QuestionI have a 96 Disocov and the brake pedal goes all the way to the floor. Any idea on what may be the problem? A mechanic friend says it may need rear calipers and a master cylinder.
AnswerHi Peter,
tell me about it! I have the same problem right now. In my case, I found that one of my calipers has ceased and was constantly applied to the rotor. I replaced the front rotors and am currently waiting for the replacement caliper that has been shipped to me.
If your brake pedal is travelling to the bottom, you probably have a leak somewhere in the system. It could be a single caliper that is causing this or it could be more. Are these the original brake parts? They were for my '95.
You could rebuild a caliper with a brake kit from your local LR dealer. I did this last year with one of my rear brakes and it cost me about $150. The kit includes new rubber seals, pistons and seal ring. Once I popped out the old pistons, I carefully cleaned inside the chamber with an old SOFT toothbrush then sprayed liberally with a can of brake cleaner. Refitted the new pistons, et.al. and it worked like a charm!
Now my trouble is with the front brakes. I've cleaned up one caliper and it is working fine but the other is too far gone. The pistons are rusted to the caliper chamber walls and even with new pistons, it would score against so much rust and eventually leak. Better to swap it out!
I found on the internet that salvage yard calipers can be shipped for a fraction of the OEM price. OEM can cost from $250 to $500, rebuild runs about $100 to $200 and salvage yards have them for about $50 or less.
I found a yard that cleans up the caliper, tests it and then ships with a 30 day warranty. Not bad for $30. I am in a position to clean it up even more (spray paint for effect!) but you may not be, depending on your DIY skills and where you get the part.
I would suggest the following site:
http://www.motorcarsltd.com
They are based in Texas and have a wide range of parts and prices, new and rebuilt. Check them out for most of your Disco needs.
I hope all you need is calipers or new piston seals. A new Master C is expensive. If you cannot find any fluid loss, it may very well be your MC. Its possible that air has leaked in and this too can cause trouble.
A mechanic would inspect the brakes and IF no signs of wear is present, they then look to the MC. Fix up your rear calipers BEFORE moving to the master cyl. When you change your caliper(s), drain the entire system and replace with new DOT4 fluid. All brake fluid is subject to absorbing O2 and can eventually rust out caliper chambers (especially if air gets trapped inside somewhere). Of course, this has surfaced with our Disco's only after 10 years of use!
Best of luck,
JohnMc
