First of all, the brakes went out on my 2000 Range Rover due to a faulty pressure switch on the ABS pump (ABS pump didn't run). While replacing the switch (used), I decided to removed and cleaned the reservoir, reservoir screen and replace the brake fluid because from the looks of it, it had never been changed. I put the system back together, made sure fluid was getting to the pump and followed the brake bleeding procedures for the P38. This procedure was a bit tedious but it appeared as though all went well. I ran about three pints of fluid through the system until there was clean fluid and no air bubbles. Just backing out of the garage I could see the brakes were not working properly, no power assist. I suspect that this being my first attempt at bleeding the brakes on a Range Rover that I might not have gotten all the air out. I know this design is more susceptible to air than most. Can anyone tell me how the brakes will act if there is air trapped in the system? The ABS pump runs when the key is turned on and shuts off when the switch is made. Does anyone know if the switch will activate at the wrong (lower) pressure? Another possibility is the pump motor but it appears as though these either work or they don't. Any other comments would be appreciated.

 

You need to follow these instructions exactly: http://www.rangerovers.net/maintenance/brakebleed4.html

With air in the system you will feel dead spots and spongy brake behavior. If you are not experiencing any sort of power braking, you might suspect the accumulator or pump. I would start with re-bleeding the system first before digging into the components. Are there any lights displaying (TC, ABS, Brake) ?

 

I used the bleeding procedure from rangerovers.net as suggested above but I'm a little concerned there may have been a problem with step #20. I will go through the entire process again, hopefully tomorrow, before I do anything else.

To me the brakes feel a little spongy but not as much as I would expect considering the problem. As for the accumulator, from what I've been reading the system will work with an accumulator that's going bad but the faulty accumulator will ultimately cause the pump to run more frequently causing pump failure. That being said, the accumulator seemed to be fine prior to the pressure switch failure. Regarding the pump, once again it appeared to be working fine prior to the switch failure. It starts to run about 3 seconds after turning the ignition key. I checked it out again this morning after sitting for two days and the pump started and stopped after running only 5 seconds or so. I pumped the pedal about 30 times, turned the key on and this time the pump ran a little longer and at the end of the run cycle sounded like the motor was slowing down (like it was building pressure) then stopped. I read somewhere that it should run for closer to 45 seconds when first started. I figure I'm either not making pressure or getting a false reading at the switch. Might be time to get out a pressure gauge.

Also, I checked the indicator lights today and the only one that's on is the TC light and of course that won't go out until sensing a minimum speed.