1972 FIAT 500 brake fluid

FIG 10:9 Brake fluid reservoir
Key to Fig 1 0 : 9 1 Reservoir 2 Strainer 3 Cap, vented
PARKING BRAKE CONTROL CABLE AND SHEATH
.CABLE ADJUSTING NUTS
SHOE OPERATING LEVER
LEVER RETURN SPRING
FIG 10:10 Parking brake control and adjusting mech-
anism at lefthand side rear wheel
Inspect the surfaces of the plungers and the cylinder
bore. If there is any roughness, scoring or corrosion the
assembly should be renewed. Check that the reaction
spring and thrust washers are not corroded or distorted,
renewing any defective parts.
Reassembling wheel cylinders:
Clean the metal parts thoroughly and dry off any
solvent used. The rubber parts should be renewed auto-
matically when servicing the cylinder. Wet the internal
parts w i t h clean brake f l u i d and reassemble them in the
order shown in FIG 10 : 8 .
10810:7 Self-adjusting device
The new 500 Sedan is equipped with a specially
designed brake shoe clearance self-adjusting device
which eliminates all need for manual adjustment during
service.
Operation:
On either side face of the brake shoe rim are placed t w o
friction washers in line with an adjustment slot which is
machined into the brake shoe (see FIG 10:6). The
friction washers are held against the shoe by a pin and
bush screw together through the slot with a strong
spring in between. The hollow pin fits onto the stud in the
brake housing flange. A clearance of .0315 inch between
the pin hole and stud permits the necessary movement of
the shoes to ensure proper braking under normal
operating conditions. On later models the self-adjuster
assembly is held together by a circlip.
When the shoe clearance adjustment is no longer
correct, the braking action will overcome the resistance of
the friction washers and drag along the shoes into contact
with the drum. Once the brake pedal has been released,
the action of the return springs will be weaker than the
friction of the adjustment washers on the shoes and so
the shoes will remain in the new position taken up. As
further wear of the linings occurs the shoes will again
automatically be repositioned by the device.
Inspection and assembly:
During normal brake overhaul all the components of
the self-adjusting device should be thoroughly checked
and any parts badly worn or damaged must be renewed.
Before reassembly it is advisable to check the spring
rating using Fiat tester A.11493 by
compressing the
spring to a height of .374 inch which should give a
corresponding load reading of 97 ± 4.9 Ib. To re-
assemble the device after testing proceed as follows:
1 Place the pin of the self-adjusting device on support
A.54002/2 and insert first the friction washer followed
by the shoe, the second friction washer, the load spring
and the bushings.
2 Fit wrench A.54002/1 onto the support and by
exerting a slight pressure to overcome the spring load
fully tighten the bush onto the pin. Lock the pin and
bushing using a centre punch. Alternatively, fit the
circlip.
3 Install the shoes onto the brake housing flange and
hook up the t w o return springs. Move the shoes out-
wards as far as they will go and release them. Check
that during the return of the shoes the friction washers
have stayed in their new position.
10:8 Removing a flexible hose
Never try to release a flexible hose by turning the ends
w i t h a spanner. The correct procedure is as follows:
Unscrew the metal pipeline union nut from its con-
nection with the hose. Hold the adjacent hexagon on the
hose w i t h a spanner and remove the locknut which
secures the hose to the brackets. The hose can now be
turned without twisting the flexible part, by using a
spanner on the hexagon at the other end.
1
2
3

10:9 Brake fluid reservoir
The reservoir is located in the front compartment to the
side of the fuel tank as shown in FIG 10:9. Should it be
necessary to detach the fluid outlet line from the reservoir
the outlet hole must be blanked off using a tapered
wooden peg of suitable length so that the cap may be
replaced to prevent the ingress of foreign matter into
the reservoir and the absorbtion of moisture, oil or petrol
vapours which would alter the properties of the hydraulic
fluid.
A special filter is fitted into the top of the reservoir
through which all fluid used for topping-up the reservoir
must pass to ensure utmost inner cleanliness of the
hydraulic system.
10:10 Bleeding the system
This is not a routine maintenance operation and is only
necessary if air has entered the hydraulic system because
parts have been dismantled or because the f l u i d level in
the reservoir has dropped so low that air has been drawn
into the main feed pipe to the master cylinders.
1 Fill the reservoir w i t h Fiat 'Blue Label' hydraulic fluid.
During the bleeding operation fluid will be used and
constant topping-up of the supply reservoir will be
needed. If this is not done it is possible for air to enter
the master cylinder main feed pipe which will nullify
the operation and necessitate a fresh start.
2 Attach a length of rubber or plastic tubing to the
bleeder screw on the rear wheel cylinder furthermost
from the master cylinder. Immerse the free end of the
tube in a small volume of hydraulic brake fluid in a
clean jar.
3 Open the bleed screw one turn and get a second
operator to press down slowly on the brake pedal. After
a full stroke let the pedal return without assistance,
pause a moment and repeat the d o w n stroke. At first
there will be air bubbles issuing from the bleed tube,
but when fluid alone is ejected, hold the pedal firmly
down on the floor panel and tighten the bleed screw.
Repeat this operation on the other rear brake and then
repeat the operation on the two front brakes.
4 On completion, top-up the fluid in the reservoir to the
correct level. Discard all dirty fluid. If fluid is perfectly
clean, let it stand for twenty four hours to become
clear of air bubbles before using it again.
10:11 Hand parking brake
Normally with the new 500 Sedan model automatic
brake adjusting device, adjustment of the rear brakes
will take up excessive handbrake travel.
If there is excessive travel on the handbrake of the
Sedan model at any time, or in the case of Station Wagon
model even after the rear brakes have been manually
adjusted, suspect worn brake shoe linings or stretched
handbrake cables. Examine the linings and fit replace-
ment shoes if necessary. Check the action of the hand
parking brake again and if there is still too much travel
before the brakes are applied it is permissible to take up as
follows:
1 It is essential to ensure that the rear shoes are correctly
adjusted as described in Section 10:2.
2 Apply the hand parking brake lever until the pawl
engages with the ratchet at the second notch.
F500
FIG 10:11 An exploded view showing the components of
the tandem master cylinder
3 Jack up the rear of t h e vehicle and place on firmly
based stands.
4 Locate the cable adjusting nuts as shown in FIG
10:10 and adjust these until it is just possible to turn
the road wheels by heavy hand pressure. It is important
that both wheels offer the same resistance to turning
to obtain correctly balanced braking.
5 Return the lever to the OFF position and check that
both wheels are quite free to rotate. If a brake tends to
bind, remove the wheel and brake drum and check
the brake shoe pull-off spring is correctly fitted and
that the lever return spring and operating lever are
functioning correctly. Also check for suspected
seizure of the wheel cylinder. When the fault has
been rectified refit the drum. Readjust and recheck.
Removing the hand parking brake cable:
1 Chock the front wheels and release the handbrake.
Raise t h e rear of the vehicle and place on firmly based
stands.
2 Disconnect the cables from the operating levers on
each rear brake unit. Release each cable from its body
mounted bracket.
3 Inside the car, remove the rear seat and the seat belt
fitting from the floor. As necessary, remove the centre
console and the carpet to give access to the cover plate
on the centre tunnel and remove it.
4 Remove the handbrake lever assembly, detach the
cable compensator and pull the cables through the
holes in the box panel.
5 Reassembly is the reverse procedure to removal.
Ensure t h a t the cable is well lubricated and finally
readjust as previously described.
10:12 The dual circuit braking system
This is used on later model cars. A tandem master
cylinder provides t w o entirely separate hydraulic circuits,
one for the front and one for the rear brakes. The
components of the master cylinder are shown in the
exploded view of FIG 1 0 : 1 1 . The principle of operation is
quite straightforward and easy to understand.
169

When the pedal is applied, it moves the rear (primary)
piston to pressurise the front brakes through the rear port.
This, in turn, forces the front (secondary) piston down the
bore to pressurise the rear brake circuit through the front
port. In the event of a failure in the primary circuit, the
primary piston moves into direct contact with the second-
ary piston and full braking is still available on the rear
wheels. If a leak occurs in the rear circuit, the secondary
piston is moved to the end of the bore, sealing off the out-
let port and full braking pressure is applied to the t w o front
brakes.
With two fluid reservoirs connected to the inlets 3 and 5
the two circuits are fully independent.
The remaining components in the braking system are
similar to those used in the earlier single circuit layout.
10:13 Fault diagnosis
(a) 'Spongy' pedal
1 Leak in t h e system
2 Worn master cylinder
3 Leaking wheel cylinders
4 Air in the system
5 Gaps between shoes and underside of linings
110
(b) Excessive pedal movement
1 Check 1 and 4 in (a)
2 Excessive lining wear
3 Very low fluid level in supply reservoir
4 Too much free movement of pedal
(c) Brakes grab or pull to one side
1 Brake backplate loose
2 Scored, cracked or distorted drum
3 High spots on drum
4 Unbalanced shoe adjustment
5 Wet or oily linings
6 Worn or loose spring fixings
7 Front suspension or rear suspension anchorages
loose
8 Worn steering connections
9 Mixed linings of different grades
10 Uneven tyre pressure
11 Broken shoe return springs
12 Seized handbrake cable