Naff brakes

[Ja1983]

took a defender on a test drive, bought it anyway....

brakes are spongy...

an not particulary responsive

its been stood for a few months, been sarted up regular but not really run

is it possible some air has got in to the system, or is there a wel known routine for checking/fixing this problem?

cheers guys

[Xtremeteam]

if its an 89 it will have drum brakes,whip the back wheels of & check the shoes & the cylinders,make sure everything is all good & adjust them nicely & the brakes shouldnt be to bad

[Ja1983]

wil gve it a go, but will check the servo first, as it remindsme of driving my first car, a mk 1 polo with no brake servo...

had to push up against the steering wheel to get it to stop! haha, god times!

[Jim-Willy]

Depends what You are used to.  Mine doesn't have the best brakes.

[Ja1983]

this is true, i remeber taking my mates 106 round the block after driving the fourtrak (worst brakes i ever had on a vehicle) nearly propelled myself through the windscreen several times!

wednesday lunchtime should see an update, i`m hoping its just the standing period thats set the rust in, and that the drive back wil sort em out.

fingers crossed

..i`m off to bed anyway, its faaaar too late to be on here!

[v8kenny]

Mikees right (again) - adjust the rear brakes and I bet that cures it

[dew1911]

You're not expecting them to stop on a six pence are you? Ours ain't brilliant, although it can lock the back axle solid if you hit them hard enough (Brake Rebuild about 1600 Miles ago)

[Xtremeteam]

Mikees right (again) - adjust the rear brakes and I bet that cures it

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[Litch]

To be perfectly honest a 90 or 110 (no matter what age) will stop well & straight if everything is correctly set up, anything other than this just means a lack of maintenance and/or worn parts.
Heavy mud tyres, incorrectly inflated or mis-matched tyres, worn suspension and/or bushes will all combine to make it do odd things but the brakes themseves will work ok if given a bit of TLC.

Give the system a visual check and clean/adjust as necessary, if all looks ok then bleed it through (10-minute job with an Ezibleed). Old fluid not only promotes internal corrosion but it will make even the best system feel horrible.
Another cause of a spongy peddle can be the flexible hoses as over the years these can break-down, crack & swell under pressure. Standard replacements are cheap enough but I have been using SS braided ones for over 20-years on my bikes & LR's and really like them (around £30 for a 3-hose LR set).

[Ja1983]

Will check the back brakes over and see if that cures it, i know brakes arent as keen on any 4x4 as this would mean locking up all the time offroad!

thanks for the input guys, will keep you posted! ;)