Brake question

[albersj51]

I'm talking to the folks at RN about a potential recall issue, will post here any outcome.

I'm strongly considering the Ford MC swap, if for no other reason than to be able to find the parts.

Anyone have luck with this approach? From what I understand, need tubing adapters and an actuator rod spacer.

Any thoughts?

I am upgrading to a dual "power" system while mine is apart, and I have been told that the early 90's dodge dakota MC is a bolt in fit and pretty cheap, too. I won't be able to give details on whether or not it works for a while though.

[transalpian]

Agree with all of this, but my new master cylinder was bad. With the ports blocked with hydraulic plugs (no leaks), I still had pedal travel.

Its going back to RN, a ford unit is going in its place, but I am replacing the booster servo (while I'm in there).

Will update later this week.

There is great availability on Land Rover brake parts from multiple manufacturers. I would suggest you try a different manufacturer for the master cylinder, in case there is a batch problem. Generally, they are quite reliable. Other master cylinders can be adapted, but it's easy to lose track of what you used and what modifications you made.

Not getting a firm pedal without pumping can have many causes - not all of them hydraulic/bleeding-related. Series Land Rover master cylinders have barely enough volume when the rest of the system is perfect, so any mechanical slop can result in low/no pedal. Try adjusting them, look for worn adjusters; check for loose pivot pins (where the bottom of the shoes attach to the backing plate). There are many discussions in the archives on this topic.

I recently replaced every cylinder, every line (hard and flex) and the adjusters and still had almost no pedal on the first pump. I finally had the front drums turned and went from almost no pedal to full pedal (best $20 I ever spent). The drums had showed no signs of unusual wear, but they were out of round. Accordingly, the adjusters had to be backed off far enough to clear the eccentric drum, which increased the volume of fluid required to push the shoes into the drum.

[transalpian]

It works!!!!

Great pedal, rock hard!!

Of course, the new servo helps too, and I think I've got a smidge more power since I'm not bleeding vacuum thru the old faulty booster.

Confirming the info on irfaq.org, I used a master cylinder from a 1996 Ford Explorer (without speed control). I fabricated a 7/16" diameter x 1" long spacer to fill the "hole" in the end of the ford master cylinder. I turned the booster upside down to avoid the vacuum fitting on the booster.

The only tricky part was the lines. I purchased m10 and m12 pieces of brake line, cut the rover lines, and coupled the new and old lines with compression fittings.

Great brakes!!

And, a replacement master cylinder will be $35, if I ever need it!

Thanks for all your help!

[jac04]

The only tricky part was the lines. I purchased m10 and m20 pieces of brake line, cut the rover lines, and coupled the new and old lines with compression fittings.

Did you really use compression fittings on brake lines? You may want to go back and do it right with double flares. Plus, I'm fairly certain that compression fittings on brake lines are illegal in most states.