C15 brakes

[aggsandrog]

In an effort to make sure my year 2000 brakes were working as well as they might I checked hydraulics, pedal operation via the cross-over bar and servo operation. As a last resort I fitted new pads on the front. I now accept that a Hylo is a fully loaded wagon, heavy for its size, and braking will be 'heavier' than a car. (The only real problem is getting back into a car after driving the van and standing it on its nose when touching the brakes!).

On the technical side, the pads on mine are Bendix, and are definitely to be fitted with the shaped ends of the pads and the slots in the pads offset (contrary to natural instinct to fit them in symmetrical, ie mirror image, pairs).

Have a good brake ....Roger

[ant]

Hi Roger.
Don't know why I missed this post but I did. Anyway C15 brakes were always a bit of an option extra! the most usual failing is the rear compensator valve is not set up properly after the body is fitted which basically means the rear brakes don't help out much when braking. With the valve set up the brakes become satisfactory and the grey hairs stop appearing at quite such a rate!
Ant

[aggsandrog]

Thanks Ant. It never occurred to me to take operation of the rear brakes into account, and I have not seen a reference to that in my research on the web. I shall investigate further when the snow disappears. Very grateful.
....Roger.

[aggsandrog]

The snow has disappeared! Am I correct in thinking that taking any slack out of the long spring when the van is empty should increase braking power to the rear wheels when loaded? What about an extra tweak to take account of the initial body weight?

I have to say that it was a real pleasure to slide under the van after spending the week struggling to repair the heater blower on the Peugeot 307.

.... Roger

[aggsandrog]

Taking some weight on the steadies to lighten the back end produced a bit more slack in the long spring. I took up 3mm, still leaving a little bit. Unfortunately I cannot test for the difference because of the new pads on the front which are not bedded in yet! Watch this space.
....Roger

[aggsandrog]

My compliments to martinw for the details he gave last March on tha Ask Ant board on the same topic. I obviously missed them when reading through all the gems on the website when I joined last month. It seems to be something we have to live with in a C15. With a hard pedal there is no doubt that the brakes work, but it is like turning the clock back to my old Transits. No real problem as long as you are aware.
...Roger

[martinw]

Thanks Roger

Martin

[aggsandrog]

Having thought about the working of the rear compensator valve it seems to me that the more the lever moves towards the back of the van against the effort of the 2 springs, the more power is cut off from the rear brakes. I therefore raised the empty-ish van a bit more than usual on the steadies, and took out all the slack produced on the long spring by adjusting the nipple a centimetre or so.

I have just road tested the van in damp conditions. The brakes are very much improved. I could hear and feel the new pads on the front biting well, and I am sure there is more assistance on the back wheels, with no skidding.

I knew the brakes weren't right when I got the van, even though they did stop it with a very heavy foot. The pads could have been originals at 24k miles, although 8 years old. Plenty of meat on them, but perhaps they were cooked? And the long spring on the valve could well have stretched or weakened.

Anyway, a very worthwhile exercise; much easier to drive now.

....Roger

[aggsandrog]

PS: The van passed its MoT without comment.... and is still certainly driving more safely 3000 miles after I took it on in October. Moral of the story? Replace 8 year old pads, and stretch that long spring to limit the action of the compensator valve.

....Roger