P38 Brakes odd feel

Hi all

Been a bit of a lurker here with my lifted Disco but I have just bought a mint condition 1995 60k miles Range Rover 4.6 HSE and am umming and aring as to whether I have a weak pump and or dodgy accumulator.

I get a slight pst noise on the pedal depression and after the first pump if I quickly lift and redepress the pedal it feels alot firmer than the first press

Also when starting her the abs light an TC light remain on for longer than everything else the TC goes off in 6-8 sec but the abs remains on till I stick her in drive and physically pull away by a few feet (ropey or bad seated sensor perhaps).

She doesn't feel like she is totally without power assisted brakes (although I have felt better) just the pedal travel feels so hard after the first press.

Other than that and a slightly iffy driver blend motor on full heat (new one on the way from the bay) and a new volumetric sensor she is stunning, FSH with every MOT from new,after my ruff and ready disco she is pure opulance

I love it

Ta for any advice before I start swapping out pumps an accumulators

Hi

I know it's a different beast but my '92 Vogue SE does the same with the ABS light, according the the hand book the light extinguishes at 7km/h.
As for the psst noise, mine does the same and the pedal on mine is also very high and hard, having said that it stops very well, the ABS cuts in ok and i'm putting the pedal down to it having new discs and pads all round about 1,500 miles ago.
If you want to drive something with really crap brakes, have a go in my '93 Skoda Favorit, the pedal travels about 3/4 of the way down, and then it goes feom gental slowing to throwing out all the anchors in about 2mm, loads of fun on mis-matched remoulds.

Chris J

makes sence as the abs sensors would presumably need to see some movement to know they are working so to speak.

they do deffenitly work it just feels a litte odd and being my first RR I have nothing to compare it to

cheers

i dont reckon you have any problems with your brakes abs light wont extinguish until you are doing 7kph , and occasionally my lights stay on for around 8 secs or so before they go out this also used to happen with my soft dash lse 1995 model .
rick.

Not too sure what happens but every second press of the brake makes the relay work, Don't know why but this is what eightinavee told me and hes the man who knows,the relay makes something work,you can hear a whirring noise. Hope this helps

Thanks for the replys that has put my mind at rest and saved me from wasting my cash

I had the exact same issue,

As far as I am aware, all 3 lights remian on for a lil while everytime I drive it, and thought that was standard.

As for the brakes, I had mine checked for the same reason you described, first push, soft feeling, second real hard, but was told that the breaks were fine and no issues..

depending on the car temp (if it is be sitting over night etc) it can take a while for the lights to clear apparantly

but glad it seems to be a common trait with the brake feeling soft then hard

ta all

hi all sorry to go on about thisone again but after a bit more reading I still think I have an issue

On Rangerovers.net the brake diagnosis guide says that after a full brake discharge the pump runs for 15-20 secs to charge the accumulator (which it does)however I don't need to discharge it as it will lose preasure if left over night.

A dead accumulator would explain why after one pedal depression the second press is hard and the brake pump kicks in to try and restore presure.

Also the land rover workshop manual states that the nitrogen charge drops over time (judging from all my reciepts mine is knocking on 12 years old (dispite only 60k miles) so again points to a weak accumulator.

So before I splash out £100 on a new accumulator does anyone else lose all brake pressure over night and or have the brake pump kick in atfer every pedal press?

cheers chaps

when i start mine up the abs light stays on for about 10 or so seconds, and then when i brake, most of the times i see the abs and the brake light come up for about a second, i suppose it could be the accumulator sometimes it gets a really hard feel. the car always brakes fine, EXCEPT, if i brake over a bump the abs will start barking like mad, i hav to lift and brake again, and back to normal.

help is grateful, thanx

Hi ref brakes odd feel I have a 1996 4.6 hse and mine has a fault thats gradually got worse ,after leaving overnight brake pedal very soft on start up and pump runs for quite a while to normal brake pedal before moving off but once again brake pedal does feel odd when driving ,I have new discs and pads fitted about a 8 mths ago but never been right im just about to sort Im thinking that its an accumulator problem,Im an aircraft engineer by trade and abs brake system on cars basic system of aircraft antiskid systems and similar trouble shooting I hope that helps and i will keep to posted on my fix.

Hi,
Abs light should go out at about 7 miles per hour .... As per instruction manual.

Second problem

When first driving car and pressing on brake do you feel a click when you hear the psst?
Does this happen again after a long run on the motorway without use of the brake ?

my brake pedal has the click, it is more noticable after running for a while then pressing brake, i assumed this was the cruise shut off switch/device???

I have heard of this problem but not had a satisfactory explanation.

Brakes work perfectly well then softness , click and working again.

Keep us posted if you find out what it is

I cant find anything here but you may find it useful

Range Rover P38/4.0/4.6 Common Problems and Fixes