Freelander 1 Brake master cylinder.... I think

hi all,

Another issue with my brakes now on my 2000 L Series Diesel commercial.... I've had new brake lines front to rear (corroded to buggery) and a new brake servo/booster unit (cracked). Now that the brakes have been bled I get a firm pedal with the engine off but when the pedal is depressed with the engine running it goes soft again. However, when looking to re-bleed, no air comes out.

I'm thinking it's the seals in the master cylinder that have gone but before I go and spank another £100 on yet another part I thought I'd ask you fine people your opinions.

I have seen replacement seal kits for master cylinders and have seen one for an FL-1 but it didn't seem compatible with mine.

So I guess the questions are as follows....
What do we think the issue is witht the brakes and what parts if any do i need?
If it's the master cylinder, what's the Part No? Also, what about a seal/refurb kit part No?

Thanks all!

Ian.

Have the pads been worn in yet?

No, it has had new pads but has only been test driven on a track so the pads have done about 20 meters of braking. No MOT so can't give it a good go on the roads.

Wait until the pads are worn in before worrying about it. I changed the pads on my Transit last week and was able to push the pedal to the floor with the engine running. All fine after a few miles.

I've never heard that before. Is it a common thing then that the pedal goes all the way down following a pad change?

I guess I can ask the mot station to give it a whirl on the brake-o-stop-o-test-o-meter. That'll at least tell me if the money I've spent so far has bettered the utterly dismal (and slightly scary) braking performance I've been getting.

Sounds pretty normal to me. As long as the pedal doesn't go to the floor with no servo assistance. Then the brakes will be fine, once the engine is running.
But if you are worried. Check the condition of the flexi pipes.

Until the pads are worn in they won't be a perfect fit to the disk, therefore there will be some flex and spring back when you put your foot on the pedal and lift it. They should be fine when worn in. I changed pads on all four wheels on the transit and couldn't believe how bad they were at first.

Well... everyday's a school day! Even better if it means I won't have to shell out again on the green machine!

Thanks guys, I'll see how it goes over the next few days and report back.

Danke!

Ian.

Morning chaps,

I've been scratching my head about this all last night and this morning and I think I've described the problem incorrectly.... the brake pedal actually hits the floor when the engine is on.
We've checked the master cylinder by blocking off the outlets and the pedal holds up firm with the engine both on and off so that says to me that the master cylinder is functioning as it should.

Any ideas???

Cheers,

Ian.

When I changed my Wabco ABS modulator/pump I had a Dickens of a job bleeding it to start with. The problem was air blockages in the modulator. As you've changed all the pipes, are you confident air hasn't got into the modulator and got stuck there? I don't know why it would be different with the engine off or on - but maybe there are circuits/channels inside that are activated once powered up.

In the end, I had to remove the pipes on the top on the unit (the ones going to the wheels) and fill/prime it with fluid using a syringe.

It doesn't sound like your issue - but thought it worth a mention.

We've have it all to bits again, re-filled and re-bled and it's still the same. I'm as sure as I can possibly be that there's no air in there as we've pushed a good amount of fluid through the system.

Everything I read points to the master cylinder being duff so I picked one up earlier, will see if that cures it. I bloody hope it does the amount of money this thing is swallowing up!!

ianmg said:

We've have it all to bits again, re-filled and re-bled and it's still the same. I'm as sure as I can possibly be that there's no air in there as we've pushed a good amount of fluid through the system.

Everything I read points to the master cylinder being duff so I picked one up earlier, will see if that cures it. I bloody hope it does the amount of money this thing is swallowing up!!

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If plugging the master outputs stops the pedal from going down. Then that proves the MC is fine. If you are loosing pedal firmness when the servo is boosting your foot pressure. Then you either have springy pads or air in the system or ballooning hoses.

I was able to push the pedal to the floor after changing my pads, I was panicking cause I thought there was something wrong too. Take it out for a sneaky spin for a few miles to bed the pads. It'll probably be fine.