bedford brakes

Hey all

Just after some info on the vacuum braking system off a bedford J5.

My new truck is in good condition, the only thing not working is the braking system, it has been sitting for 10 years, and driven only once in 18 years.

I tried to bleed the brakes like you would on a normal car, some cylinders bled to a nice clean fluid, two wouldn't. I verified themaster is pumping out fluid to both circuits.

Also when running, if you push the brake pedal down, it stays down and rises up slowly?

It was a bit strange, I had fluid clean and clear on the RHS , but neither front nor rear on the LHS would bleed at all. Maybe the lines are clogged some how?

Any info or suggested parts I should get would be great. Or if anyone has a cheap copy of the brake manual, or a scan of it that would help heaps..

Cheers

PS if anyone has a glovebox too, only part missing so far..

Charles check the vacuum servo, I can't remember what side
they were on between the cab and chassis. Check the pipes and the rubber hoses they will probably be perished.
It may well have some sticky wheel cyls.
There used to be a good Bedford place in Ferntree Gully
ACW or something, they probably have a diagram or something.
Mark

Hi Charles,you will probobly find the bleed nipples are blocked,take them out and see if you can blow through them.If not get a bit of fine wire,like out of a wire brush and start digging.Your main problem however is more than likely the wheel cylinders.When they sit for a long time they get a bit of rust in front of the rubbers,when you hit the brakes it brakes the seal and the cylinders leak.More than likely,you will have to take the drums off and replace or resleave the cylinders.After that,if you still can`t get a pedal,do the master cylinder as well.Getting them resleaved in stainless isn`t that expensive.The other thing that will block up is the rubber hoses when they deterioate.Most brake places can make new ones for a reasonable cost.

Yep, ACW Bedford if you get really stuck i.e. you don't get an answer from the guys on here.

thanks guys, yeah I checked the nipples they were all clear and clean.

when it gets back here hopefully tomorrow I'll start on taking the wheel cylinders off and disassemble them, there is evidence that one of the rears leaked down pretty bad, while it was sitting maybe, as the rim under it the paint was all flaking off, so I'd say they were not that healthy prior to the truck going into the barn.

yes have been talking with the acw parts guy, Craig, he has the manuals but they want 85$ plus GST per manual and there is 5 in total for the truck, I'm well skilled with the spanners so I can't justify that cost just for a tiny manual, the truck is soo basic I highly doubt anything on it could be hard to fix. I wanted some info on the master/vacuum system, just because it looks odd and I've no idea what to expect inside when I pull it down.

yeah the servo and master cyl is on drivers side, canister on passengers outside the frame rail, surprisingly all the vac hoses are fine, only afew small rubber joiners, the rest is all steel. The system holds vacuum fine, just something inside isn't working as it should.

The rubber lines on the left may be perished, I think new brake lines is a good idea, cheap insurance really considering how old they are.

I hope that the parts will all restore OK with dissasembly, good clean, maybe a hone, and some fresh brake grease....if the seals/rubbers are gone might have to ask Craig if they have rebuild kits available for them.

Cheers

Charles, I get the manuals off Ebay. Most I've paid is $20 to date. I have two of the, I think, three TJ/TK manuals I'm chasing for the TK (don't need the engine one).

This is probably a dumb question, but how do I perform "pressure" brake bleeding?

Never done that before.

Hi Charles,to pressure bleed the brakes you will need a pressure bleeder which basically forces the brake fluid down the master cylinder.They arn`t cheap,especially for a one off job.The normal manual bleeding should work,if your not getting fluid through it will be a blocked (rubber usually) hose.You can also buy vacuum bleeders from Repco and the like for under $100 last time I bought one.You just connect the line to the bleeder,open the bleeder,and start pumping and it sucks the brake fluid through,handy if your by yourself.I always give them a manual bleed after that just to be sure.

cheers mate, i'll see what I can dig up.

If the truck has been sitting for 10 years the brake fluid would be stuffed. Although the cylinders are bleeding clean, there would probably be a build up of crud in the cylinders. It would be advisable to remove them, clean them out and at least re-kit them, if you don't find any nasties inside.

Pressure bleeders are almost non-existent these days. You can get a vacuum bleeder, which hooks up to an air compressor, and you just put it over the nipples and it sucks clean fluid through. Much cheaper to buy, and you don't need to have adaptors to fit different master cylinder tops.