Land Rover Repair: Brakes, ball peen hammer, paper gaskets

Question
John,

I have owned a '96 Disco I for about a year and a half now and it is about time for a brake job.  I have always done the brakes on my other vehicles, but am a little nervous about the Disco.  My first question is, have you run into any problems with removing the rotors, given the weight of this vehicle, I'm concerned that they could get locked on pretty tight.  Also, are there any gotcha's that I might not be expecting (given that I'm used to working on American cars?).

Thanks in advance for the help,
Mike


Answer
Hi Mike,

your Disco is a year younger than mine.  I had some trouble separating the rotor from the axle hub.  I had to CAREFULLY tap around the edges with a ball-peen hammer.  Don't use heat - you don't want to warp anything.

Mostly straight forward to change rotors.  Rear is easier than front.  Half-axle came off mine without any trouble.  Front was tricky because the bearing needed to be repacked.  Purchase new paper gaskets and hub washers (they bend over hub nut).  Now's the time to inspect and repack the bearing, if needed.

Calipers and pads are a breeze.  Careful with the metal brake line...it can pinch and eventually leak.  Try to keep the line as natural as possible.

Best of luck,

JohnMc

NB:  let me know if you have any difficulty.  Just keep in mind the order of the parts you remove.  I once knocked over the table and had a hell of a time remembering which part went on in the correct order.