reb78 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Well, looks like the 110 (Defender 200tdi retrofitted into 1989 TD) will be off the road for a bit (again!). As well as having to do swivel pins/bearings and swivel balls, the brake warning light on the dash (!) has now come on this lunchtime. When its dry outside i obviously need to check the whole systen for leaks, but are there any other causes of this warning light? It only occurred after hard braking, (brakes are also wet as there are a few puddles out there) not after braking gently. Brake fluid level looks fine (just under max). Its not good that i have all these jobs to do when i should be writing up my PhD! - fixing the defender is far more interesting than writing up!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 the light either means the level is low, or means the handbrake is on. If the light is staying on, then theres probably a fault if the fluid level is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 the light either means the level is low, or means the handbrake is on. If the light is staying on, then theres probably a fault if the fluid level is fine. There is no switch on the handbrake for a warning light on mine. I also couldnt see a fluid level warning switch on the brake fluid resovoir, so i do wonder what this light connects to!? I'll have to go over it when its dried off. Hopefully any leaks will be more obvious then. Back to my boring BMW for now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Neale Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 It's the warning light for the brake bias valve / pressure distribution valve (RHS of bulkhead, below servo). It's a shuttle valve designed to detect an imbalance between the two brake circuits (front/rear split). If it's only come on after heavy braking, I'd suggest that it's probably down to the rear drums being out of adjustment and allowing too much movement on the rear shoes. If there are no leaks in the system, I'd suggest that you adjust the back brakes correctly and bleed the system - that should reset the valve and extinguish the warning light. Hope this helps, Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Thanks. That points me in the right direction. I will have a thorough look over the system and adhut the back brakes as you suggest. Might be a good time to renew the system brake fluid as well i suppose. Also, am i right in thinking that there are two circuits then (front and rear in this case) and if one fails, the other will still operate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Also, am i right in thinking that there are two circuits then (front and rear in this case) and if one fails, the other will still operate? Yes, that's correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reb78 Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Had a good look over the system. No external leaks, so took the drums off to check. Nothing apparent inside the drums, but wne i removed the rubber dust covers on the cylinder on the left side, the top piston was quite greasy. Cleaned it up and got SWMBO to push hard on the brake pedal (after tying the pistons in) and brake fluid weeped out past the top piston. The other side seemed fine, but did the same test and got a tiny tiny weep there too, so i guess its two new brake cylinders. Parts wise, Allmakes are ~£8 per cylinder and Lucas are ~£45 per cylinder is it a case of you pays for what you gets or are the allmakes ones ok? One last thing though - I think the mechanic who last changed the rear brakes on the 110 has used shoes and srings from a 90 as they dont resemble the setup in the manual. WHat i took off looked like this: The manual states that they are like this for a 110: and like this for a 90: Is this possible? Do 90 shoes fit a 110 or are they a different size and this is just an aftermarket (Delphi) kit that isnt quite the same as OEM? Should i therefore change the shoes and definately the springs as well? (the shoes are good and not contaminated with oil although the adjuster spring on one shoe is worn and cant be adjusted properly so guess i should change this anyway) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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