Well, I stripped the rear brake system all right down.
The master cylinder appeared to be working just fine with good solid pressure so I left it alone.
The calliper wasn't quite so good so I fitted a new kit.
Brake seems to work better but only about 80% of the stopping force I expected. My 97 Techno needs about half an inch of movement on the brake pedal to lock up the back wheel.
Watching closely, the pads extend when the pedal is pressed right down but retract when it's released. There is definitely no air in the system.
So, I'm thinking, and please tell me if I'm wrong, that the rear line needs priming.
I think if I attach a tube and 'header' tank to the calliper bleed valve, press the pedal so the pads extend, open valve and release the pedal. Fluid should be drawn in rather than pads retracting.
Does this make sence and sound like a workable solution.
As I said before I'm in new territory here so any guidance you can offer would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks again guys, I appreciate your help. I'm in new territory here and learning.
No idea where all the fluid went, unless it slowly seeped out over the winter (but from where!!!??). Would have expected to see fresh leakage when I topped it up.
With what I've learnt so far I have to suspect MC is just not building up enough pressure.
I'll be stripping it all down and building it up on bench ... should be interesting .. and make it easier to ensure ALL air it out ... before testing again.
Then, I'll fit an MC kit and probably calliper kit too.
Any tips on fitting these kits before I start (probably next weekend)?
I stripped the thing right down today (bit sad I had to remove swing arm to get master cylinder off).
There doesn't appear to be any leaks anywhere (nothing to speak of anyway).
The calliper pistons were tight and moving too free so I worked on them a tad. Given I could move them by hand I think they were then free enough.
Rebuilt but the're still not enough 'power' to brake the rear wheel properly, no matter how hard I pump the pedal.
It's fully bled but I can press the pedal right to the limit and there's only mild resistance to stop the rear wheel, again with no evidence of leaking.
So it does appear the master cylinder is unhealthy, so I guess I'm in the market for a new one.
The Sat Nav features seem fine ... just need to be careful when it takes you down a narrow country lane. Seems good to pick up and get you back on track when you deviate off the route.
Traffic option doesn't appear too fantastic (as with most I understand). Needs it's supplied aerial plugged in to work. I've not experienced it diverting me due to traffic problems.
The Bluetooth seems good. It seems it only supports really basic stuff on most phones, but I've used it quite bit and it seems to pair okay, answer and make calls just fine.
Also, it can store music. Tune the car stereo into the right frequency and you can get it's music and traffic directions through the car stereo.
Another feature I particularly liked about this model is that it speaks road names which is much better than simply "turn left"
Rear Brake Locked On!
in Beta
Posted
I'd strip the calliper down and check that the pots move freely.