Thread: Brake pedal height

Originally Posted by DeanoH

My suggestion would be to locate and fix your problem first, then replace the fluid. It prioritises your problem(s) and saves the wasting good fluid as opposed to the old stuff as you muck about with it.

tip , as you bleed the system don't push the pedal all the way to the floor as this this prevents the master piston cylinder rubber(s) from working in the 'crap' that collects in the end of the master cylinder.

As for the 'you beaut' bleeding hose, I'd give it a miss as it a/. isn't clear so you can't see any bubbles, b/. if the stop valve is at the end away from the bleed screw it can still suck air in the hose back and c/. it doesn't do anything about air leaking back from around the bleed screw thread.

Something like this is IMO a better idea as a/. you have full control at the bleed screw end b/. will work brilliantly on those difficult to bleed clutches.

SCA Brake Clutch Bleeder ONE MAN | eBay

Deano

That's a really good point about not being able to see bubbles in the line. Do those supercheap ones work I have a feeling I've tried one in the past and it was junk

I'm not convinced there is a problem yet. Low brake pedal maybe entirely normal on an '85 with twin line calipers for all I know I now have a few things to check though.

The fluid will need to be changed either way, no doubt it's decades old (after all how often do you ever hear of poeple changing brake fluid unless it starts leaking!).

seeya,
Shane L.

G`day ,

we`ve a BA 84/5 , had about 20yrs and it once had a low pedal and it was loss of fluid in the primary but otherwise nothing like a low pedal .

I prefer to bleed two peopled if poss but i`ve had a clear tube with a spring and ball in it for more than 30yrs , closer to 40 and it works fine , don`t like the look of the EBAY one you mentioned .

Have a vacuum bleeder as well but i have never used it for brakes , use it for the seal of valves in cylinder heads .

If doing the ABS ones i use the abs pump , got 3 with abs and again two peoples best for mine .

I could be wrong but the spring that pulls the pedal back is actually on the pedal. Otherwise if the pedal was not up the top all the time the brake light switch would always be deactivated therefore the brake lights would always be on just because the pads are warn.

Originally Posted by Jazzman

I could be wrong but the spring that pulls the pedal back is actually on the pedal. Otherwise if the pedal was not up the top all the time the brake light switch would always be deactivated therefore the brake lights would always be on just because the pads are warn.

In a disc brake car, pad wear will not effect pedal height! The pistons don't retract back into the caliper housings... drum brake slave cylinders do due to the springs pulling the pads back off the drum!

seeya,
Shane L.

Originally Posted by Jazzman

I could be wrong but the spring that pulls the pedal back is actually on the pedal. Otherwise if the pedal was not up the top all the time the brake light switch would always be deactivated therefore the brake lights would always be on just because the pads are warn.

but that wouldn't effect the brake travel, the master cylinder reservoirwould drop taking up the slack if pads were worn. the first half of the travel is not vacuum boosted and this circuit goes the the 1st spots on the front calipers. The 2nd circuit is vacuum boosted and goes to the front 2nd spots and rear brakes via a proportion valve at the same time. If your brakes are not working for the 1st part of the travel maybe there is an issue with the first circuit going only to the front brakes.

Free play in wheel bearings can cause pads to be pushed back from the disc.

Hi Shane

I had similar problem on my 81 Classic.

I agree with DeanoH with his first post.... check your front (twin) brake hoses for a slow leak in the front calipers.

I had one in mine ....and together with oil leak from engine and steering box leak I couldn't see actual leak from brake hoses.

Upshot was I changed two hoses on LH front (Id changed RH front 6 months earlier) bled all wheels and now I have pedal that's right up and better brakes as both front and rear brakes are now working

Cheers

Baggy

Below is a PDF copy of the Range Rover Manual i've found online.

Page 490 has a simple hydraulic circuit diagram and 512 has a complex hydraulic circuit diagram of the brake system. The brake section starts from 486.

http://www.landroverresource.com/doc...anual_1995.pdf