Dave_SFX Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Hi guys! Need some pointers with a brakes problem on my 90 300tdi please Typically, the braking potential of my Land Rover has never been one of it's strong points, however after replacing the servo and master cylinder (including bleeding the system) and checking that the vacuum pump still works satisfactorily, I noticed a massive improvement (up from 27% efficiency to a healthier 70% according to the MoT brake tester). This improvement has lasted for approximately 1 month. However, as with all things Land Rover related, this was not the end of it... My brakes have reverted to their less than great state just a month or so after. The pedal is very firm (firmer than when everything is working well) although still travels and produces a minimal amount of breaking when pressed hard. This is most frustrating! Occasionally, I get the desired effect but, as you can imagine, this comes as quite a shock. Any ideas on how to proceed? Thanks in advance D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 what state are the caliper pistons & brake pads in ? there might still be air in the system. might be worth bleeding again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwakers Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 personally i'd recheck the vacuum pump and its pipework. air would produce a soft pedal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 yeh hard pedal and no braking effort sounds like a lack of servo assistance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 It also sounds like seized calliper pistons, and they fal more often than servo units because they rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Siezed calipers would be unlikely to be intermittent though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_SFX Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 Thanks for the feedback chap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_SFX Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 Cheers for the suggestions chaps! Hopefully i'll get some time over the weekend to check out the pistons. This seems to have become a problem since this last cold snap so that kind of makes sense. As I said, vacuum pump seems to be working when I check it at tick over but i'll double check that to. I'll let you know the outcome... D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cackshifter Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Lasted a whole month? Did the parts come in a blue box by any chance? Seriously, check the servo non-return valve - ease it out of the servo body and pull it off the pipe and make sure it only lets air through towards the vacuum pump. If that isn't Ok ,Bearmach ones are about a tenner. If it is Ok, try sucking on a bit of pipe connected to the servo, if it never gets difficult, maybe its the 'O' ring between the master cyl and the servo - that is supposed to seal. They are about the cheapest bits to check. After that , maybe measure the vacuum if you can, it should ideally be about 0.8 bar - less and its a leak or a duff pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSD Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I agree with cackshifter, sounds exactly like a sticky non-return valve. BTDT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_SFX Posted April 1, 2013 Author Share Posted April 1, 2013 Full marks guys! Dodgy one way valve was the culprit - reckon the cold finished it off. Replaced it with the old valve that I'd (luckily) kept to confirm the fault. Also, blue box parts are a definite no no for safety critical bits - these were Bearmach bits :/ Now on to replacing the exhaust... D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cackshifter Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Good to hear it all turned out well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 glad to see it was a easy fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete3000 Posted April 2, 2013 Share Posted April 2, 2013 was that a new servo which had a dodgy oneway valve, ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frie2u Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 the same thing happened to me sometimes.. brake paddle need to press a bit further compared to normal level.. any solution..? btw is the any way to lower the brake paddle level.>? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_SFX Posted April 23, 2013 Author Share Posted April 23, 2013 It's come back! Nooooooo. Someone else seems to have a similar problem in a later post and the finger is being pointed at a dodgy servo. I'm going to check for cracks/leaks as best I can and try to get a replacement. I will solve this! With your help haha D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_SFX Posted May 24, 2013 Author Share Posted May 24, 2013 Just to put this topic to bed, new vacuum pump has solved the problem Checked the servo and master cylinder for leaks etc with no joy. As I have mentioned previously, one way valve was good and vacuum was present (although it transpired that the vacuum was weak). Without the presence of a vacuum gauge, I built a little rig to connect our household's trusty Dyson to the servo to create a guaranteed vacuum and this proved that the rest of the system was OK. A short time later, new pump fitted and tested with smiles all round! Thanks for all of your suggestions D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cackshifter Posted May 25, 2013 Share Posted May 25, 2013 Brilliant! Did you find you ran out of extension lead quite quickly when testing? Just to put this topic to bed, new vacuum pump has solved the problem Checked the servo and master cylinder for leaks etc with no joy. As I have mentioned previously, one way valve was good and vacuum was present (although it transpired that the vacuum was weak). Without the presence of a vacuum gauge, I built a little rig to connect our household's trusty Dyson to the servo to create a guaranteed vacuum and this proved that the rest of the system was OK. A short time later, new pump fitted and tested with smiles all round! Thanks for all of your suggestions D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.