Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Brake problems after lockdown

After using the car very early in March I was really looking forward to a long run up to North Wales around Llyn Celyn and home after the 5 mile rule was lifted. Checked the car over and off we went, got to the junction at the end of the road and poor braking with a lot of vibration.
Before putting the car away in March I washed it but obviously hadn't dried the wheels and discs, should have taken it for a run. Inspecting the discs from the outside looked OK but the inside face was very rusty.
I had a think and off we went on our run, couldn't stop now. Everything was fine with some gentle driving but the problem is still there, they didn't settle in. I don't think the discs are warped, as they were OK when used in March so the question is are they easy to remove, having never done so on a car with wires. (2013 Plus 4). Also will blasting them clean and renewing the pads be enough or will I have to renew discs as well.
Peter.

I had this problem after putting the car away a wet winter drive and then not using it again for a couple of weeks.

Front discs cleaned up well and functioned properly after several attempts at breaking, but did need a lot of pressure to get the pads moving.

Second issue was that one rear wheel brake cylinder seized and had to be replaced.

It’s usually the inside faces of the disc that rust like this with a very rusty patch where the pads have been sitting.Jack up onto axle stands and buzz the wheels by hand whilst holding some medium emery or a scotchbrite pad against face of disc. That should get rid of worst of it. You then need some hard braking out on the road...find somewhere with a long down hill run, where you can do some cadence braking. You’ll probably feel the patch under light braking for some time to come.

Peter

They should clean up under normal to heavy braking however as mentioned you may need to give them a bit of stick. The correct way of course is to remove the road wheels and use a wire brush or course Emery cloth on a block and give the discs a good cleanup

If you’re feeling safe to do it remove the pads and again clean the face of the brake pads before refitting (a good time to add a bit of copper slip to the back of the metal to keep everything nice and squeal free)

They can be recovered if things have gone way too far you can get them resurfaced by Melvin Rutter who has a disc cutter but that would mean they were extremely pitted or warped in order to do this and should not really be necessary.

To answer your question about changing the discs it’s not technically complicated but a bit fiddly as you need to undo the stub axle castellated nut which has a split pin which can be a bugger to get out then the whole hub is pulled off and the disks can be unbolted from the hub carrier before new discs fitted as I say not technically difficult if you have the knack and tools to undo the large nut.

As always with brakes or steering indeed any safety related system if you’re not 100% confident please take it to a dealer not only can it work out cheaper in the long run it’s also far safer for you and yours.

BR
Colin

"Before putting the car away in March I washed it but obviously hadn't dried the wheels and discs".
It';s better not to wash the car at all than put it away wet. I have no problems with my Plus 4 but I shampoo it, rinse off with the hosepipe with a sprinkler rose, dry with a leaf blower (never use a leather), then take it for a damn good thrashing, including heavy braking and applying the handbrake on the move. After that put it back in the garage (without an indoor cover which gets damp) and park with the handbrake off and the CTEK connected. Job done.

Just to add my tuppence worth..

The thing to watch out for after lay up is sticking brakes, whereby some form of corrosion mixed with brake dust can cause one or more pads/shoes to not retract which can cause heat to build up even to the extent that the brake fluid can boil locally at the cylinder, which can equate to the pedal going soft, even to the extent to get any braking you have to pump the pedal.... which has all sorts of unfortunate possibilities...? At such times using the handbrake rather than trying to bury the brake pedal through the floor might just save the day...?

Wash the car drive it into the garage and you press the brakes to stop before lay-up.... Leaving the calliper pistons extended and the pads in contact with the drums, and if damp/ dirty you have the beginnings of the above issue..?

Perhaps before you go for that first run in the sun it might be best to be sure that the wheels are free to rotate.... A possible sign of a sticking brake can be a pull to one side in the steering and if it is intermittently sticky, that pull can appear and disappear...

Brake failure would seem to be best avoided..?

Take care.

Is the rust evenly across the disc or is there an area where the pads were? This area can cause vibration as the pads meet it during wheel rotation. Deejay’s method to clean the disc might work, how are your pads? Maybe replacement with new would help. New pads often have an aggressive layer to aid bedding in and clean up, get a matched surface between pad and disc.
As for discs. I replaced mine on an alloy wheel last year as part of an upgrade. I think they were the original discs as no mention of renewal in the service history. They were solidly stuck to the hub due to corrosion and took a lot of Plusgas and persuasion to get off. I cleaned the hub and smeared some copper grease on the mating surfaces before fitting the new ones. I ended up taking the hubs off to do it.

I always go for a spin after washing to ensure the brakes don't bind.

I wonder if the inner caliper piston(s) have partially seized. After cleaning rusty inner disc face, and if you feel confident, removing the inner pads or maybe both then inserting a thinner piece of wood (each side of necessary) should allow you to operate the foot pedal without the pistons popping out. Once they are gripping the wood, carefully push them back in using the wood as a lever. Maybe repeat a few times until they all move freely then re-fit pads with Ceratec brake grease.

Thanks for the replies. Firstly the rust is distributed all over the disc not just where the pads have contacted. I did some vigorous braking when I went out but it didn't really improve at all. I have no problem in removing the discs but as I said never on a car with wires, so I didn't know the stub axles will have to come off first. Will they need to be pulled off with a pullers? If I can't do a good job without taking the discs off I will remove them. Only question now is how bad will pads be contaminated. Anyone help with which car they are from.
Lesson learned I won't be putting it away wet again.