[Drinkhard]

2001 RR: I’m getting three amigos with firm press to brake pedal. I can hear the pump kick in with a “vrrrt” sound and will do that every 5-10 seconds while the brake pedal is pressed.

Im thinking Accumulator replacement?

Anything else I should look in to?

 

[DaGlitch]

Do you have a nanocom or anything to read any codes? Could be a few different things. The accumulator is usually the first culprit. If this has been bad for too long, the actual pump could be bad and not able to build any pressure now. The other thing that comes to mind is that it may actually be a bad pressure switch on the pump.

Make sure you read the procedure in RAVE for replacing the accumulator. It's pretty straightforward as things get on these things, but it's worth a read. To depressurize step on the pedal 30 some odd times. Clean the old one, unscrew it, make sure the threads are clean and screw in the new one.

 

[Drinkhard]

Not picking up any codes on my scangauge. Any tests to figure out which if it’s switch or accumulator?

 

[chris no 10]

Really you need a LR designated scanner, nanocom or faultmate, I had the 3 amigos not long ago, was the pressure switch, put where about s you are in your profile, might be someone local who can scan it..

 

[Drinkhard]

Forgot to mention I have to push fairly firmly and nearly to the floor to get real stopping power. Which makes me think accumulator as the pump is not running continually. Would a bad switch cause the same symptoms?

 

[Richard_G]

With a good accumulator the pump will run for up to 40 seconds to get it charged to full pressure so if it is only running for much less than this the accumulator has lost it's Nitrogen so there is nowhere for the fluid to go. If you can push the pedal almost to the floor you've got no pressure in the power circuit and are stopping on the hydrostatic circuit only (which means only one of the two pistons on the front brakes and nothing on the rear). The pressure switches very rarely fail and an accumulator is reasonably cheap and easy to replace.

 

[Drinkhard]

Good News, the new accumulator fixed the 3 amigos issue. My ABS pump now runs for about 30 seconds when starting the car and runs briefly every 4-5 brake applications. Now I am getting low brake fluid alerts, not every time braking but every so often. My brake fluid level is just below max but above min. Guessing the brakes need to re-bled again, air in my lines?

 

[Richard_G]

Quite possibly. Air in the power circuit doesn't result in a spongy brake pedal like on a car with conventional braking, it results in a slight delay between hitting the pedal and the brakes coming on as the air has to be compressed before anything happens. It isn't something that you would immediately notice until you bleed the air out and find how much better the braking feels.

 

[pwood999]

Good News, the new accumulator fixed the 3 amigos issue. My ABS pump now runs for about 30 seconds when starting the car and runs briefly every 4-5 brake applications. Now I am getting low brake fluid alerts, not every time braking but every so often. My brake fluid level is just below max but above min. Guessing the brakes need to re-bled again, air in my lines?

If they do need bleeding, follow the procedure in RAVE exactly, or you will end up doing it again. You also need a helper to do the pedal & ignition switch part while you bleed. . . .. not a one-man job.

 

[marty_nz]

Also as a note... low brake fluid might be that...

The brake fluid should be at Max AFTER the ignition is on and the ABS pump has pressurised the system. Once the vehicle has been off for awhile the pressure bleeds down and the fluid level should sit above Max until powered up again.

So if you're reading between Max and Min, then re-check it once the pump has stopped running and then top it off to the Max level again