Hello fellow Fl2 owners. I have had an odd experience today while towing the caravan on a rather bumpy back lane. The whole outfit started bouncing up and down which is to be expected i guess , but it didnt subside , so although my speed was around 25mph i attempted to brake to reduce this and the front offside wheel locked up several times to the point i could hear the screech of the tyre each time. Further on, the front on a not so bumpy section the front wheel locked again each time i braked. Once back on the main roads i braked harder and it didnt lock up. I have felt for a while that the brakes dont seem to be biting so wonder if the pads have work hardened. I am also aware that the rear suspension is tired so again i wonder if that is the car shifting braking effort around in relation to body pitch / roll? its a 2007 s model so not sure if it has ESP or other fancy systems as the later ones do. Caravan brakes are working fine and it wasnt fully loaded neither was the car so not a weight issue.
Any thoughts please greatfully received.

No specific ideas but I would have the wheel off get a torch and have a good old look at pads discs suspension etc see if there’s anything obvious.

Nose weight of caravan?

With the short(ish) rear overhang of the FL2 I would have thought it unlikely, but applying caravan weight downwards on tow bar it will take the weight off the front axle, and possibly cause front wheel locking .

The Repair and Wiring Manual gives most Towing Limitations staring at page 2870 (of 3229)

The EBD works to transfer brake force to front axle as you decelerate hard, not, as far as I can see on the static axle loads.

From Manual
Electronic Brake Force Distribution

EBD limits the brake pressure applied to the rear wheels. When the brakes are applied, the weight of the vehicle transfers forwards, reducing the ability of the rear wheels to transfer braking effort to the road surface. This may cause the rear wheels to slip and make the vehicle unstable.

EBD uses the anti-lock braking hardware to automatically optimize the pressure of the rear brakes, below the point where ABS is normally invoked.

• NOTE: Only the rear brakes are controlled by the EBD function. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

Yes, check your weight limits and also, very important, tongue weight.

I routinely tow at max allowed weight and tongue weight, in large mountains, and have never had any issues (mostly but not all paved roads). I do use aftermarket pads and rotors, which hold up better to extreme use and are less likely to degrade or warp. My big trailer (caravan) is braked.

In Australia as per the manual (exact same car), the tow bar can have 250kg & up to 350kg (factoring in leverage on rear axle at let's say 450kg). It is a totally impractical limit as as you can't pack anything & wifey must have the weight of a 16 year old school girl or if one of lucky enough to have one (weight will reduce due to exhaustion over repetitive repacking so to speak)!

There is something else going on. Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

This interesting video shows an Australian gadget to even up the towing vehicle front/rear axle loads.

Although they don't include it in the explanation, it should be noted that some of this load is transferred to the caravan axle(s).

My own thoughts are that this will give it considerably less traction on the rear axle, so may less useful on slippery surfaces if you have only single axle RWD.

I saw this first on the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV forum, in a discussion about lack of traction on front axle whilst retrieving a motor boat, out of the water and up slippery uneven ramp.



And the original Outlander PHEV Forum article

https://www.myoutlanderphev.com/forum/view...t=traction

(yes that is me contributing, I decided against the PHEV and got my FL2 Metro) FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 76k+ miles) (MY2015)

Weight distribution hitch. This topic is discussed ad nauseam in Australia. Basically we are supposed to have 10% weight of the caravan on the tow bar. Then factor in 1.3 to 1.4 x leverage to rear axle, which will be over weight.

Some of these weight is shifted to the front axle. But it is not a miracle cure! Procrastination, mankind's greatest labour saving device!

Acoustic insulation ARB TPMS 3xARB air compressors After cooler Air tank On-board OCD pressure air/water cleaning Additional 50L fuel Carpet in doors ABE 2x1kg Waeco 28L modified fridge Battery 4x26ah Solar 120w Victron MPPT 100/20 DC-DC 18amps 175amp jumper plug Awning 6x255/60R18

I would replace all the brake components if it were mine, calipers, rotors, pads, shims, the lot. After 15 years, any original components will be well past their best. Brakes are the most important part of a vehicle, especially so if it's used for towing. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

Thanks for all the ideas and things to look at. Ive towed with this car for four years and heavier vans with no issues so not thinking weight issue. Thinking further on it I'm wondering if the rear suspension is fubbarred (duff shocks) if that would cause excessive bounce on a bumpy road, which would then take weight off the front axle. A full overhaul of the brakes does sound a good plan, but with intermittent power steering issues (intermittent loss of assistance when parking etc) if its time to get another car. Problem is the freelanders seem to have gone up in value, late high spec models fetching some huge prices. Dearest one i have seen was 22k!

When was the power steering fluid last changed? Jules

Steering fluid and tank changed about 6 months ago but not really any difference. A member on here suggested adding an additive to it to inprove seals etc which i did. It was better for a few weeks then went bad as before. No real issues at speed, intermittent loss at parking speeds that ranges from slightly heavy to the point you can barely turn the wheel for a few seconds. I suspect the hoses and that one way valve may be at fault here, made worse possibly by the additive..these miracle fixes are rarely that.
I also checked the front brakes today, no real wear apparent on the discs and pads still have more than half left, been fitted 4yrs and done around 30k of mainly town driving and also towing. Seems like they are not as worn as i would have expected so maybe a caliper issue. I do keep getting spots forming on the discs to maybe pads are glazed and too hard to have any bite. Was thinking of greenstuff pads next time.

Have you replaced the drive belt? Is the system filled with the correct fluid? I don't believe that system sealer fluids are compatible with the CHF fluid used in this system.

If you're getting hot spots on the rotors, then maybe they are being heated just before stopping? When a hot rotor is stopping, the pad covering that part of the rotor keeps the heat in, which causes the metal to cool slowly, developing soft spots. Were the replacement rotors OE quality? Some cheaper rotors are more susceptible to hot spots than others, but hot spotted rotors need replacing anyway. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

Correct landrover fluid ( green stuff ) on both occasions. Previous time was three years ago when I did it last and the fluid / reservoir restored it as good as new. The steering pump is noisy at times and often you hear hissing noises inside the car like the pressure relief is operating. I havent inspected the belt or tensioners as yet, so something else to look at.
Brakes wise, the discs and pads were brembo from euro car parts so not the cheap stuff they sell. The hot spots and markings on the discs also occur on the rears which were on when we got the car so no idea on the make. I had read somewhere that tinges of blue spots and the like often means the disc struture is damaged from the heat and renewal is the best course of action. I have never had this on any other car I've owned so i can only assume that the weight of the car plus the additional weight with the caravan on is cooking the brakes, although I read the road well ahead and dont heavy brake. That said as you've mentioned already, the calipers etc may well be sticking slightly. Its interesting looking at other cars, estates and the like and the size of the brake discs on some of them look massive compared to the FL2. I wonder if there is any merit in upgrading the brakes as some have on here to the rear vented discs and the petrol front discs or the even bigger volvo disc caliper set up. Thoughts and experiences gratefully received as always.

On a side note has anyone used the calipers that advanced factors sell? At around 50 quid a piece they seem a bit too cheap and that makes me wary.

A guess but I suspect the calipers are cheap because there are on half the fords out there. Economy of scale and all that.
I notice AF do their own brand and Febi for almost the same price. If it was me I would go with Febi as a known brand but I got the impression AF stuff is generally good so their own brand is probably ok too.
I have no direct experience though so take this with a pinch of salt. FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

The brakes on the FL2 are adequate in normal circumstances, however they aren't any larger than the Ford Mondeo they come from, and the Freelander is some 300kg heavier.
I've no complaints about my brakes, but I did replace the rotors, pads, shoes, cables and calipers when I got it. They've done 16k miles since, and show no signs of overheating. I got mine from AF, but used their own brand which was listed as OE quality, and I don't doubt that. The brakes got much lighter after I replaced everything, so suspect the calipers were to blame, as the pistons and slider pins were stuck fast. 2009 Rimini Red SE TD4. Soon to be sold.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Ultimate on order.
Gone. 2006 Tonga Green i6 HSE.

Last edited by Nodge68 on 12th Jul 2023 10:08 pm. Edited 1 time in total