Disco II brakes - do not inspire confidence?

[Big D]

Did all the brakes, 3 amiges are there, flushed the system and it seems like the brakes do not inspire confidence. Yes, they work and it stops, ABS kicks in but can't lock them up and it almost feels like there is a tiny bit of modulation at full brake.

Are all Disco's like that or something quite possibly wrong with it?

Ah, yes 3 amigos are there....

 

[lwg]

Hopefully you got all the air out. Technically your supposed to bleed the brakes, then activate the ABS to push out the remainging air to the calipers, then rebleed.

That being said, DII brakes suck. I have upgrade hoses to Braided Steel and upgraded the front caliper to the '04 style as there was an upgrade for that year. They are better but still not great.

 

[UK4X4]

with the three amigoes on

it means you have an ABS fault wether a sensor, or worse the modulation unit

You'll have to either manually get the code or take to the dealer.

first choice would be to check seating on all sensors, the check and clean each sensor contact.

then check clean the earth from the abs unit to the body.

If none of that works start crying

 

[Big D]

The system was bled correctly. First, the ABS unit, then the calipers. I'm certain all the air is out.

Hmm. Ill check all the grounds first, I'll hope it will be that since all the systems seem to function correctly.

 

[Roverhound]

Get your codes read. You will have better luck then trying to guess what's wrong and they won't reset themselves. Consider getting an ABS Amigo if you are going to keep this. If you do the work yourself the repairs won't be that expensive.

 

[EricG]

Can you still get the Amigo? I put new pads on my 03 bled the brakes and they are not the greatest. I used the mid price napa pads and they squeal like a stuck pig. One day I'll do new rotors and maybe try different pads.

 

[Roverhound]

Can you still get the Amigo? I put new pads on my 03 bled the brakes and they are not the greatest. I used the mid price napa pads and they squeal like a stuck pig. One day I'll do new rotors and maybe try different pads.

http://www.rswsolutions.com/

 

[Big D]

Thanks for the tip guys...the Amigo is good looks like I'll have to invest in it as I did a small shake down run and while going up a steep slope I lost traction and had to roll back down. The back was rolling down fine, but the fronts kept locking up, and complete control was lost.

I'm new to Landrovers, and will be and have been doing all the work myself so this will help me out a lot.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I would say not all D2's have brakes like that. My 04 has the best, most confidence inspiring brakes of any truck I have driven, and better than some cars even.

 

[scottma]

I would say not all D2's have brakes like that. My 04 has the best, most confidence inspiring brakes of any truck I have driven, and better than some cars even.

Really, I have an 04 that has been well maintained and the brakes are the worst I have ever had. Can you lock them up on a dry paved road?

 

[Paladin]

ABS makes that kinda hard.

 

[Brian McVickers]

To the OP:
1- Did the Three Amigos come on before or after you changed the brake pads?
2- What rotors and pads are you using?
3- How long ago did you do the brake job?
4- Are you getting a log of brake dust?
5- What size tires are you running, different than original?
6- Do you have a lot of aftermarket weight bolted to the truck, bumpers....?

Note- Some combinations of rotors and pads, especially aftermarket, can cause the breaks to squeak. The squeak frequency interferes with the wheel speed sensor and causes a False Code that turns on the Three Amigos. Keep in mind that the squeak does not need to be heard by you, it could be at a frequency that you can not hear but still interfere with the wheel speed sensor.

Use the ABS Amigo and clear the hard fault codes (this can not be done with a standard ODBII reader)

Also, the DII brake system does tend to feel soft but to some degree this is part of the design. It is not supposed to "lock up" as locking up and skidding is not an ideal situation.

Regards,
Brian

 

[Paladin]

I think that changed for the 03-04. Mine pedal is pretty firm. IIRC, there is a difference caliper on the 04.

See, EVERYTHING is better on the 04.

 

[scottma]

I stand corrected. I understand you should not be able to lock them up. With other vehicles I have been able to hit the breaks hard and feel the ABS pulse. I can't do that with my 04 D2 unless I am on dirt.

 

[Paladin]

Which pads and rotors do you have and how old is the brake fluid?