That sinking feeling after fitting new master cylinder!

[Seamist Green 1100]

New parts are untested parts.
I always dismantle and check to make sure the seals are ok on new cylinders.
Over the years I have found some with seals fitted backwards, porous cylinders and even a clutch slave with the seal and piston missing.

[mk1]

PLEASE NOTE!

[mk1]

http://recall.920e.co.uk/

[CooperS65ChrisW]

Just had a similar issue with a Cooper S master cylinder. The quality of the repros is pretty appalling . I have tried NOS on a Land Rover project and had just as many issues - brake components stored for 20+ years on a shelf don't age well ! In the end I decided to pay up and purchased an AP Racing cylinder from KAD - not original of course....but I like my life !

I think Mini spares sell NOS Metro master cylinders which are probably a better bet than repros and much cheaper...but not original.

If you want originality then I would go with the option mentioned earlier - find a specialist to machine out an original cylinder and fit high quality seals and stainless piston etc

[mk1]

In all fairness, the quality of the Lockheed style Brake masters is perfectly good. Over the last few years they have sold hundreds & hundreds of them. OK, there was this one off manufacturing balls up, which they reacted to fairly quickly, but even that issue would have been solved with the fitting of a seal kit.

Any decision you make about your car is of course up to you, but to dismiss these cylinders as "pretty appalling" without any supporting info is an over reaction.

I for example have fitted a dozen of these cylinders, both brake & clutch over the last 10 years, I have NEVER Had an issue of any sort & all are still functioning exactly as they did when new. Id no sooner consider fitting an AP racing cylinder to a road car than fit cable brakes

[Nick W]

I've used a mini spares master in my hill climber for a while now with no issues.
So can't see why they are not adequate for a MK1 road car