A We have come across this problem before. Although the car had been back to a local garage several times and had new pads fitted all round, calipers and discs checked and the brake fluid changed, the problem still persisted. The brake pedal was hard and the servo seemed to be working however the car still did not stop well.

The early braking system incorporates a vacuum bellows on the pedal box which operates the tandem brake master cylinders. First check that the pads are the correct type! If so, the trouble almost certainly lies in the upper master cylinder feeding the rear brake calipers.

With age, the operating piston can begin to stick in the bore and not quite fully return when the brake pedal is released. This traps a small amount of residual pressure in the system - enough to hold the rear brakes on slightly, hence the smell of hot brakes when on the road.

As the problem gets worse, the brake pedal feels harder but still travels downward as the effort transfers to the front cylinder, giving quite a good 'feel' to the pedal but with very poor braking.

To rectify matters, both master cylinders need to be either overhauled or replaced. The servo bellows then need to be checked to restore full braking efficiency.

Series I Not stopping

series I Slow Revver

Issue 26

Issue 27

Issue 28

Issue 28

Issue 29