TD Series 1 Disc Brakes & Engine overheating

TD 21 late 1959 number 26169  Brakes Would any good member have technical info on the Series 1  Disc brakes he could forward . Car came with a series two hand book. quick look at the discs gave me no indication of how to even replace the pads, dont have a part number either to buy a spare set. Reading members postings on the series 2 brakes has exposed one small problem, ( brakes are slow to release after coming off foot peddle)   Engine Cooling. Didnt think I had a problem untill after a long steep  hill accent, 4miles, flat out in top then third, temp gauge showed 85deg up hill but on the decent down into Tauranga the gauge shot up to over 100 and stayed there till we reached the end of the incline ( 6miles)  This is just what our Firefly does but then it has no water pump, the hot water is trapped at the back end of the block as its at an angle and this is    where the thermostat is located.  I believe there have been many articles  on this overheating subject including the modified head gasket to alter the water flow, this being the last thing I want to do at this stage . Again would any other TD addict  be able to forward a list of cures. Thought I had some of the answer with a full cowling around the water pump fan, but on measuring the water temp into radiator 80 and temp out 70 this was no different to before.  Only done with car idling in the garage, Tauranga is a bit far to do the flat out test again. I have flushed the block out changed the termostat plugs had distributor O/H and adjusted the valve clearances.  One item I will fix next is the rhs grill air deflection plate is missing. Please excuse spelling never a very strong subject.  John Speight  besotted new TD care giver Posted by teddy 04/01/2013 00:42:31

John Hope the following helps Brakes.Assuming you have a standard S1 with Lockheed discs/calipers then I think you need to remove the caliper from the stub axle to get at the pads,do not attempt to split the caliper on the car or off it unless you have the internal transfer port seal kit. If you have been "upgraded" to the later S11 onwards Dunlop items theoretically you can remove the pads after unbolting their retaining clip,in reality it is probabley easier to remove the caliper and then you can remove the piston assemblies if you have to and clean everything up + change pads. .The Dunlop brakes are common to several other cars eg Jaguar. Brakes dragging;  If all 4 wheels are affected  1Check the master cylinder piston is returning fully/freely,the last 1/2" of travel can become corroded & sticky,the m/c itself is prone to heavy internal corrosion as it is the lowest point of the system and all the moisture and crud ends up here.Probabley a good idea to strip & clean it & do the the seals,early cars were fitted with aluminium m/cs &the seal kit for the aly m/c will not fit the later cast iron ones & vice versa 2 Check the push rod from the brake pedal drop arm to the m/c is loose when the car is stopped andthe m/c piston is fully recovered, about 1mm play is reqd. 3check the servo air filter is clean,lubricate the servo internals with a little ATF per the manual,if you suspect the servo is dragging  disconnect/bypass it,the brakes will still work but the pedal requires a good push If problem only relates  to 1 or2 wheels  1check the wheel cylinders /return springs (rear axle) 2check the flexi hoses if more than 15 years old they tend to collapse internally preventing /resticting fluid return, they should be date stamped,if the date is worn away/illegible they are old,change them. Overheating. 1The missing side deflector will not help 2Are the grill slats loose and  being pushed closed when driving fast 3Do you still have the scoop under the valance,it can be effectively blocked by the no.plate,even if present 4the only truely effective cure is to physically dig out the sludge in the block,particularly @ the back end,this involves taking the head off,expect to remove up to 1.5kg of detritus.  Good Luck Posted by Peter Martin 07/01/2013 12:34:57

Hi Peter,  Thank you for your lenghty reply most appreciated  A lot of what you suggest has been done but maybe it now neeeds doing again. Example the radiator has been out and flushed at least 3 times in the last 20 years. The block  sure is a  good rust maker, since purchasing i have flushed out rad and changed to Penright classic car coolant  (highly recommended Aussie product )as is their Penrite Classic Light 20W-60W  engine oil. No I have no conection to them but can now  recomend their products. Engine has stoped dripping oil from the breather pipe, and vapour,   Castrol GTX was being used.   Another suprise was the temperature rise when  super petrol was used  97 octane will not do that again 91 is fine.    Guess its a head removal when it gets worsce.    Brakes Remove calipers to get at pads,   guess Lockheed had to start somewere differnt.    brake drag is only very  slight at pressent . but will takle your sugestions one at a time. Servo air cleaner not found yet (under near side front wheel mudgard?)or  connection  from the  inlet manifold.  Will check flexible pipes first.  John Speight Posted by teddy 09/01/2013 01:00:58

John The servo breather filter is in the engine compartment close to the wiper motor/firewall/battery. It is a push fit ,top hat profile about the size of a cotton reel from memory, (I have't done  work on a TD for 30+yrs so hope I am correct) Posted by Peter Martin 09/01/2013 18:34:11

Hi Peter, Alan,  Had another look for the servo breather filter without sucess. The servo unit can be seen but its not get attable, might try removing the inner mud guard panel. Vacuum line from manafold dissapears under the windscreen wiper and into the off side wheel arch where the vacuum bottle will be. Still looking for an exploded diagram of the Series one Lookheed brakes and any info on  pad replacement and part number? Help!   Back on the engine over heating any tips on removing of the 1.5kg of silt, Taking the exhaust side drain tap out and pocking around with suitable rod while flushing might produce more silt. Watching the water temp gauge is entertaining in itself. From start gets up to and over temp within minutes 95deg (summer and 22deg) then settles back to 85deg after a few more minutes (when termostate has opened)  tempted to remove it and check what effect it has? Temp gauge reading seams to bear no relationship with the water entering the radiator which never goes over 80deg and exits at 71deg (with digital laser temp gauge)  Alan  Durham?  mensions a supplier who has copper gaskets with smaller transfer holes. Any one know of this supplier? This gasket is in  essence this gist  of an article from  Geoff Dawber Haverfordwest Dyfed  Dated 30 th Jan 1992 (Copy forwarded to any interested TD owner) Claimed to result in curing over heating and  loss of water on the hottest days Can anyone confirm any of this?     One last question  Engine Compression figures that can be expected after a short run.  I have the inlets valve clearances  set at 0.012 & exhaust at 0.015  John Speight Teddy is name my wife gave it. Still cant find the spelling check icon Posted by teddy 16/01/2013 03:51:06

You really need the Series One Catalogue of spare parts, and the Series One Manual of Instructions for the most accurate information. Both seem to come up on ebay from time to time. Good documentation is well worth paying for.  I  can mail a scan of Lockheed exploded-view and partlist for the TD21 S1 calipers if that would help. In which case let me have an e-mail address.  Brake pad change is done by simply removing the whole caliper from the hub (just 2 bolts). It's quick and easy, but be careful not to damage any pipework when removing calipers. Correct replacement Series one brake pads (and other brake parts) are reasonably priced if bought from Chris Prince.  Re:  Front brakes holding-on during / after a run, assuming that master-cylinder pushrod has clearance and that hoses are in good condition. While the brakes are still holding on, remove the relevant front wheel(s), loosen the caliper slightly and see if you can push the pads / pistons back to prove the pistons are not siezing in the calipers. If the pistons move back fairly easily and the wheel then frees off, it's possible the servo is not working correctly . Note that the Lockheed ´moving-piston´ type servo can be very difficult to bleed, and if any air remains under the small reaction-piston this can cause brakes (especially fronts) to hold after a run, then gradually free-up when cold. So if the brakes have been bled and `holding-on´ has occured since bleeding, it's recommended to re-bleed very, very thoroughly first without engine running, then again with engine running. Blled out via. caliper nearest to servo. You may need to do this several times with assistance to get a perfectly bled servo.  Servo faults can cause brakes to `hold-on´, and diagnosis (process of elimination) is sometimes quickest to by-pass the servo, test like that and see if the problem is cured (albeit with a much harder brake pedal). In which case the servo needs attention.  Hope this helps a little. Posted by lacey giles 21/01/2013 21:30:31

Hi Lacey,  Series One Manual  Yes I do need one.  Your offer to scan the brake section is  much asppreciated.  Please forward to   <!-- e --><a href="mailto:john@arancia.co.nz">john@arancia.co.nz</a><!-- e -->   Found  levering the wheel caliper piston back did  relieve the slight drag. It is finding the time to progress on this at the moment. But your comments will be helpfull regarding the bleeding process . Our TA 21 had its little tricks on the bleeding brakes (&amp; they were)before a good solid brake peddle was achieved and inches from the floor.    Best regards John Speight 9946 Posted by teddy 22/01/2013 00:42:42

John The servo breather filter is where I described on TD's if it has fallen off, the pipe end will still be there or if the servo has been changed,which is highly likely ,may be a different spec fitted with filter on the unit. You need to remove the splash panel to get at the servo and it is still v. awkward. To lubricate it see seperate posts by others (Colsim July 2012)  Overheating sounds more like a dodgy guage than a serious problem,my TA's behaves similarly but she never actually boils,if you are not boiling/loosing water in heavy traffic with the usual fuel vapourisation issues do nothing. I have to blank of the bottom half of my grill in spring  autumn and winter to get any heat out of the heater,despite the guage telling me she is up to temp.(I live in Scotland)  Block cleaning ; search  the previous posts  eg TD21 head removal, T McE  also Radiator recore in  Gen Tech section,you need hacksaw blades chisels stiff wire etc..,the amount you get out the rear drain is the square root of nothing, honest. re Compression values never seen anything for TD/E/F but TA data sheet quotes  154psi  @ 1000rpm and 88psi @300rpm starter cranking with a cr of 7.1:1,so provided yours are even and more than 100 psi at cranking speed I would be happy. You must get the relevant Parts book and car handbook Posted by Peter Martin 23/01/2013 15:07:14

John, I thought I detected a Kiwi accent! Re the brakes; Some years ago when I bought my TA21 I was unhappy with the brakes and asked that they be rectified before I would complete the sale. This was done and soon after this the brakes were slow to release eventually reaching a stage where the car would not move. The mechanic had topped up the M/C with the wrong brake fluid causing the gumminess and ultimately the wheel cylinders froze and would not release. This may not be a high tech solution, but may be worth a look. I now use Dot 4 brake fluid. Re Overheating; have you thought of using Rydlyme. I had all the symptoms you have described and lessened these without needing to dismantle the engine. It's worth a try before going to the trouble of taking things apart. If it doesn't work, then you can get busy with the chisels and things. I have lessened the temperature increase after stopping the engine by the old method of simply removing the side panels of the engine compartment. I live in Sydney where we have had some 40 C + days recently and with the panels removed and after a 80 mile run, the gauge showed 75 when running and built to 80 when stopped. I contend that the body design does not allow the heat to be removed, thus without the side panels there is air flow and the heat can escape! Alvis must have been aware of this, otherwise they would never have needed to build in the air scoops and other modifications. I have owned and driven an MG TA for over 50 years and this has never over heated or vaporised. Phil Posted by pdadd 28/02/2013 22:13:16

Hi  Apologies for absence,  and thanks for all the advice, most appreciated this gave us 3 months of great motoring.  3,000mls in fact with fuel consumption at 23mpg to start with dropping to 21.4 at finish of AGM run  around both Islands of  NZ  yes Phil you were right.   Too late for Rydlyme treatment but contact details for NZ please.  Engine now has  a noticeable loss of power and it is not possible to tune the SU carbs with  3 &amp; 4 Cylinders well down on compression, .   So its head off time to tackle the  overheating(only twice) and loss of water problem without removing the engine ? Keen to try the modified head gasket as described in 1992 New Years Bulletin   by a Mr Nield &amp; Geoff Dawber regarding overheating problems. copy can be supplied on request  How to reduce the head to block transfer holes and by how much?  Gasket I have already has the transfer holes cut. Will solve this when we have the head off, aim to  limit water flow  by reducing  flow by 1/3?   Removing as much rust sludge as possible thru frost plug holes as recommended is the fist step then  blowing out with compressed air when dried out. Then recondition the head, crack test first &amp; skim if required, seats reground or replaced (expect at least 2-4 seats/valves to be burnt. Adding 20cc of engine oil  thru the spark plug holes  improved the compressions by just 10psi on 3&amp;4 cylinders Check everything and rework replace as  required  i.e..Starter motor Distributor etc Not forgetting the leak in the heater box.  If there is anything not obvious we should do while in the thick of it please advice.  Have a slipping out of 2nd &amp; occasionally 3rd gear problem on the BN7 G/box too, read that it should be removed thru  car and not from underneath. Is this correct.  Still looking for the early Owners Manual.   Brakes were temporally cured by fitting new pads but expect the slow return to come back when they are worn. Servo is not original  Peter  Australian PBR 260550 fitted  and work well.  Regards John Posted by john speight 27/06/2013 01:07:17