pattern brake parts v bl**$dy expensive

Last MOT I replaced most of my brake system on a LWB Series 2A Carawagon. New wheel cylinders all round, new pipes (its a single system) and.. here's the point, a new 'pattern' master cylinder from Paddocks. When I got it, it looked a bit smaller than the original Girling job - but as it was sold as a replacement for the original CB type M. cylinder I fitted it. Now of course, Landie brakes are a Bas$%^d to bleed, so I put my inability to get the pedal up tight down to my lack of mechanical skill. Sent it off to the garage, they tried but could only get half pedal after a week of messing about. Then I took it to another garage, they tried for a week and still only got half pedal and poor braking!

I've spent 3 days bleeding the sod myself, using an easibleed. The adjusters are tight to the point of binding, there's no more bubbles coming out of the wheel cylinders, so....

I've ordered another master cylinder just in case that is the problem - BUT I couldn't bring myself to pay £84.60 for Girling where pattern parts are £20ish. Is this my mistake? - ANY suggestions as to where things are going wrong - I mean this should be really simple..... :-(

Chris

Reply to
Floatything
Loading thread data ...

All the pattern brake stuff i've ever had from Paddocks has been crap too. Ive had wheel cylinders that have given up after 6-12 months. Am on proper ones now, and theyve done getting on for 3 years with no trouble.

I pay up for the proper bits when i need them nowadays. I spent a year with permenantly crappy brakes which wouldnt ever bleed up nicely, and theyre okay now ive got real bits on there.

Ive looked on the paddocks site,and cant see any bits for £84.60. Which one were you after? If you are not fussed about originality, then you dont have to go for the exact same part number in most cases. You can usually just go for the cheapest proper make part that will fit in the hole (which will be most of them!)

Reply to
Tom Woods

On or around Fri, 02 Apr 2004 19:24:58 +0100, Tom Woods enlightened us thusly:

Be aware that SIII master cylinders come in different sizes and types - especially, the LWB had larger ones. The OP may have a SWB one, which is smaller bore.

also, check the pedal adjustment - on the clutch at least, this can really screw up your day - the cylinder HAS to return to the fully-out position, and the pedal needs adjusting 'til this is so, and preferably a slight free play once it's got there.

Had a pattern clutch cylinder on the 110 (before it went auto) which worked fine, and is the same (ish) cylinder as the brake one.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

Jack up one end. Remove the wheels and drums and clamp the cylinders using g-clamps (just move the shoes aside). Bleed it using a one-man bleeder / pipe and jar. Refit drums and wheels and repeat at the other end. Don't worry if it still feels spongy after doing one axle as it might be air in the other one. I've got an eazi-bleed and also a vacuum bleeder for my air line, but the only thing that works on my SIIIs is the above method. It takes about 30 mins per axle. If you still don't get a solid (and it will be solid) pedal, then you need to clamp the flexable pipes to find out where the seals have gone. Intermittant solid pedal indicates master cylinder problems. Hope that helps! Jonathan

Reply to
Jon

Thanks Jonathan, I did clamp the wheel cylinders but still no joy. When you say 'jack up one end' is that merely to be able to take the wheel off or is it something to do with the bleeding - I have heard something about tipping the thing up to 45 degrees..?

Chris

Reply to
Floatything

So do SII/IIa ones as well. when I looked into it, from 1959 to 1982 something like 9 or 10 different brake master cylinders were fitted.

Alex

Reply to
Alex

It's to take both wheels off. You can bleed two wheels at a time this way, as all you're doing is pumping fluid through the system. Keep an eye on the fluid level though! Have you tried clamping the flexible pipes to see if it's the master cylinder? Jon

Reply to
Jon

you shouldnt really have any problems with pattern parts .

if you are replacing brakes all round and have put a complete set of new shoes and drums on the vehicle then the brakes will most likely be SOFT for a short while until the shoes bed in .

if you do all the brakes then be carefull driving for a few days , it is best to do one axle at a time and then wait a week or so .

you wont get a rock hard brake pedal at the start after fitting all new brakes , youll have to give it a couple of days driving to bed brakes in and then readjust them .

if you want decent brakes on a series 2 you need to fit a remote brake servo .

i used a rover p5 3.5 litre remote vacuum servo but they are hard to find now. , maybe look thru some of the modern cars in scrapyards .

i know a ford mondeo has servo mounted on the nearside but am not sure if its remote or operated by rods .

im not sure but i thought mini metros might have had a remote servo fitted , which would be suitable for landy .

i think there was a place selling aftermarket servos to fit to series 2 landrovers but i cant remember who sold them .

you could change to series 3 type but im not sure how much work to fit .

the girling and lockheed brake cylinders are different to look at but perform same function although you need to specify which you want when ordering i think, so you get a compatible replacement . .

you may measure the bore of both of youre cylinders just in case youve bought a smaller bore cylinder than you originally had .

Reply to
M0bcg

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.