Freelander 1 Brake Fluid

There only seems to be one YouTube video regarding changing the front brake pads and he seems to make it so simple to bleed a bit of fluid from a perfectly accessible bleed nipple that is shiny and new into a Vodka bottle...
So...
Worst case scenario, if I can't undo that one, as most of the other bolts, nuts, and anything that should have a straight edge have been made into circles by the gorilla who owned Y211 before me (If I ever find that person he/she will have knackered ones with frilly lacy edges and sprayed with permanent pink glitter, of that I can assure you) is it feasible to syphon brake fluid from the reservoir first, before pushing the piston back, and then refilling afterwards? If so, how much would you guestimate at removing? 100ml or down to the bottom of the reservoir? I'm assuming that by doing it this way I'll not have to totally bleed the brake system and then have to keep pumping the brake pedal for an hour afterwards?

Hmm, when replacing the pads you don't normally need to bleed the brakes. But brakes are important so you must get this right. Yes you can siphon a wee bit out - that's what I do. But I top up with fresh fluid to avoid possibility of contamination. Try 50 to 100ml and then do one side and see how much the level goes up. Place an old drag around & under the reservoir in case of spills.

Put a few paper towels under the reservoir and work away. Unless someone topped up the brake fluid after the pads wore down you shouldn't have a problem. A big G clamp is great for pushing the piston back in.

Alibro said:

Put a few paper towels under the reservoir and work away. Unless someone topped up the brake fluid after the pads wore down you shouldn't have a problem. A big G clamp is great for pushing the piston back in.

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But how do you get the G cramp on the pistons when they won't go in far enuf to get the old pads over the ridge round the outside of the disk!

Edit: Worn disk!

I run my dremel tool round the edge of the discs to remove the ridge first.
The cylinders should slide back in easily with a G clamp. (Putting the moving threaded part INSIDE the cylinder.)
Just keep any eye on the fluid to avoid spillage but there shouldnt be that much in there.
Just push teh cylinders back in slowly. If you ram them in quickly you can damage the master cylinder seals. (Was a commen problem on Vauxhalls, don't know if the Freelander has same issue.)
Certainly don't go touching bleed niples.

It's personal preference how to change pads. I never force old fluid back into the system. I clamp the flexy and crack off the nipple. This way, old fluid is ejected on pushing the piston back into the bore. I also suck out the reservoir contents and replace with fresh fluid from a sealed bottle. When the new pads are seated, new fluid enters the pipework

Flying Scotsman! said:

I run my dremel tool round the edge of the discs to remove the ridge first.
The cylinders should slide back in easily with a G clamp. (Putting the moving threaded part INSIDE the cylinder.)
Just keep any eye on the fluid to avoid spillage but there shouldnt be that much in there.
Just push teh cylinders back in slowly. If you ram them in quickly you can damage the master cylinder seals. (Was a commen problem on Vauxhalls, don't know if the Freelander has same issue.)
Certainly don't go touching bleed niples.

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Why would you not open the bleed nipple when pushing the cylinders back in? I've done it to remove pressure so the cylinder move back more easily. Tighten them once pushed in and if necessary top up with fluid afterwards - although the new pads won't let the cylinders back out as far anyway.

In case the thing snaps off , then you're stuffed. And if you get it wrong you introduce air and dirt.
Much better to keep system sealed , even with old fluid, than risk it.
But that's the way I've always done it and it works for me. Dont see the point of increasing risk and complication.

Flying Scotsman! said:

In case the thing snaps off , then you're stuffed. And if you get it wrong you introduce air and dirt.
Much better to keep system sealed , even with old fluid, than risk it.
But that's the way I've always done it and it works for me. Dont see the point of increasing risk and complication.

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That's fair enough.

Nodge68 said:

It's personal preference how to change pads. I never force old fluid back into the system. I clamp the flexy and crack off the nipple. This way, old fluid is ejected on pushing the piston back into the bore. I also suck out the reservoir contents and replace with fresh fluid from a sealed bottle. When the new pads are seated, new fluid enters the pipework

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JMTPW - I'd buy some new bleed nipples and a good pair of mole grips and go with the above, obviously changing the nipples so its easier next time

Flying Scotsman! said:

In case the thing snaps off , then you're stuffed. And if you get it wrong you introduce air and dirt.
Much better to keep system sealed , even with old fluid, than risk it.
But that's the way I've always done it and it works for me. Dont see the point of increasing risk and complication.

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I've never had one snap off so haven't had the problem, had a few that needed persuasion to undo but just replaced with new once out. As for releasing to ease pushing the caliper back I just never thought of doing this.

Nodge68 said:

It's personal preference how to change pads. I never force old fluid back into the system. I clamp the flexy and crack off the nipple. This way, old fluid is ejected on pushing the piston back into the bore. I also suck out the reservoir contents and replace with fresh fluid from a sealed bottle. When the new pads are seated, new fluid enters the pipework

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Nodge, do any of your customers appreciate the extra work you do and care you take compared to the average mechanic?
I doubt you ever get the recognition you deserve.

Alibro said:

I've never had one snap off

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Lucky you!

Maybe I've just spent longer working on old bangers over the years.

Alibro said:

I've never had one snap off so haven't had the problem, had a few that needed persuasion to undo but just replaced with new once out. As for releasing to ease pushing the caliper back I just never thought of doing this.


Nodge, do any of your customers appreciate the extra work you do and care you take compared to the average mechanic?
I doubt you ever get the recognition you deserve.

Click to expand...

I know it's done correctly, that's the important bit. I never take short cuts and never, never, never take risks with brakes. I stick to the service schedule to the letter. That includes replacing the brake fluid, even if the bleed nipples are a challenge. It's always wise to apply some heat to them, if they look stuck fast. And always use the correct hex spanner to crack them off. A bit of copper slip on the threads of a new nipple is always going to help down the line.

If worse comes to worse, new calipers cost 40 quid on the bay of fleas at the moment

I agree with Nodge's brake pad change solution: push back the pistons with the bleed nipple open. I used to push back the fluid into the master cylinder on my MGF. Never had a problem with this. But trying the same on the ZTT I managed to ruin the master cylinder seals - so a quick easy job quickly turned into a nightmare expensive one! I won't be doing that again! LOL

The other nice thing about the "Nodge approach" is that you'll be flushing some fresh fluid into the system - and that is never a bad thing in my opinion.

What fluid do you chaps use? Just wondering about using DoT4.1 given the heavy use the HDC makes of the brakes off road?

I use standard Comma dot 4 for everything except classic cars. I always use a new bottle for every car. Brake fluid spoils in the bottle too, once it's been opened.

For classic cars where mileage is low and storage is long, I use Automec Silicone brake fluid. I find silicone fluid to soft and compresses to easily for modern ABS systems.

Oops - should have read DoT5.1!

DoT4 should be fine, and that's what LR recommended

Cheers

Some fantastic advice thanks folks.
I tried to pry back the cylinder with the unit in place and the bleed nipple slightly open. Couldn't get enough pressure on it so took the massive G=Clamp route and that worked a treat. Also handy when trying to re-seat the caliper as I hadn't pushed it back quite far enough but with the clamp still in place it was easy just to ratch it up another turn.
Really surprised just how of a difference much fluid a few millimeters makes.
Pumped the brakes heavily afterwards but may have not done it enough whilst static as when doing circuits of an empty car park there was a moment of no pressure but once pumped again all is ok. Topped up the fluid fully with new after a steady 10 mile test drive.

I didn't feel happy about not releasing the bleed nipple technique, it's there for a reason surely, but my biggest tip of all is to forget using a pry-bar and go straight for a G=Clamp on the piston as A) you can exert central pressure in the cup, rather than forcing one side, and B) you can leave it in place whilst fitting the new pads and adjust easily as necessary. Total time for the 1st side, 45 minutes. 2nd side, just 15 minutes and no stress!