TD4 Brakes Overheating

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bearmatthews

New Member
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29
Im 18 and have a 2001 Freelander TD4 (Not the **** petrol ;))

Even on a short jorney with some small hills the front brakes overheat.... to the point they smoke and a little dab of water evaporates instantly off the disk. The rear drums are warm to touch and you can hold your hand on them for any amount of time without burning.

My first though was rear brakes arent working properly hence over-working the fronts... so checked the rears, the shoes have good friction material and are well adjusted(snug when re-fitting the drum). A small push on the brake pedal and they are free and moving... So i ruled them ok.... YES/NO???

I then went to look at the fronts... Again good friction material on the pads, slider/guide rods are free and lubed up, pistons seem free enough (had to push back in with g-clamp to get the caliper back on) so i also ruled them ok.... YES/NO???

SO... Im not sure what is up??? Pedal seems fine, not (too) spongey, maybe a bleed of the brake fluid???

Any other suggestions??

Many Thanks in advance to anyone that helps out :)
Any help is appreciated as i would like to be able to use my brakes and not be in fear of them overhating!!!

Cheers, Bear.
 
Hi Teddy,

Unlikely, but maybe some crap blocking the return for the brake fluid?

Overfilled reservoir maybe?

Damaged brake line?
 
bearmatthews said:
Im 18 and have a 2001 Freelander TD4 (Not the **** petrol ;))

Even on a short jorney with some small hills the front brakes overheat.... to the point they smoke and a little dab of water evaporates instantly off the disk. The rear drums are warm to touch and you can hold your hand on them for any amount of time without burning.

My first though was rear brakes arent working properly hence over-working the fronts... so checked the rears, the shoes have good friction material and are well adjusted(snug when re-fitting the drum). A small push on the brake pedal and they are free and moving... So i ruled them ok.... YES/NO???

I then went to look at the fronts... Again good friction material on the pads, slider/guide rods are free and lubed up, pistons seem free enough (had to push back in with g-clamp to get the caliper back on) so i also ruled them ok.... YES/NO???

SO... Im not sure what is up??? Pedal seems fine, not (too) spongey, maybe a bleed of the brake fluid???

Any other suggestions??

Many Thanks in advance to anyone that helps out :)
Any help is appreciated as i would like to be able to use my brakes and not be in fear of them overhating!!!

Cheers, Bear.
Click to expand...

Don't they teach you to take your foot off the brake pedal when you drive. Or where you sleeping that day :D:D:D:D:D:D:D
 
Hi again Pooh,

What about the distribution sensor valve thingy that spreads the braking load between front and back when under load etc.?

I have heard of them seizing up.
 
Clanforbes said:
Hi Teddy,

Unlikely, but maybe some crap blocking the return for the brake fluid?

Overfilled reservoir maybe?

Damaged brake line?
Click to expand...

  1. The return for the brake fluid is the tube that supplies them, they are working so cant b that...
  2. Resevoir hasnt been filled but is at the right level just as before the problems
  3. If i had a damged brake line surely i would have no brakes?!?!! haha
john winsemius said:
Don't they teach you to take your foot off the brake pedal when you drive. Or where you sleeping that day :D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Click to expand...

Yes, very funny, but no my foot was off the pedal when not needed and i was fully awake!! It was a 10 mile drive with some small hills and the fronts overheated, with healthy brakes they WOULD NOT overheat that easy! Thanks for the useful help btw....
 
First, I gotta say I know nothing of Freelanders. But many (if not all) cars have a valve which distributes the amount of braking power to the front and back. It is designed to prevent rear wheels from locking up. As the weight inside the vehicle increases, the linkage between the valve and the body changes the amount of pedal pressure allowed to go to the rear wheels.

So, theoretically, if your car was light and the valve seized, then when you load the car, too much pressure goes to the front as not enough is being sent to the rear, hence overheating front brakes.

I had a car fail it's MOT because the valve was seized.

A similar system on articulated trailers for adjusting the trailer's ride height has a longish metal rod and when I accidentally bent mine, the trailer suspension height was automatically adjusted for a heavy load and the valve then allowed more braking power to go to the trailer brakes which resulted in my trailer locking up even when empty. Now, I'm not saying your ride height would be effected, but the braking power might be.

I'm sure someone with more knowledge of Freelanders will come along soon enough and be able to advise you better.
 
Last edited:
Clanforbes said:
First, I gotta say I know nothing of Freelanders. But many (if not all) cars have a valve which distributes the amount of braking power to the front and back. It is designed to prevent rear wheels from locking up. As the weight inside the vehicle increases, the linkage between the valve and the body changes the amount of pedal pressure allowed to go to the rear wheels.

So, theoretically, if your car was light and the valve seized, then when you load the car, too much pressure goes to the front as not enough is being sent to the rear, hence overheating front brakes.

I had a car fail it's MOT because the valve was seized.

A similar sytem on articulated trailers for adjustinmg the trailer's ride height has a longish metal rod and when I accidentally bent mine, the trailer suspension height was automatically adjusted for a heavy load and the valve then allowed more braking power to go to the trailer brakes which resulted in my trailer locking up even when empty. Now, I'm not saying your ride height would be effected, but the braking power might be.

I'm sure someone with more knowledge of Frelanders will come along soon enough and be able to advise you better.
Click to expand...

Ok, this 'valve thingy' seems a possible cause, the car just had me and one other onboard so wasnt loaded/towing or anything... It really does seem like all the braking is done on the front as the nose does dip down pretty hard when braking.... I mean more than i would normally expect...

Thanks for your help :)
 
Oh, and damage to a brake line could allow pressure from a hard pressed pedal to get to the wheels, but be causing enough of a restriction to let 'em stick on a bit. It was just a thought.
 
The valve usually is somewhere underneath, and, from what I remember of the one I had seized, there is a supply pipe from the master cylinder and four pipes to the slave cylinders, two to the front and two to the rear.
 
Clanforbes said:
The valve usually is somewhere underneath, and, from what I remember of the one I had seized, there is a supply pipe from the master cylinder and four pipes to the slave cylinders, two to the front and two to the rear.
Click to expand...

Somewhere underneath... helpfull lol

U say about one pipe from master then one to each wheel, but it has ABS so has to be more complicated that that????
 
bearmatthews said:
Somewhere underneath... helpfull lol

U say about one pipe from master then one to each wheel, but it has ABS so has to be more complicated that that????
Click to expand...

It may well be, I can only vaguely remember how it was on the one that failed an MOT for me.

The ABS is controlled by sensors which detect if the wheel has locked up, and therefore it could feasibly work on the main supply line between the master cylinder and the valve thingie.

What I can remember is.

The valve was linked to the rear axle. When the weight depressed the suspension it adjusted the valve via a rod between the rear axle and the valve. There was a spring between the vavle and the chassis which would have the effect of removing the adjustment once the weight was reduced.

Like I said, I know nothing of Freelanders, but I would expect to find this (if there is one) somewhere near the moving parts of the rear suspension.
 
bearmatthews said:
I suppose a blocked hole :)P) would cause pressure build up and not allow the brakes to release properly?
Click to expand...

So could anything in the master cylinder, there is a lot of difference between the pressure you apply with your foot to apply the brakes and the back-pressure of the brakes coming off again, hence why I mentioned something blocking the return feed.
 
Now that I think about it, I have seen these valves fitted on the rear axles of some cars and the linkages went from the axle mounted valve to the under bodywork or chassis of the car. I think in some cases, the valve only ever effects the rear brakes so the adjustment simply increases, or decreases, the flow of fluid to the rear brakes. Therefore, there could be only three pipes, the supply and one to each wheel.
 
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