A simple question... can anyone tell or show me the standard layout for brake pipes on the back axle of an Escort?
At the moment I have a T-connector on top of the diff, with separate pipes leading to each rear piston. The trouble is, I've never been happy
with the feel of the brakes - they always stop the car, they always pass the MOT, and generally do everything they're supposed to do, but they
always feel a bit soft.
I've mentioned this here in the past, at which time several people suggested that I should set up the pipes in the same way as found originally
in an Escort - flexible pipe, hard pipe to one wheel, then another pipe from that piston over to the other wheel. Only the last wheel has a bleed
nipple.
I think that having the T piece makes it hard to bleed - you bleed one side and shut it off, then bleed the other, but never quite get rid of the air
around the T. The 'official layout' means that the air goes right through and goes out from the 1 nipple.
What I need to know is whether the first pipe goes to the top of the first piston, or to the bottom.
At the moment my brake pipes are empty as I've been doing other stuff, so now is a good time to sort it out!
Anything to do with bleeding fluid, in low out high as you want the air to find the high point
Flex from body to RH of axle then short rigid to RH cylinder, then long rigid to LH where the bleed nipple is.
Not the best picture in the world but it shows the flexy, the 2 pipes on the off side and the single copper pipe going accross to the near side.
As above, the inlet looks to be on the bottom.
here
That's helpful - many thanks.
David, my setup is exactly the same as yours and I have not had any problems with it. Do you have a regulator in your system as I do?(a Willwood type copy) Has your vehicle passed SVA/IVA? If so and you have a regulator why not try a little adjustment to see if it changes the feel.
It dosen't make any difference the Ford plumbing layout was not used by any other manufacturer who used the same Girling brakes..
The bleed nipple should go in above the pipe fitting.
If you are unhappy with the feel of the brakes on the front check the calliper pistons are moving freely and pads aren't binding in the
calliper this was a very common problem on 1970s Fords, sometimes you can spot this by one pad wearing less than its opposite number in the same
calliper.
Also check the pedal box and its' mountings are flexing excessively under maximum pedal force --- this is surprisingly common even on tin
tops..
Another problem that effects 8" Girling drum brakes is the drums tend to flex excessively when used in anger.
BT hits the nail on the head, just one other thing that may be worth doing is to slacken off the handbrake adjuster , remove each brake drum and manually adjust the so called auto adjuster one click at a time , refit the brake drum and check that it rotates easily, repeat as needed until the brake would bind if adjusted another click. Sounds long winded but it doesn't take long. Finally readjust the handbrake. Very few, if any autoadjusters work properly and can cause a "soft "pedal
quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
BT hits the nail on the head, just one other thing that may be worth doing is to slacken off the handbrake adjuster , remove each brake drum and manually adjust the so called auto adjuster one click at a time , refit the brake drum and check that it rotates easily, repeat as needed until the brake would bind if adjusted another click. Sounds long winded but it doesn't take long. Finally readjust the handbrake. Very few, if any autoadjusters work properly and can cause a "soft "pedal