Oh the Defender - a Brake problem

Yes it's easy, but pray your bolt doesn't snap leaving any in the mount. I had lots of fun with this but I'm led to believe I was very very unlucky.

I was going to suggest pipe clamps but as your swapping the pipes anyway then it'll be of no use. What may help is removing the fluid cap, place a carrier bag over the hole, reapply fluid cap. Stops or at least slows the seapeage of brake fluid out of the master cylinder when you remove your lines for replacement. I also tend to bleed the caliper through the pipe unions on first application to get most air out the do the nipples last. i.e. pipe slack, pedal down, tighten unions once fluid emerges. Don't forget to take the carrier bag off.

Lee D

Yes, it's normal for half of them to be seized on a vehicle of your age. To unseize them you get them out by fair means or foul then put in new pistons and seals - once the chrome plating goes you have problems.

It's probably a splined head on the bolt that holds them on yours, clean the head as much as possible and use a 12 point socket to remove, one that fits really closely, 1/2" or 13mm. They're on pretty tight and you really don't want to round the head on it. Use locktite when you put the bolts back in, and if they're not in good condition then don't think twice about getting new ones, they're pretty high tensile but not that expensive from LR dealers.

Regards

William MacLeod

Oh well tried my hardest to get the caliper off and couldn't. So in the end I took the discs, calipers and pads to my local land Rover Dealer - asked if I could watch while he did one side and then I persuaded him to do the other.

The seals had gone and I was glad they were being replaced.

So now one happy Land Rover with new brakes.

I was panicing about the bill - total cost for 2 and a half hours work - £25.

Now just got to fit the other two hoses - surely that should be a doddle!!!!

Andy

Poor bloody mechanic. My life is worth about 25 quid a minute if the customer is leaning over my shoulder watching my every move and driving me ever closer to sudden, severe SOH failure.

I know - but this guy was a good mechanic :))))