Folks, My front brakes grab way more than my rear. When off road and backing down steep angles the front's always lock before the rear. Sometimes its hard to tell if the rear's even grab at all. In winter, front locks up and causes slight skid before rears's engage. Again, I am not convinced the rear brakes ARE engaging. The front rotors look very shiny, the rears do not at all. I am about to take the rear calipers off and give them a good cleaning/lube unless I hear something different. Is this a common problem? Is there some type of adjustable proportioning valve I can tweak?

Please advise.
CDT

 

I also have a 99 D2 and what you are noticing is pretty normal, with few exceptions.
How many miles on your truck, have you tried to bleed the brakes changing all the fluid? If so, did you get good pressure when bleeding the rear calipers?
What kind of brake pads and rotors are you using, are the rotors original?
Get back to me.
Mike

 

Thanks Mike,
I have 115k on the truck, and about 31k on the brakes. I dont recall the pads or rotors used, this was before I knew about Atlantic British. I have not bled the brakes as I was under the impression that the ABS and Traction Control required a special tool that keeps some type of valve open. If my Diff Lock is activated though.....does that do the same thing and open all lines? So, never bled brakes, dont know the make of rotors or pads.

Not much help here.
Sorry.
CDT

Any more thoughts?

 

CDL has nothing to do with the brakes. I would suggest you find a friend who knows how to bleed the brakes, get at leat 2 qts. and bleed the fluid till clear. If you want to call me, I can walk you thru it, but it will take t people>
Mike

 

In doing some homework I have located one of those Power Bleeders. I think I will pick it up for the $40 or so it costs. I will change out my fluids completly. BTW, I wasn't implying that locking the differential had anything to do with brake lines. I was wondering if when you throw that CDL switch, perhaps it de-activates ABS and TC and therefore opens this mysterious proportioning valve gate that I was told about.

To be clear here, you are saying that I can bleed the brakes just like on any other vehicle on this truck?

 

No, the CDL does not have any bearing on the ABS function.
Make sure you buy at least 2 qt.s of brake fluid when you get ready to do the bleed.
Mike

 

Ok. So I call British Pacific to purchase the afore mentioned Power Bleeder and they caution me that the 99 Disco II with ABS needs a Powerbook or some other hi tech bleeding assistant. Something about the ABS system not working with that old school bleeder. Have you heard of such a thing? Should I just take to my mechanic for a flush or is there a home remedy I can take advantage of?

 

Yes, and I have always worked around it.
I do the old gravity bleed, opening the r/r caliper bleed screw at a time and let them flow, rather slowly, untill the fluid flows clear, then I shut that bleed screw going to the l/r caliper then the r/f and finishing at the l/f. Of course, the whole while, I keep adding brake fluid to the master cylinder.
Been doing that for the last 80,000 miles at 15,000 mile intervals.
If the test book is used, you can flush the ABS system also, doing it frequently like I do does the same thing over time.
Mike