Freelander - front brakes binding

Hi Guys
Am new to this site but like what I see so far. Hope you can help me with my problem? I replaced the front pads on my 'R' reg 1.8 petrol freelander yesterday and now the off side wheel seems to be getting pretty hot after a couple of miles drive.

I replaced the near side no probs but when I replaced the off side I had a problem with getting the caliper back on once the new pads were in place, I had pushed the piston back in no probs to allow for the thickness of the new pads but the problem was getting the bottom guide pin tab back over the main caliper housing so that the holes lined up and i could get the bottom guide pin back in. After several hours and very cold hands I had to hammer it home before I could get pin in!!

Several questions come to mind:
1) Have I knackered the caliper hammering it home?
2) Should that bottom pin socket move in and out (as it has a rubber gater) like the top one that the caliper slides in and out on once you remove the bottom guide pin. It was solid and i couldnt budge it but couldnt recall if it was supposed to move in and out or not.
3) The car drives ok with no pulling to offside and brakes in a straight line, but the brakes on the off side do get hot, you can smell them when you get out of the car.
4) I have just noticed that the old pads I took off the off side have worn oddly. The outer pad isnt used too much and has about 8mm left on but the inner pad is worn down at an angle ranging from 4mm down to 2mm at the bottom end (thankfull the discs are still ok). Would this point to a seized bottom pin? or something else.
5) if it is the bottom pin (or should I say the bottom socket for the pin) is it repairable or replaceable. And if so how do I go about doing it as it is absolutely solid if it is supposed to move.

Hope someone can help me on this one guys as my wife is scared to death the car is going to catch fire when she drives it!!

Rob

the caliper should slide on the two gator-ed guide pins to centralize it self if you have damaged the pin this will cause the pads to wear unevenly .the piston pushes against the one pad and pulls the caliper over against the other pad. the images is similar to your's but your disc would be solid type:welcome2:

I had the same problem due to the lower pin being slightly bent. (Probably some over-zealous leverage trying to get the piston back in....) Straightened it out and now good as new.

but he already said the bottom pin seized, the fu...ing car just shouldn't be on the road till its working properly

hi there had same problem my self rusty caliper guide pins or sliders can buy a set of ebay best bet .brakes binding and geting hot hat to renew caliper bracket to to pin seize in side . good luck

I hate bringing up old thread's but you guys will know better than me about Freelanders.

The soon to wife's aunt's 1.8 51 plate is heating the nearside front caliper to the point that it's smoking.

I took to work on Tues, got home (30 miles) and noticed the smoke. She took to work yesterday and on her way home pushed the pedal at a roundabout and according to her the pedal judered she lifted off the pedal and applyed the brake and the pedal hit the floor with nothing and no braking affect.

Both my father in law to be and myself think operator error is to blame for the pedal problem as we can't replicate the problem, but as for the smoking caliper I've just had a look at the diagram mystery posted and when I had the brakes apart thinking the slid pins were seized took them out and the top pin was as pre the diagram but the bottom one was about 1/2" shorter and had a rubber slieve round the bottom. I cleaned and greased the pins and put it back together after checking the drivers side which was the same. Only problem is the pin with rubber doesn't slide as easy as the normal pins.

Have any of you seen this before or has the pervious owner put the wrong pins is and this causing the problem.

The soon to wife's aunt's 1.8 51 plate is heating the nearside front caliper to the point that it's smoking.

I took to work on Tues, got home (30 miles) and noticed the smoke

Have you no concern for your own safety and that of other road users? How can you drive a vehicle in such condiition. Get it off the road and fixed, pronto.

I'll make that decison thank you very much vic.

The heating Caliper has been fixed all I want to know is, has anybody else encountered the slid pins or is this Hippo different in which case it'll get fixed.

If I had my way it would get burnt and they would be made to buy something better.

Sounds like a classic case of moisture in the fluid. As the brake gets hot the water in the fluid turns to steam and effectively means you have 'air' in the brake line. Result when the brakes are needed the foot goes to the floor and you smash into the car/child/brick wall in front.

Get the binding problem sorted first and then replace the fluid.

Brake fluid is hygroscopic (IE it absorbs water). Landrover recommend changing the fluid every 36000 miles.