I'm afraid that replacing the backing plate is the hardest part of brake repairs on the freelander, unless you happen to be replacing wheel bearings, then it's part of the job. Wheel bearings are destroyed, or at very least compromised as they are dismantled as part of dismantling the hub...

This is the procedure from the LR manual, I figure they spent some time getting it right. 1. Remove bleed screw from heater return hose. 2. Slowly fill the system through the coolant expansion tank until a steady flow of coolant is emitted from the bleed hole. 3. Fit and close bleed screw in...

Did you bleed it just through the tank or did you bleed it through the bleed point near the firewall just below the engine cover/air filter assembly

Placcy bottle & hose to manifold is an "upper cylinder lube" system (manifold vacuum or venturi vacuum sucks it in) with flow adjuster sticking out above the sight tube, one drop a minute is ok if you can get it to keep doing it. "Flashlube" is one brand. Usually if mixed in petrol tank it's at...

Hi Mike, is that you? how's Robyn? (from Chris's neighbour)

Another thing, back off the handbrake adjuster before rebuilding and doing the manual adjustment, then adjust it afterwards. Otherwise the auto adjuster don't work quite right.

Did you back off the adjusters before trying to remove the drums? In the oval hole with the rubber plug in it, there is a ratchet wheel. You need two screwdrivers to turn it, one to release the ratchet and one to turn the adjuster wheel. As you already have the drums off, it's easy to work out...

Rather than the tailpipe, I'd be checking exhaust headers and engine pipe where it's hottest for such a sudden smoke screen. Was it the first motorway run for a while? could be the cat getting it's first burnout if it was.

What holds the brake shoes in place? the backing plate. What holds the Cylinder in place? the backing plate. Inviting total failure if you don't start with good backing plates. You might notice everything under the car is rusty if the brakes are like that, comes from salting the icy roads...

Just leaves the bracket then I guess, unless the fork is bending after the initial failure. Hope he greased the fork pivot.:eek:

says e got new cyls which usually gets ya a bleeder

I bought my my01 v6 auto with 145km on it, about 90k miles, vcu was dead but I think it was the odd tyres that did it in, even with newer ones on the back, the difference in rolling diameter was 6mm.

Excellent point and solution is brilliant.

but wait, there's more.... it could also be air in the hydraulics, make sure there is no way of sucking air in when bleeding. Easiest way is to run a hose from the bleed nipple to a bottle with some clean brake fluid covering the end of the hose. Also, don't loosen the bleed nipple too much as...

Try checking the slave cylinder bracket for movement when clutch is used. It's a weak point and there should be almost no give in the bracket. If it moves much then it's that much less in the release. Replacement is the only fix as the alignment suffers as it weakens and eventually breaks.

<<bump>>server problem

Had a similar moment recently, but it turned out to be coolant hitting a hot exhaust. There is a percentage of lube in coolant which turned to smoke, not just steam.

Hi Big Uli, I must be holding my tongue wrong, as I am having difficulties with this. in the instructions: "Then, if alarm is set the horn will sound and the LED light on dash (in the middle of the dash under the radio compartment) will light. Now, the programming of the fob or fobs...

Any chance it's the Inertia fuel cutout switch? I know it's not supposed to reset itself, but maybe it's not fully locking out, then opening again.

<<Nudge>>Two threads for the same problem.