Post by: Trevor on May 03, 2015, 10:54 PM
Also any experience with high quality aftermarket rotors for the Defenders as well?
Its for the Camel, so no Britpart or any Chinese/Indian made products allowed.
Post by: Trevor on May 03, 2015, 11:06 PM
Edit: nm this last question, they only make pads for the 90's, so Akebono's are not an option.
Post by: binch on May 04, 2015, 06:12 AM
Besides....nothing wrong with a little driving by braille LOL
Post by: Red90 on May 04, 2015, 07:15 AM
OE or Brembo rotors. Nothing to be gained with any fancy crap. Have a good look at the calipers. It is quite common for pistons to be seized, although if you don't use it in the winter, that might not be a problem.
The pads should be the same NA and Euro. AFAIK, 110 pads are the same from 86 through to the end of the TD5.
Post by: Trevor on May 04, 2015, 08:46 AM
Regarding the calipers, I'm leaning towards getting in 4 x rebuild kits and just rebuilding them while I am at it. Its got 100k+ miles on it and from the service history info I have I can't find any reference to work being done on them. With a rebuild I will at least know where I am at.
Post by: Red90 on May 04, 2015, 08:54 AM
Post by: Trevor on May 04, 2015, 09:14 AM
Rotors are vented on mine, or at least the front are for sure. I don't believe the rears are but then I don't think the Defender came with vented rotors all around did they?
Post by: Red90 on May 04, 2015, 01:24 PM
Post by: binch on May 04, 2015, 07:08 PM
Post by: Alex C on May 04, 2015, 07:54 PM
mintex OEM pads work fine, no ABS so you want something you can modulate and that stops the defender, some of the after market pads are soft and grab.
Post by: binch on May 04, 2015, 09:09 PM
Post by: Trevor on May 04, 2015, 09:47 PM
Post by: Mark on May 06, 2015, 01:02 AM
Post by: Matt H on May 06, 2015, 07:07 AM
Quote from: binch on May 04, 2015, 09:09 PM
He'll be disc all around.....but the floor pan is removeable incase he has to use his sandals through the floor ;D
Lol. That's funny
Unless you have done it before, have the bore hone and the OEM seal kit its best to just replace both calipers with new units. It's not that it's a difficult job it's just the new units are so cheap.
By the time you have pulled it apart, honed the bore, cleaned up the housing, replaced the piston and seals and put it back together again you may have wished you had just replaced them.
Also take a good look at the brake lines and flex hoses. Now would be a good time to replace any suspect looking items (flex hose at minimum) and flush the entire system with new brake fluid.
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Post by: Trevor on May 06, 2015, 08:39 AM
Quote from: Matt H on May 06, 2015, 07:07 AMQuote from: binch on May 04, 2015, 09:09 PM
He'll be disc all around.....but the floor pan is removeable incase he has to use his sandals through the floor ;D
Lol. That's funny
Unless you have done it before, have the bore hone and the OEM seal kit its best to just replace both calipers with new units. It's not that it's a difficult job it's just the new units are so cheap.
By the time you have pulled it apart, honed the bore, cleaned up the housing, replaced the piston and seals and put it back together again you may have wished you had just replaced them.
Also take a good look at the brake lines and flex hoses. Now would be a good time to replace any suspect looking items (flex hose at minimum) and flush the entire system with new brake fluid.
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Good info on the hoses and lines Matt, thanks. I had not planned on doing that, but I will now. And after doing some digging, I'm going the replace rather than repair route on the calipers for the vary reasons you mention.
One thing I have been wondering....what is a good test for the master cylinder condition? The braking currently isn't bad per se, but one certainly cannot lock the brakes. And the pedal is starting to feel softer than I would like aand when I do standard test like apply brake, start vehicle, wait for pedal to depress, I am not seeing much pedal movement to speak of. Gets me thinking that the master cylinder may be getting a bit worn too.
Post by: Red90 on May 06, 2015, 09:18 AM
Soft pedal is air or a bulging flex line.
You should be able to lock up all four at any time without undo pedal pressure. They are really quite good brakes, for what can fit in a 16" rim.
As far as brake lines, stainless braided teflon lines are pretty low cost in kit form, so might as well do those.
Post by: Trevor on May 06, 2015, 01:19 PM
Post by: Red90 on May 06, 2015, 02:53 PM
http://www.allbrit.de/UNI.cfm?PAGE=757483&SPRACHE=EN
(http://www.allbrit.de/DataImages/MGROVER/ahhxaa2a.gif)
Disconnect the hose at the engine end and see if you get suction with the engine running. Then check the other end. The hose can collapse. The NRV (item) 7 can fail or plug. It just pulls out of the booster. The booster diaphragm can fail.
Post by: Red90 on May 06, 2015, 03:25 PM
Post by: Trevor on May 07, 2015, 05:00 AM
Post by: Alex C on July 14, 2015, 10:32 PM
Post by: Trevor on July 15, 2015, 06:32 AM
I do have a set of rear brake lines coming. The fittings on the existing ones are seized and I had to use vise grips to get them off the calipers. So both the copper line is weakened and the fitting is shot. They work, but far from ideal. So the replacement lines will arrive this week and hopefully I can get them swapped out without issue. The biggest problem is going to be removing the fittings that hold the line brackets to the axle. I'm pretty sure they aren't going to come off easily.
Post by: Matt H on July 15, 2015, 12:13 PM
They should be double wall steel. Copper can't take the pressures of a braking system very well and splits. This may be further compromised by the new braded brake lines not flexing as much as the old rubber flex hose.
Post by: Red90 on July 15, 2015, 12:27 PM
http://www.copper.org/applications/automotive/brake-tube/brake.html
Post by: Trevor on July 15, 2015, 01:25 PM
Quote from: Matt H on July 15, 2015, 12:13 PM
You have hard brake lines made of copper?
They should be double wall steel. Copper can't take the pressures of a braking system very well and splits. This may be further compromised by the new braded brake lines not flexing as much as the old rubber flex hose.
They're the stock lines still on the rear. I just assumed they were copper as they look like it, and are reasonably pliable like copper. Looking over John's link, that looks very much like what is on there now.
Post by: Matt H on July 15, 2015, 10:44 PM
Quote from: Red90 on July 15, 2015, 12:27 PM
They are probably steel. But, "copper" brake line material is not copper. It is a copper-nickel alloy, which is designed and suitable for brake lines.
http://www.copper.org/applications/automotive/brake-tube/brake.html
I've seen regular copper pipe used quite a few times. More often than not on owner "restored" vehicles. It is out there.
Post by: Matt H on July 15, 2015, 10:49 PM
Quote from: Trevor on July 15, 2015, 01:25 PMQuote from: Matt H on July 15, 2015, 12:13 PM
You have hard brake lines made of copper?
They should be double wall steel. Copper can't take the pressures of a braking system very well and splits. This may be further compromised by the new braded brake lines not flexing as much as the old rubber flex hose.
They're the stock lines still on the rear. I just assumed they were copper as they look like it, and are reasonably pliable like copper. Looking over John's link, that looks very much like what is on there now.
Not sure if stock Defenders came from the factory with exotic copper alloy brake lines or not? But judging by the rate folks in the UK need them replaced I'd say it's likely they used the steel lines at the factory. Perhaps someone changed it for copper alloy in the past?