Duff brakes - still!

99 L series with abs.

Fitted new disks, caliper carrier, pins, pads up front. Pistons moving nicely. Brake fluid fine. Delphi pads, ****part discs, all degreased. pads taken out after 300 miles and roughed up.

Brakes lack bite after nearly 500 miles combo town country and M way.

Occasionally they seem to be working good, but doesn't last. Can't find a pattern as to why, but do seem good when coming down from high speed.

Took drums off today and shoes are pretty new. Everything looks fine as far as I can tell. Handbrake up to 5 clicks max. Only thing I have found is that handbrake cable at the adjustors moves much further on the left side than right, if you get my drift. 2 clicks and right is fairly locked, left still turns though stiff. 4 clicks and both locked.

Tried playing with adjusters but they seem to be working. Put all back together, 30 odd stomps on the pedal and still handbrake has more to pull on on left and brakes ****e again.

I'm really baffled now... apart from adjusters, what the fekk is causing the handbrake travel on the left to be more than the right? This has to be the cause of my problems but I can't see anything wrong?? :doh:

do you have the right handbrake cable fitted, two version available, one has a longer left hand leg than the other

just a thought...

seized handbrake linkage?

The only handbrake linkages are on the shoes, and both are nice shiny new looking silver. I'd guess the shoes were changed just before I bought it.

Cables an interesting idea- one has a yellow plastic bits where the outer is clamped below the adjuster, and the other has white plastic..

But.. if it was just the handbrake cable, and eventually the slack is taken up and they are both equally on, this would not affect the braking with the foot pedal with the handbrake off, would it?

Spacemonkey... said:

The only handbrake linkages are on the shoes, and both are nice shiny new looking silver. I'd guess the shoes were changed just before I bought it.

Cables an interesting idea- one has a yellow plastic bits where the outer is clamped below the adjuster, and the other has white plastic..

But.. if it was just the handbrake cable, and eventually the slack is taken up and they are both equally on, this would not affect the braking with the foot pedal with the handbrake off, would it?

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Just a though Spacey. They are not brilliant brakes (im not moaning here just a fact) I drive the other halfs new VW sports thing and feck, you just touch the pedal and its nearly on its nose - I get in bother for this but im used to my FL brakes!! the cam that moves the shoe for handbrake can sieze but as you say nowt to do with foot brake.

Not brilliant I can live with, but the feeling that you aren't going to stop in the last few meters even by standing on the pedal is beyond not brilliant and f'ing lethal! It does stop, of course, and I drive it slowly so not a problem but not confidence inspiring at all. I can't imagine that they were designed like that.. others have said Freelander 1 brakes are good.

As the majority of the braking effort goes to the front discs I wouldn't have thought that the handbrake travel had anything to do with your poor braking. I would be looking at either the brake servo, master cylinder or the electronic brake force distribution unit, also check for vacuum leaks in the servo pipework as even a small leak will cause a loss of assistance from the servo. (could also be a faulty vacuum pump if diesel)

Quote: but do seem good when coming down from high speed.

This would suggest you have a leak in the vacuum/servo sytem. At high speed the vac pump would be working hard and maintaining a depression in the system. At low speed the leak is more than the pump can handle. Check the vac pipes and connections.
Could be the control valves on the pedal rod leaking.

I thought about the servo as that was my first thought, but at £70 second hand, an expensive experiment, hence why I thought I'd ask first, but I think that's where I'm heading. Going to try some left foot braking while keeping the revs up.

Just a thought we had today when I let my mate have a go. Could it be a mismatch between pads and discs, that the combo I have of ****part discs and Delphi pads it not a good one?

What is the best pads for bite on these? Anyone use ****part discs and have good brakes? Which pads do you use?

Today I fitted my new EBc Greenstuff pads, a pad that I have had much success with in the past on other vehicles. They come fitted with the bedding in grinding paste so should be bed in after my 150 mile round trip tomorrow. After fitting they immediately felt better- just feel like they need a little bedding in, so hopefully that is that! I shall update later, but so far it seems Delphi pads don;t do well with Britpart discs.

are they 6000 series?

No idea- the box is in the garage around the corner. I shall look and report back later. Came from Brookwells, and the receipt lists them as Lockheed!

Are the discs and brakes on all the Freelander all the same size? Nothing that can be made bigger better etc?
Drove the Freelander back to back with our Zafira that the Freelander is replacing! and the Zafira with it's GSi retro fitted brakes stands on it's nose!

Certainly got no complaints about the brakes on my 2005 TD4 auto. The rear brakes are different from 2001 (I think) which includes larger shoes and drums.

nickcc said:

Certainly got no complaints about the brakes on my 2005 TD4 auto. The rear brakes are different from 2001 (I think) which includes larger shoes and drums.

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Not saying their bad, just not as good as some other cars.

lots of other SUV's have disks at the rear, not drums.

Most HGV's have drum brakes, including 44 tonne tractor/trailers. Braking efficiency with a drum brake should be as good if not better than discs due to a larger braking area.

K 5ive said:

Not saying their bad, just not as good as some other cars.

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hmn, quite a bit heavier though...

It was said by LR in something I read, that drums were fitted to the rear as there wasn't enough weight to make disks effective. Naturally that was a design from 13 years ago. Newer motors have small disks at the rear these days.