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MG TD TF 1500 - Brake shoe spring holes - TF

Looks like I'll finally be able to start terrorizing the neighborhood this weekend as all I have left to do is bleed the brakes, make the final adjustments and start driving.......finally. However, I have a question on the proper placement of the brake shoes springs.

There are several holes in each shoe to attach the springs. On one side there is only one round hole (adjuster side). On the other side there are two holes. At present I have the springs placed in the outboard hole which was easier to install and the shoes (while secure ) seem a bit loose. If I move the springs in to the inboard hole, thus increasing the distance and the spring tension, the shoes are held in place much tighter. By doing this, it would seem logical that this would increase brake pedal pressure as the springs would want to pull the shoes away from the drum with more force. Which holes are correct? I cannot find any reference to this question in the shop manual.

I know were are not talking a great distance here, but I would hate to start driving, hit the brakes and experience marginal braking performance due to the increase in return spring pressure. Also, would that tend to cause excess pressure when applying the brakes in the master and wheel cylinders?

Thanks for your input

Jim
TF7022 / XPEG852
Jim Rice

Jim,

If you have a copy of the Workshop Manual, you can see the correct position in the illustrations of Section M. Hate to have to tell you this, but the hook goes into the hole farther from the end of the shoe. I think that's what you're calling the inboard hole. Yes, there is an appreciable amount of spring tension to overcome as you slip the end of the shoe into the piston.
Bud Krueger

Hi Jim, I also hate to tell you this, but the springs should be behind the shoes, not in front. This ensures that the shoes are correctly pulled in against the backing plate, not relying on the locking springs to hold them in place. If you do it as Bud suggests you will find it fairly easy to reassemble.

Cheers,

Paul.
Paul van Gool

Paul/Bud:

Thanks for the replies. I had also discussed this with John Twist on Friday and he too confirmed what you both said. John also stated that the forward-most front wheel cylinders push DOWN on the lower shoes. Of course if goes without saying that when I checked my set-up, I had installed the cylinders pushing up..........what fun disassembling everything back to the flexible hose connection on the frame and then re-installing everything correctly including the proper spring placement.

Alas, looks like a few more days now until I get to drive. The brake line from the master cylinder to the 4 way connector sprung a leak and I had to order a new replacement.

Jim
TF7022 / XPEG852
Jim Rice

This thread was discussed between 10/08/2001 and 12/08/2001

MG TD TF 1500 index

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