Isuzu Trooper Owners Club UK™

[Philp]

Oh how it rains! I've now got my new tyresd on and my trooper still pulls but I think I've got to the bottom of it now, after a full 4 wheel alignment, five new tyres new shocks and a good grease up. When the tyre fitter took the front left hand wheel of the caliper was pretty hot so it seems that it may be binding slightly, enough to cause some drag. I've got the Haynes manual for the Frontera and somebody said the front brakes are pretty much the same, is this true as it loks like I need to strip this caliper down and clean and grease it up. There does seem to be a lot of crud under the two little rubber bellows fittings on the caliper so I am assuming these cover the pins that the caliper slides on and they are sticking.

Any advice stories etc welcomed. I want to try and do it on the vehicle to avoid having to bleed the brakes if possible. How easy a job is it to take them apart and will it need to be done on the bench?

Just another little bit of fettling to add to my already long list, don't ya just love old cars!
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Phil

96 or is it a 98 Isuzu Bighorn Lotus

[Google]

[NeilD]

[Philp]

Not touched the brakes yet, just greased ball joints, UJ's propshaft sliding joint etc. I'm guessing as the front calipers seem to be these single pot double acting jobbies the japanese seem to love that it's these guide bolts that are sticking and stopping at least one pad from disengaging properly. The shocks needed replacing anyway as they were shot as evidenced by the porpoising front to back over bumps, and the tyres were also knackered. The four-wheel alignement was done for peace of minds sake as the rear of the chassis has been replaced at some time and I wanted to make sure it wasn't bent.

I'm going to start feeding the bolts under the rubber bellows with plus-gas dismantling spray in the hope it'll ease their passage out and free up the threads, and then tomorrow try and get them apart, clean them up, grease with some copper grease and re-assemble.
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Phil

96 or is it a 98 Isuzu Bighorn Lotus

[Philp]

All sorted now, the top sliding bolt on the N/S was well gunged up and pretty much seized solid, took half a can of plus gas dismantling spray and lots of wiggling to get the caliper off. Cleaned up the pin and hole it slides into, greased well with copper grease and it slides like a good un, whilst it was up in the air did the drivers side as well as although not seized it was pretty cruddy too.

Pulling is better but not totally cured, I'm going to check the rear brakes next and possibly renew the rear spring bushes as there is a lot of banging from the back over bumps.
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Phil

96 or is it a 98 Isuzu Bighorn Lotus

[Paul Rainbow]

Ah, the devil makes work for idle hands, as my mum never used to say.