a 6% unbalance . My last test value was a 2% unbalance , at 98% .
So now replace the hub , and line up one of the wheel stud holes over the adjuster cog . This will be a faff , but you must be able to turn the cog inside with the hub in place . To help , you should be able hear a click as the lock engages the new indent on the cog . The correct way to do this job , is to lock the hub , then slacken the adjuster off , so the wheel turns with just light binding . With this set up i do it the other way , adjusting up , instead of down . Totally down to the lock , it really is a faff to release the lock plate . Once you have the wheel lightly binding , place a wheel stud in a lower hole on the hub . Hook the fish scale on to the stud and and tension until the wheel just begins to turn . Now repeat the process on the other side , until you have the same value , and your wheels will now balance . But here we have a problem , you will have to make the call as to when the adjustment is right . Too little , and you will have weak brakes , too much and they will be deemed as binding , also an mot issue . Personally i allow the brake to bind a little , the run to the test centre beds the shoes . When your happy replace the wheel , and retest with the fish scales .
Now you can readjust the hand brake cable , set the lever to the fourth notch , and tighten the adjuster till both fully wheels lock up .
 
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Just figured this may help , so i'll just add this . These are the tools i use to adjust the adjuster .


Hi thanks for the detailed info, if you grind the lip of the drum you can easily slide the drum on and off, I always adjust the shoes with the drum off and adjust in small amounts until the drum just brushes the shoes
 
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Hi thanks for the detailed info, if you grind the lip of the drum you can easily slide the drum on and off, I always adjust the shoes with the drum off and adjust in small amounts until the drum just brushes the shoes

Ah okay , well if that's the case , it sounds like you've done the job many times , so i'll let you get on with it . To be honest , i'm unsure of the general arrangement of a 130 , mine is a 230 so likely there is a difference . However that is the reason for an imbalance on my particular vehicle , and how to overcome it .
 
Ah okay , well if that's the case , it sounds like you've done the job many times , so i'll let you get on with it . To be honest , i'm unsure of the general arrangement of a 130 , mine is a 230 so likely there is a difference . However that is the reason for an imbalance on my particular vehicle , and how to overcome it .

Mine is a 230 that was a typo! So same vans, I think everyone has there own way of doing it, I started doing stuff when I got my first car a 1972 cortina lol
 
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