Freelander 1 Brake circuits

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Kalahari_Pete

Member
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39
Location
Evesham
Hi, are front and rear brake circuits independent of each other?

I've cut rear pipes off to replace them but need to drive car a short distance to a better work area. I'm hoping front brakes and handbrake will be still working? 2003 TD4
 
No. You can't use the brakes with any lines disconnected.
If you must move it, the parking brake is the only option open to you.
 
Legal disclaimer, you would be in a world of hurt if cops knew you were driving a vehicle with inoperative brakes. However, you could, and this is not a recommendation, crimp the rear pipes where you've cut them which, after you had bled the fronts, would still give you front brakes. And this is not a recommendation, I recommend you fix the vehicle before moving it, however, if you must move it to the other site to fix it, crimping the back pipes and bleeding the fronts would be better than just relying on the handbrake.
 
I agree, but it struck me that given the wording of his question he had already decided to drive it, and Nodges answer simply told him to use the handbrake only. I figured that he had eschewed the transporter option & he was going to drive it anyways, so, my answer was designed to give him at least two wheels with hydraulic brakes.
 
I am intending to move the car about 60 yards from one garage to a different garage that has more headroom. Private road. Nobody to help me push it so i will drive it at a snail's pace and use the handbrake. For some reason I had it in my head that if one brake line failed the others would still work. Guess I was wrong. Thanks for your replies.
 
Kalahari_Pete said:
I am intending to move the car about 60 yards from one garage to a different garage that has more headroom. Private road. Nobody to help me push it so i will drive it at a snail's pace and use the handbrake. For some reason I had it in my head that if one brake line failed the others would still work. Guess I was wrong. Thanks for your replies.
Click to expand...
That will be fine, I had gotten the impression you were driving it to the other side of town. Old cars pre-ABS worked something like that where the master cylinder was a twin piston arrangement, although they were typically paired off in two diagonally opposing circuits. IE: Front left and back right on one circuit, and back left and front right on the other, so even with the twin circuit malarky, because you've cut both back pipes you'd have disabled both circuits. But yeah, for 60 yards shed to shed, handbrake will be fine.
 
Kalahari_Pete said:
For some reason I had it in my head that if one brake line failed the others would still work.
Click to expand...

Pre ABS duel circuit breaks would allow one circuit to function, if the other failed. These were normally diagonally split circuits, so one front and the diagonally opposite rear would still work.
Unfortunately ABS brakes do away with duel circuit brakes, so if one line fails, all the fluid comes out, as my wife found out in the summer, when a flexy pipe on here Fiat 500 came apart, and she had no brakes at all.
 
Everything I have read about the FL1 says dual circuit diagonal servo abs braking system.
Never tried cutting a pipe though!!
I think the master cylinder is still dual piston so some braking on one circuit could be expected I hope?!?
 
andyfreelandy said:
Everything I have read about the FL1 says dual circuit diagonal servo abs braking system.
Never tried cutting a pipe though!!
I think the master cylinder is still dual piston so some braking on one circuit could be expected I hope?!?
Click to expand...

ABS systems use the duel master, simply because it gives higher volumes of moving fluid, which is what ABS needs to function correctly.
The system isn't designed to seal off a circuit, should there be a leak. Which is why only one brake can be bled at a time.
 
I'll tell you what though, with the right diagnostics tool to do an ABS modulated brake bleed, they do make for very effective one man bleeding. Using the ebay delphi clone on my freelander you open one bleed nipple,put a hose from it to the jar, SIT IN THE CAR, and follow the on screen instructions, such as press pedal / hold pedal / release pedal as and when it tells you to, then when it says its done, it tells you to tighten the bleed nipple. Repeat that for all four corners and you've got a good pedal.
 
Brill, thanks!!
I've got Delphi and legs that don't reach the pedal when I'm under the car!!! Great tip. I'll try it out. :)
 
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