Spinal
MB Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2004
- Messages
- 4,806
- Location
- between Uxbridge and the Alps
- Car
- x254, G350, Duster, S320, Mach1, 900ss and a few more
So on Saturday night, my cousin and I (he's visiting from Italy) were trying to find a way to avoid going to Portobello road in London the day after... We found the perfect opportunity, a Pay&Play day about 10 minutes from the house!
So we took the rally car, drove down and started playing. Other than a Suzuki SJ41x we were the only non-landrover car there... and even the Suzuki had a land-rover badge...
After doing a few laps in the forest, we went down to the bombhole... the marshal says (after my mentioning weve never gotten stuck with the car) "it's tricky down there... if you really want a challenge, follow that car" <pointing to a yellow modified 90-defender going up a VERY steep incline>
I shrugged, put the car into low gear and engaged the 4-wheel drive... got some speed (well, momentum given the size of the car) and went up the hill... no problem! As we were going up, my passengers courteously pointed out that the land-rover before us had a roll cage, 5-point harness seatbelts and didn't have a "moron" at the steering wheel... We even got down the hill without any problems (other than tilting dangerously to one side)
As we were about to try another incline (slightly less steep), my brake pedal goes soft and we lose all braking ability... the wheels were starting to skid and we roll back down the hill without much control... as we get to the bottom, I use the handbrake and we manage to stop...
Getting out of the car, the problem was apparent... the front-nearside brake line was blown, and brake fluid was squirting out every time the brakes were used. This in turn stops the brakes from getting the pressure they need, and effectively, we had no brakes.
A bit of tape and some wire-ties later, we we on the road home when the DIY fix failed us... Time to call the AA! An hour and a half later, (and a further 15 minutes on hold on the phone) a friendly AA guy puts a screw in our brake line isolating that brake and we get home safely...
I'll replace that brake line this weekend probably... but I'm a bit worried as the brake warning light is still on... I thought it was just a pressure/brake fluid level sort of thing, and both should be fine now...
Hmmm... will need further investigation!
M.
So we took the rally car, drove down and started playing. Other than a Suzuki SJ41x we were the only non-landrover car there... and even the Suzuki had a land-rover badge...
After doing a few laps in the forest, we went down to the bombhole... the marshal says (after my mentioning weve never gotten stuck with the car) "it's tricky down there... if you really want a challenge, follow that car" <pointing to a yellow modified 90-defender going up a VERY steep incline>
I shrugged, put the car into low gear and engaged the 4-wheel drive... got some speed (well, momentum given the size of the car) and went up the hill... no problem! As we were going up, my passengers courteously pointed out that the land-rover before us had a roll cage, 5-point harness seatbelts and didn't have a "moron" at the steering wheel... We even got down the hill without any problems (other than tilting dangerously to one side)
As we were about to try another incline (slightly less steep), my brake pedal goes soft and we lose all braking ability... the wheels were starting to skid and we roll back down the hill without much control... as we get to the bottom, I use the handbrake and we manage to stop...
Getting out of the car, the problem was apparent... the front-nearside brake line was blown, and brake fluid was squirting out every time the brakes were used. This in turn stops the brakes from getting the pressure they need, and effectively, we had no brakes.
A bit of tape and some wire-ties later, we we on the road home when the DIY fix failed us... Time to call the AA! An hour and a half later, (and a further 15 minutes on hold on the phone) a friendly AA guy puts a screw in our brake line isolating that brake and we get home safely...
I'll replace that brake line this weekend probably... but I'm a bit worried as the brake warning light is still on... I thought it was just a pressure/brake fluid level sort of thing, and both should be fine now...
Hmmm... will need further investigation!
M.
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