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bast**d Drum Brakes!!!


paul connor

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Right, I have had enough of the B***dy Humber! *kicks side of Pig*

 

 

Brakes have never been great! discovered a leak on the Master Cylinder.. on the push rod, So I did a seal repair kit... Leaked.. Replaced master cylinder...

 

Leaked.. Replaced all washers...cured!

 

But now i have very poor brakes! pulls to the left ! and Have bled them 3 times today, always has air in? but i cant find a leak or indeed work out why?

 

It had better brake ability with a shot master cylinder! I have brake pedal travel to the floor nearly...

 

If you watch the header tank for a while it bubbles...

 

would indicate air in the system? but we have bled and bled!

 

what would this suggest? a Shot Hydrovac? as with the engine off the brake pedal is normal and has good resistance and travel...

 

Can some one help, come over or tell me what the hell is wrong?

 

Am I overlooking something?

 

HELP ME! before i drive it into the sea!

 

 

 

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Some brake systems require the brake shoes to be fully de-adjusted when bleeding the system. Land rover 101s are renowned for difficult brake bleeding, and require this step to be taken. The pedal travel is only restored (after bleeding) when the brakes are re-adjusted. I spent many days trying to bleed one once, only to discover the previous owner had fitted the wrong master cylinder! Once the correct cylinder had been fitted and the brakes wound off, it bled fine.

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Paul. This is a Lockhead system & should be easier to set up than the awful Girling system in Rovers.

 

I always pressure bleed (as in the bicycle tube method) start with the servo (there are two points to bleed) & then work your way from nearest to farthest from master cylinder.

 

Slacken off all the brake adjusters before bleeding, so that the wheels are braked. Otherwise poorly adjusted cylinders may have too much travel & not give you the firm pedal feel you need at this stage. Once you are are in the position of foot down & 1.5 inches is as far as it can go, then you know the hydraulics are ok & any slack you subsequently get will be as a result of the brake adjusting procedure.

 

Remember that with the engine running the servo will of course allow you to apply more force when you depress the pedal. The stiffer the feel with the engine off (& the vacuum released after) is just that you will not able to apply so much force.

 

Have you any hose clamps? I carry 4 & fit one on each wheel hose. Then I should have a pretty firm feel to the brake pedal, if I don't I have a master cylinder or servo problem. (Remember I did offer you a brand new servo for a knockdown price, but you spent your money on guns & uniforms :roll:)

 

If it is ok & firm I release the other clamps in turn & retest the pedal. If the travel becomes excessive I know which wheel(s) to attend to.

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The brake pedal was fine and the braking was level when pulling to a stop.

 

It is only after i have replaced the master cylinder that it has developed unlevelled stopping and excessive brake pedal movement?

 

When the engine is off, the pedal does feel firm, and does not have much travel, how i have always known it.

 

When you start the engine the pedal travel is much greater, and the vehicle struggles to stop.

 

Bleeding seems not to cure this, i have not adjusted the drums as i assumed that if they were fine before you would not need adjust them again?

 

 

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If braking was uniform before & you have not adjusted the brakes since, but now it pulls to the left on braking. Then there must be air in a cylinder on the right, front most likley.

 

I would get 4 brake clamps, I know it is a bit of an indulgence, but it has so many times helped me pin down which cylinder(s) need attention.

 

I know you could perhaps get away with one clamp & in turn clamp each hose & see if there is an improvement in pedal firmness. But if more than one cylinder is at fault it makes diagnosis very difficult. 4 clamps really speeds up the diagnosis.

 

You're absolutely sure you assembled the master cylinder components correctly? Or did you instal it as a lump? Would have been worth checking all the little bits inside were all there & in the right place & moving as required. Anyway don't pull it apart unless you have excessive travel with all 4 hoses clamped off.

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Ill have a check on that one Cliv.

 

many thanks, i just hate bloody drum brakes! always have!

 

Ill borrow some clamps.... got a complain from the port authority for driving the Pig about testing the brakes! the place is huge and no one to be seen! like driving on an airport runway! miserable sods

 

 

I have a weekend off in 2 weeks i shall spend working on the brakes as the rest of the pig is ready.. i have repair kits for much of the system.. so fingers crossed its something easy.

 

 

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