My MOT disaster

[Lorin]

This was the start of one of those days

Prior to the MOT I adjusted the handbrake as much as possible (with no more adjustment left) - it stopped the wheels so I figured it was worth a shot. I was aware of a slight intermittent grinding noise from a rear brake which I assumed was just a trapped stone. I first noticed it at Lincomb and had driven the truck only twice since, so I had no reason to think it was anything sinister as it really was slight and intermittent (relevance to come). I also knew that the front panhard rod mount on the axle needed some attention as the captive nut had come loose but I kinda hoped that wouldn't be picked up. So, I put the truck in for its MOT thinking it should pass but at worst I'd have to replace the handbrake shoes

Worth noting at this point is the fact that with the exception of replacing the handbrake shoes, my braking system had been totally overhauled in the last 18 months. All the discs, pads and hoses were replaced with new and the rear calipers had been fully rebuilt.

It failed on the handbrake and the brake pedal going to the floor (WT*!) with an advisory on the rear offside brake making a grinding noise. Oh well I thought, just get it sorted. No mucking about, I booked it into a local 4x4 specialist with strict instructions to just replace the handbrake shoes and get it good enough to pass an MOT. Also, find source of grinding noise and fix. Little did I know the sheer height and steepness of the hill I had just stepped over the top of

It became one of those escalation exercises where everything got worse the closer it was inspected/more was removed. The garage must have phoned me 5 times in one day. The grinding noise was not a stone. The pads had somehow disappeared completely from the offside caliper such that the brake piston was in direct contact with the disc. That's why it was grinding In addition, the other caliper was seized. They also noticed that the LSPV was all seized up - as in the arm that operates the valve. The brake pedal creep was due to a split brake line.

Final result was new shoes, new discs, new cable, one new complete rear caliper as the carrier was knackered (which you can only get from Toyota), one recon rear caliper, new pads, a new brake pipe, and loads of labour to fix the LSPV. Admittedly the brakes are the best they've ever been now but the handbrake is still crap!

Also that welding to the front panhard rod mounting on the axle, which I thought would be a couple hours at most and ended up being 7 hours (also included a bit to the rear anti-roll bar mount as another captive nut had come loose)!

Would be comical if it wasn't so painful. Total cost for one MOT was just under £2000 I have previously harboured aggressive thoughts toward the truck but never of the intensity I experienced this time. I very seriously considered getting rid of it Anyway, I did the the whole anger and depression bit but feel better now.

 

[Chris]

Bloomin' 'eck Lorin! What a mess.

I feel your pain. I am so glad I have a shed full of spares and (most of) the ability to fix stuff myself along with the room to do it. That is nearly as much as another cruiser. £2k sounds to me like I am in the wrong job. I'd better get that workshop extension built pronto.

Chris

 

[Ecoman]

Bloody hell mate that wasn't good. Glad you got it sorted though and you now have a working truck. Look on the bright side at least you didn't find out the had way and it won't need doing again for for a looong time

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

grinding from the rear is a classic symptom of a lost pad or lost caliper bolt, not much help now I know. Did they recover the missing pad? They should have done if they've done the shoes but they're usually trapped between the disc and the backing plate. If you let the pads get too low the inside one can slip out like that leaving the piston exposed.

 

[Chris]

Not if you stick a 27mm Britool socket in there it doesn't

Chris

 

[silvercruiser]

Not if you stick a 27mm Britool socket in there it doesn't

Chris

oh yes i remember that picture

 

[Julian T]

Not if you stick a 27mm Britool socket in there it doesn't

Chris

Oh I like, that sounds like a story in the making.

and re the lost pad when it wears out, I have lost a inner pad when the brake disc got to thin on the n/s/r.
And the remains were still there, just not enough to stop the piston making contact with the disc.
We live and learn, hopefully.

 

[callum]

mine kind of went like that too (albeit not quite so expensively), must be an age thing, although apparently not in your case if they were recently overhauled.

Turned out i lost a pad at the back, so new piston, new seal kit, new discs, new pads, new shims and then two new brake hoses up front as they both split when bleeding the system. If anyone else with a similar aged car has not changed the hoses, i'd recommend getting hold of some and change them over at some stage too, or at least have them on hand. I was pretty pissed off when both burst, however it was better it happening in the driveway than whilst driving i suppose.

 

[Gav Peter]

I had the same thing on the rear brakes; they'd been grinding & I'd booked it in but the day I took it in, I reversed off the drive, there was clunk when I braked & when I set off, the grinding had stopped so Gav was happy & didn't bother with the garage appointment... But I kept hearing a tinkling noise from the back from time to time.

Long story short, when MOT time came around & he (Muxley) failed & required lots of work on the rear brakes; they pointed out that a pad was missing too That was the clunk I guess - brakes were all good but that bluddy tinkling noise kept on & on.

Swapping the wheels over sometime later, I spotted the brake pad in between the disc & the dust guard Once that was out, no more tinkling...

These things are sent to try us dude; you'll fall back in lurve with the truck in a bit

 

[chadr]

Sorry to hear about your MOT misadventures....

These things are sent to try us dude; you'll fall back in lurve with the truck in a bit

^ ^ ^ ^

What he said

 

[Paul_Humphreys]

I remember a few years ago When Jon loas a rear pad when out laneing. So I always carry a spare set of rear pads now .

Anyway my MOT on my 80 cost just short of £600. It did not fail on much, just supesion bushes. Only thing was it was ALL of them!!!

You all know it does not have an easy life .

Paul

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

I always carried a spare set of part worn pads, part worn in case a piston couldn't be pushed back far enough for new pads to fit Seem to remember you were in front of me that time Paul when I announced my brakes weren't working right coming down a steep hill

 

[Paul_Humphreys]

Yes I was Jon, that why I remember it

 

[kamalsrana]

This was the start of one of those days

Prior to the MOT I adjusted the handbrake as much as possible (with no more adjustment left) - it stopped the wheels so I figured it was worth a shot. I was aware of a slight intermittent grinding noise from a rear brake which I assumed was just a trapped stone. I first noticed it at Lincomb and had driven the truck only twice since, so I had no reason to think it was anything sinister as it really was slight and intermittent (relevance to come). I also knew that the front panhard rod mount on the axle needed some attention as the captive nut had come loose but I kinda hoped that wouldn't be picked up. So, I put the truck in for its MOT thinking it should pass but at worst I'd have to replace the handbrake shoes

Worth noting at this point is the fact that with the exception of replacing the handbrake shoes, my braking system had been totally overhauled in the last 18 months. All the discs, pads and hoses were replaced with new and the rear calipers had been fully rebuilt.

It failed on the handbrake and the brake pedal going to the floor (WT*!) with an advisory on the rear offside brake making a grinding noise. Oh well I thought, just get it sorted. No mucking about, I booked it into a local 4x4 specialist with strict instructions to just replace the handbrake shoes and get it good enough to pass an MOT. Also, find source of grinding noise and fix. Little did I know the sheer height and steepness of the hill I had just stepped over the top of

It became one of those escalation exercises where everything got worse the closer it was inspected/more was removed. The garage must have phoned me 5 times in one day. The grinding noise was not a stone. The pads had somehow disappeared completely from the offside caliper such that the brake piston was in direct contact with the disc. That's why it was grinding In addition, the other caliper was seized. They also noticed that the LSPV was all seized up - as in the arm that operates the valve. The brake pedal creep was due to a split brake line.

Final result was new shoes, new discs, new cable, one new complete rear caliper as the carrier was knackered (which you can only get from Toyota), one recon rear caliper, new pads, a new brake pipe, and loads of labour to fix the LSPV. Admittedly the brakes are the best they've ever been now but the handbrake is still crap!

Also that welding to the front panhard rod mounting on the axle, which I thought would be a couple hours at most and ended up being 7 hours (also included a bit to the rear anti-roll bar mount as another captive nut had come loose)!

Would be comical if it wasn't so painful. Total cost for one MOT was just under £2000 I have previously harboured aggressive thoughts toward the truck but never of the intensity I experienced this time. I very seriously considered getting rid of it Anyway, I did the the whole anger and depression bit but feel better now.

Hello mate, regarding the handbrake, Mine was seized too, rear RHS. I am working on it right now. Surprisingly the inside pad was completely gone and the outside pad seemed like new. It appears that the guy who did my last pads change either left the old one in or simply went on his tea break and forgot to change that one, result was metal to metal and sharp iron shards everywhere. (the wife told me that this noise has always been there, seems she has been driving it day in day out without telling me about the noise)

Anyway I opened the whole lot out, I had a seized caliper and there is a knuckle type of a unit that bolts onto the rear, if you look under you will see where the handbrake cable ends, thats the unit.

You will need to remove that unit and free it up, not too easy, but, the garage that did all your brakes should have checked that as that gets clogged and seizes up, so what happens is you adjust your hanbrake and when you engage it, it works, but does not release, so you will start to burn your new shoes and will feel a smell coming from that wheel.

Since your shoes are new, its better to sort this out now or you will experience complete loss of handbrake on that side and more cost.

You will have to remove the caliper and the drum/disc and the shoes to get to that unit. It has a rubber boot on it, open and examine it, you will find that will be the culprit.

Best of luck.