Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi guys. The brakes on my ln106 are horrible. Ive changed the lines and bleed the system but there is a total lack of pedal feel, I can push the pedal to the floor almost. I doubt that in the wet I could lock up the truck. I have a 2"inch lift in he front an a 3" in the back and was wondering if the bias proportioning valve could be the issue. Can this be adjusted (how do you adjust it) or is it easier to make a bracket to raise the valve higher. What other issues could there be? There is no fluid leaking either.
Cheers Guys.

sounds like the master cylinder has gone, could be wrong but mine did this when the cylinder crapped itself. no pedal feel and it went to the floor.

BENOLUX wrote:sounds like the master cylinder has gone, could be wrong but mine did this when the cylinder crapped itself. no pedal feel and it went to the floor.

would this result in practically no brakes though? sounds to me like they still work ok, just not well.

if you pump up the brakes then hold them on, does it start to sink to the floor? as this is a likely cylinder issue.

having trouble pumping up the brakes at all is likely to be air.

did you bleed them correctly? you would not be the first to do it all wrong . been there done that

does it feel like you have a big free swing before the brake pedal starts to feel pressure, but then pressure does build, but not as much as you would like? thats what mine was like with air in it.

If I pump the brakes the pedal seems to loose pressure with each pump. The brakes have been shite for a while now. After I bleed them I didnt notice any difference, and have bleed twice. It sort of feels like there is air in there but I definately bleed the lines correctly, starting from the corner furthest away from the master cylinder, working towards it. It has been suggested that the proportioning valve may be the issue (by a mate) as the rear sits up higher than the front and the rear drums might not be working effectively, resulting in shite brakes. Thanks for the help, I want to do this properly.

Hey bud if you have suspension lift in the back you have to extend the proportioning valve lever higher to compensate or just bend it so its fully open as in so the lever is as high as it can go if you have bigger tires like 33x12.5 u cant normally lock up the rears even with that valve open all the way.

when u bleed the brakes are u bleeding the proportioning valve as well?

Also check your pads, mainly the drum shoes, they wont last long off road when they get mud in them.

Hilux brakes are shit in general but with good pads valve open fully and bled properly theyre not normally too bad id say your master cylender is stuffed by the sounds of it though.

Cheers. I did not bleed the proportioning valve so this is definately the place to start. Im also going to look at adjusting the valve. Im running 33", but didnt notice a difference when changing from 31's. I doubt my master cylinder is gone as there is no leaking and the brake fluid has remained fairly cleen. Man I hope its just my f#$k up and the valve hasnt been bleed. That would be the best! Will do tomorrow.

Are you getting any pedal feel at all? Ddi you bleed all of the brakes?

Yeah there is pedal feel, but its just not as good as it should be (fairly soft, can hit the floor if pushed hard). Im going to make a proportioning valve bracket to help the rears out and bleed the system (including proportioning valve), but will have to wait untill the weekend. Im hoping that once the WHOLE system is bleed and the valve bracket put in place that there should be a difference. Next pay I will be doing the pads and shoes to be sure. I have purchased some upgraded calipers and will be getting some slotted disks and a 1inch bored master cylinder. As said before, I want to do this properly. If I do the mastercylinder, will I have to upgrade the booster?

Are the rear drums adjusted up? Jack the rear up and with the handbrake off, see if there is slight drag on the rear wheels when you spin them.

Could also be master cylinder too. I'd be checking the drum adjustment and completely bleeding the system before anything else.

I will check that when I bleed the system. To adjust the drums, do you just use the hole in the back of the drum and a small screwdriver to adjust, or is that for the handbrake. Ive always put off brake repairs, but after changing my uni last week im ready for the challenge. Thanks for your help guys, keep the suggestions coming if there are any, I will update after the weekend and let you know how i go.

The rears should adjust up when you use the handbrake although sometimes does not work. To manually adjust, remove the little oval rubber grommet and rotate the star wheel (I cant remember if its up or down). It will only go one way though.

Also check to see how the brake shoes are in terms of tread. There is a small hole on the back plate where you can look in and see how much tread is left on the brake shoes.

Ive become pretty intimate with the braking system as I had all kinds of dramas when I changed the pads and fluid!

Cheers mate. Yeah bad brakes seem like a common problem on the HiLux. Im looking forward to fixing it.

Evski wrote:Cheers mate. Yeah bad brakes seem like a common problem on the HiLux. Im looking forward to fixing it.

they arent great, but most 4wd's with 20 odd years old technology and mud throught them without proper maintenance are going to be like that.

not making excuses for them, but i think its years of abuse that kills them/ reduces their effect. thats why i got mine rebuilt so i was kind of starting again with them knowing they are currently good. until next trip out anyway