Bled the system twice last weekend with no difference in pedal travel. Then I adjusted the shoes according to HBOL - tighten until it binds, then back of a quarter turn. Still no difference. Then, in a search of old posts, I found the advice about tightening until they bind, then backing off until they scrape and only make about 1-2 revolutions when you spin the wheel, and that did the trick. Nice, hard pedal... feels like brand new. Didn't hurt to bleed the system, but I don't think it was necessary in the end.

 Just do what I did: remove the drums and observe the movement of the drums as you rotate the adjuster.  Then record the results in your Mini data file.

 Eliminate pedal travel: adjust shoes to the point that they scrape the drums, but not to the point they bind.  Front brakes will give best results; adjust first and test.

Quick rear brake test: pull up the hand brake and note difference in pedal travel.  If there is reduced pedal travel, the rear shoes need tightening.  If there is no difference, then adj not necessary.

Works for me.

Cheers,

Craig

When I had the backing plates out I heated the adjusters up until the crud sizzles out. While still hot sprayed some WD40 which was sucked into the threads. Used the MIG to build up the adjuster which was then filed back to fit the adjuster spanner. Remember it has to to be firm enough to hold the adjustment - if it it moves too easily it will never hold the proper adjustment.

I don't usually have trouble bleeding the brakes, drums or disks, and I do it myself. I use a stick of some sort that I can push the brake pedal by reaching through the window. I open the bleeder. I put my finger over the end of the bleeder while I reach through and pump the pedal. The fluid pushes out under my finger and then my finger prevents air from being sucked back in as the pedal comes up for the next push. You can feel any air bubbles coming out. Pump until there are no more. Then you can even let it siphon a bit before you tighten the bleeder back up. Fill the master cylinder after doing each wheel. Paper towels wipe up the fluid that spills on the floor.

Thanks for the head's-up, Ian. Bearing that in mind, maybe I won't attempt it sitting in the driveway this afternoon, when it's forecast to be about 105F. I think I can live with the double-pump brake action for another couple of days.

"...if it is as you say it is (pretty much exactly...uncanny)"  Its not uncanny.. its just that we've all been there done that

IMHO bleeding Mini drum brakes is about the most awful, frustrating, unrewarding task possible....

The only advice I can offer is to (1) Un-adjust the brakes as much as possible before bleeding - that way you get the maximum piston travel to force the most air out and (2) take plenty of fluids (preferably alcoholic) and keep trying....  Once you get (as much as possible of   the air out (ie pedal doesn't pump up) THEN do the adjustment to reduce pedal travel.

Oh.. and get used to the double tap braking process ...

Cheers, Ian

Ian, if it is as you say it is (pretty much exactly...uncanny) should I just forget about trying to adjust the shoes and go straight to bleeding? Pedal pumps up in basically one pump, so I think the cylinder and linkage are fine. Cylinder is only a few months old. Also, once pumped, it doesn't sink while holding it, so I'm assuming the system is tight.

You can test for air in the lines by giving the pedal a series of short sharp taps.  This will compress the air (momentarilly) and take out the free play - leave it 20 seconds (or less) and the play will be back.  If you can't pump up the pedal then its liklely to be adustment or wear in the pedal/master cyl linkage.

Don't forget that the front adjuster are a cam.  If they're worn (like most are) you can turn the adjusters through tight, tighter, tightest, oops - loose.... (if you continue to turn the adjuster in the same direction you will eventually come back to tight....).  Rear adjusters are a screw and wedge (with a square cam in between). So, as you continue to turn them (in the right direction), they go tight, loose, tighter, loose, even tighter, loose and so on until (if you're really ham fisted) you get to tightest - and the spanner rounds off the adjuster).  The trick is go through the tight to the next loose - check ajustment (spin the wheel - do the brakes scrape (lightly) if not tighten to next loose ... and so on. You will be able to waggle the spanner back and forward about 20-30 deg when the adjuster in on the loose section. 

Cheers, Ian

Cheers, Ian

I would suggest putting vice grips on each of the front wheel cylinders and bleed the brakes as if you adjust them out and then bleed the front cylinder can end up with a small air bubble right behind the piston. 

Drums and shoes are all only about 4000 miles old, so nothing should be badly seized-up. There is a lot of play in the pedal, and I'm hoping its just wear on the shoes. I want to try adjusting before getting into a brake bleed. Master cylinder is only a few months old and the pedal doesn't creep when I hold it down, so I'm assuming either in needs adjustment or there's air in the line somewhere. Adjustment seems like the easiest place to start troubleshooting.

And you can weld 3/8" nuts onto the front adjusters to end all future possibilities of the adjusters being stripped.  The feel for the adjuster with the 9/16" wrench is mire sensitive too.

That is correct. And be sure the front adjusters turn easily while the shoes are off by turning them with a vice grips on the barrel part inside the drum. Free them up with WD40 if needed. All this while you can still access them before the shoes are replaced. This will save you grief when you go to adjust them after assembly.

Just thinking through the weekend project. Can anyone confirm the direction to turn the brake adjusters out. Haynes claims that the front adjusters get turned in the direction of wheel rotation and that the back adjusters get turned clockwise (viewed from the rear of the backplate). Sound correct? I'd rather just do it by feel and not have to pull the drums apart.

Thanks