Brake failure

[madrod Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close madrod]

Hi all,
We were wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem: We took our Prado 150 GXL stock standard, to ARB to have some goodies fitted, among these was some OME suspension. During the day, ARB rang me to say that they had taken the car out for a post suspension test drive and the mechanic's face had turned pale when he went to apply the brakes, but the pedal sunk to the floor and he realised the brakes had failed. I asked how he had stopped the vehicle, and was told he had to use the handbrake... I was then told to rectify the situation, they had put the vehicle onto "one of their machines" and they "activated" the ABS, and the car now appeared to be braking fine. They advised me to take it to Toyota to have the vehicle checked, which we have not done yet but plan to shortly. We have not had any problems with the brakes prior to this. Can any of you explain what the problem could be and/or has anyone experienced this before.

Thanks, Rod.

[smakb Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close smakb]

Never seen anything like it, but it sounds as if they have pushed out the brake pads when they were working on the car which have now gone back into place.

[tassie tiger Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close tassie tiger]

"if' the pedal went to the floor the problem is either as smakb stated they have moved the pads away from the disc for some reason or there has been a major malfunction in the master cylinder.

The ABS has nothing to do with pedal travel so they are pulling ya pud. If ABS wasnt working then the only problem would be that it would lock up if applied to hard such as in an emergency.

My money is on smakb.

[Offroader Member Find all posts View Profile Close Offroader]

I don't wish to tar all ARB installers with the same brush, but to be honest with you, I have repeatedly experienced some very ordinary and poor workmanship done by these guys on a number of vehicles. If the vehicle went into the shop braking satisfactorily, there is nothing about a suspension upgrade performed correctly which should cause brake failure. As TT says, a malfunctioning ABS system will make no difference to the braking capacity of the vehicle - it just means that the wheels can lock up under extreme braking. Hopefully as has been mentioned, it was just the installer failing to pump the brakes and reseat the caliper pistons.

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Why would ARB need to back the pads off (or do anything with the brakes for that matter) during a suspension install?? and the whole "on a machine" to "activate the ABS" sounds like a whole lot of porkys too.
I'd be demanding more of explanation from the ArrrRB dealer, if they can't offer one then off to Toyota on a tilt truck.

Mick

[Bazza Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bazza]

I had a similar problem on my previous 120 while still under warranty, although a bit more dramatic. I was towing my 18 foot boat down into Wisemans Ferry ( NSW ) when the brake pedal went flat to the floor. If anyone knows the area, it was a bit "freckle tightening" on the last bend near the pub. The next day the brakes worked fine, although I was very wary of them for months.
The dealer had the 120 for about a week trying to get it to do it again, but couldn't. The service manager, who I knew personal ) told me that "to cover their arse" they replaced every major brake component. I had that 120 for another 5 years ( 256,000k ) and it never happened again. I did have the feeling that they knew more than they were saying.
Bazza.

[tassie tiger Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close tassie tiger]

HI Bazza

That sounds like the brake fluid has had some water in it somehow and its boiled as a result of overheated brakes (boat on the back etc) which turns it to steam and you lose pressure in the caliper. As soon as it cools it reliquifies and all seems normal.