DanS1982 0 Posted April 21, 2008 Car went for its MOT at the weekend, passed eveything with flying colours except one rear brake is not recording enough effort. Replaced the compensator, disks are fine and pads are fine (cleaned them up as well). This leads to only one thing? The caliper... Will a repair kit sort this issue or will I need to get a refurbished item? If so where is the cheapest place to get one from? Cheers, Dan Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nick 3 Posted April 21, 2008 It's probably the sliders sticking, just take the pads out and push the caliper back and forwards on the sliders (pull one of the rubber boots up and spray some chain lube in there as well) Nick Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,657 Posted April 21, 2008 probably sounds arse backwards but unless the braking force is seriously low its probably the compensator for the other side gone open circuit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanS1982 0 Posted April 21, 2008 probably sounds arse backwards but unless the braking force is seriously low its probably the compensator for the other side gone open circuit. But when the rears are tested for an open are they not fully open anyway? As there is no inertia (foward movement) during the test? The problem side was around 50% less braking power than the other. Nick - I've had the pads out and moved the piston in and out, cleaned up the pads etc etc. It operates fine, just does not provide as much stopping power as the other side for some reason. Can you still get repair kits for the calipers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,657 Posted April 21, 2008 do you have the readings from the brake test? the 205 compensator's don't work with forward movement, they simply restrict the pressure, in the 309 the same compensator's are mounted vertically in the engine bay!! yes you can still get rebuild kits, the very same caliper is still in use on many cars and was used on many cars previously (i.e anything small and French will more than likely have them) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emmy Seize 8 Posted April 21, 2008 We should probably make this question sticky somehow. This must be the third or fourth time the topic comes up within the last couple of weeks. As said above, the wheel with the lower reading is not the problem. The compensator on the other side will be the one that's done. They just seize in the "open" position, thus not limiting pressure as they ought to. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanS1982 0 Posted April 21, 2008 Welshpug - Readings where around 150 one side and 55 ish the other (if that makes sence?) Emmy - You sound prety confident so I'll give that a go. May just order a caliper repair kit just incase though as I only have till thursday to get it sorted or I'll lose my free retest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanS1982 0 Posted April 21, 2008 Also, how does one side effect the other when they both have individual feeds from the Master Cylinder? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davemar 16 Posted April 21, 2008 Those are very similar readings to mine when I had one compensator stuck open. I replaced the compensator on the 150-strength side, and it came down to around 50, the same as the other side. Trouble is MOT places often think 50 is too low to be allowed, though according to the MOT rules I think it is the total force of all 4 wheels that must be above a minimum, and left-right balance must be within tolerance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanS1982 0 Posted April 21, 2008 Also, how does one side effect the other when they both have individual feeds from the Master Cylinder? Can anyone answer this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davemar 16 Posted April 21, 2008 I don't think they can affect each other, apart from if one side is leaking and you'll end up no fluid or brakes! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanS1982 0 Posted April 21, 2008 So its more a case of there is only so much fluid in the system. If one side is flowing it quicker (open compensator) the other side has less fluid to flow hence less power in the calipers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jas-E 1 Posted April 21, 2008 Also, how does one side effect the other when they both have individual feeds from the Master Cylinder? From what i understand there is one feed going to the rear from the master cylinder which tees off to both wheels. So if your compensator is open circuit then more fluid to that caliper and more braking... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,657 Posted April 21, 2008 From what i understand there is one feed going to the rear from the master cylinder which tees off to both wheels. So if your compensator is open circuit then more fluid to that caliper and more braking... only on a 1.6, on a 1.9 the circuit is split diagonally. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,657 Posted April 21, 2008 Also, how does one side effect the other when they both have individual feeds from the Master Cylinder? they can't because as you know a 1.9 has a diagonally split system. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dani959 0 Posted April 21, 2008 they can't because as you know a 1.9 has a diagonally split system. TRUE! The 1.9 is diagonally split, meaning any leaking caliper will empty one side of the system and you'll get one front wheel and one rear wheel braking (confirmed as it just happened in my car). Not very safe though, you'll get a MASSIVE pedal travel and a very easy to lock front wheel!!! One rear compensator stuck open will NOT (in the 1.9) affect the other side, instead it will let the pressure rise by as much as you can press the pedal. The problem it causes in the MOT is brake unbalance in the rear axle, because the wheel with the OK compensator will not brake more than the specified (usually, they don't lock on foot brake, happens on the 205 and also on the 206 I have). Guys, whenever talking about brakes, always think in terms of pressure and not of "amount" of fluid displaced. That's how they work... PRESSURE. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
