The Freelander only has brakes on the front axle.  Given the kerb weight of the TD4 (~1,600kg before you get in it) it’s no surprise that the brake pads need replacing regularly, especially with an automatic gearbox – pulling away involves gradually releasing the brakes which results in wear on the pads, as opposed to that wear being absorbed by the clutch of a manual transmission, which is not only designed for that purpose but also has a much longer life.

By today’s standards, the Freelander has a poor mass-to-braking-power ratio, although I have heard more than once that the Freelander’s braking ability is better than that of a contemporary Audi TT!  I don’t know whether that’s true or not; but running on worn brake pads until the car’s next service is not only going to fall short of that benchmark, but it’s like travelling in a 90mph wheelie bin on the M4, and could kill you, your passengers, and other drivers.

If there’s one single maintenance task any owner is able to carry out on their Freelander, in my opinion it is replacing the brake pads.  It’s surprisingly easy with the right tools, and if you fit a good brand of replacement pad, you’ll notice the difference immediately.

The Freelander employs a single-piston floating caliper, and there’s a rather good article explaining them here.

Tools required

• Jack (from wheel-changing kit is adequate)
• Locking nut cap remover (from wheel-changing kit)
• Locking nut adapter (from wheel-changing kit)
• Wheel chock (from wheel-changing kit)
• Axle stand (optional; understand the safety risks if you choose not to use one)
• Torque wrench with 22mm socket (optional; understand the safety risks if you choose not to use one)
• 12mm spanner
• Caliper spreader (also known as a piston spreader or brake tool)
• Suitably-sized spanner or similar to fit caliper spreader (if necessary)
• Rubber mallet

There are two types of caliper spreader available.  One type is often called a caliper rewinder, and literaly turns the caliper piston to wind it back into its housing; rewinders often come with a selection of adapters to fit various types of caliper.  The second type, which is the type required for the Freelander, is a much simpler device, and is similar to a reverse clamp in that it applies pressure outwards rather than inwards.

Axle stands are optional, but please understand that the car must be suitably supported when working on the brakes.  The jack supplied in the car’s wheel-changing kit is not stable enough to provide the correct level of safety, so axle stands are an absolute must if you are to be working at the roadside or on ground that is not perfectly flat and level.

A torque wrench is highly recommended since the wheel nuts must be tightened to a specific torque for safety reasons.  If you decide to tighten the nuts without a torque wrench, then you should get the nuts checked for tightness as soon as possible (it’s possible to overtighten as well as undertighten them).

Consumables required

• Brake pads (one set of 4 pads)
• Brake cleaner (a spray can is by far the most convenient)
• Copper grease (optional)

For the brake pads, you could stick with the pads recommended by Land Rover (available from a Land Rover parts desk or here), or you could replace them with branded pads.  I use EBC pads because they’re relatively cheap, easy to get hold of, and are noticeably better than the Land Rover standard option.  EBC Red Stuff pads (DP1352) are supposed to be equivalent to OE (original equipment) pads, but I find them to be better albeit not quite so long-lasting.  EBC Green Stuff 4×4 pads (DP61352) are my current choice, and produce less brake dust (which is an appealing benefit if you have alloys) and have around 15% more stopping power than the Red Stuff pads.

Method

This method assumes you will be changing the pads on one wheel at a time.  If you are doing both wheels at once, you will need two chocks and two axle stands, and you will also only need to pump the brakes once the car is fully lowered.

Apply the car’s handbrake fully, put the car in first gear or in Park for automatic transmissions, and chock the rear wheel diagonally opposite the wheel to be removed.  If on a slope, chock the downhill side of the wheel.  The car’s engine should be switched off and the key removed from the ignition.

Use the locking nut cap remover to remove the metal cap from the locking wheel-nut, then loosen all five nuts (using the adapter for the locking nut).  If the nut cap remover is broken or damaged, it is easy enough to remove the cap with a pair of pliers.  Remove the plastic jacking point cover from beneath the front door sill, just behind the wheel, and jack the car up until the wheel is off the ground and you are able to move it by hand with little effort.  Set the height of the axle stand accordingly, and continue to jack the car until you can fit the axle stand under the jacking point.  Lower the car so that the axle stand supports the car as close to the reinforced jacking point as possible.  The wheel should still be off the ground, as before.

Remove the wheel nuts, and carefully remove the wheel, taking care to keep your toes out from where the wheel will land on the ground!  If it resists your effort, give the wheel a few gentle taps from behind with therubber mallet.  It is not uncommon for wheels, especially alloy wheels, to react with the metal of the mounting and become fused.  Now is a good time to give the wheel a bit of a clean to remove any old brake dust, and check the tyre pressure.

There are two 12mm retaining bolts on the reverse side of the brake caliper body - one near the top, and one at the bottom.  Remove the one at the bottom and loosen the one at the top.  The caliper body should then swing out arond the top bolt.  It is normal for the caliper body to resist movement; it may need a cunning combination of steady knocking with the rubber mallet, or even some clever levering with a spanner against the caliper bracket.  Eventually it will move.

While supporting the caliper with one hand, remove the brake pads.  They should pop out with a gentle pull on the tab on the long edge of the pad.  Give the caliper bracket, the pad mountings and clips, and the brake disc a liberal spray with brake cleaner – it will evaporate pretty quickly, so no need to wait for it to dry.

Note where the caliper made contact with the old pads, then apply a very thin smear of copper grease to the new brake pads.  This helps prevent the caliper piston from fusing to the shim.  It can also help eliminate brake squeal.  It is vitally important that you take every care not to accidentally transfer copper grease to any other part of the brake assembly, especially the discs or the friction surfaces of the pads – I don’t think there’s a need for me to give a reason!

Now it’s time to refit the caliper.  Since the new brake pads will invariably be thicker than the old pads, the gap between the caliper jaws will no longer be large enough.  Insert the caliper spreader between the caliper jaws, and start turning the spindle (using a spanner if necessary) to open the jaws.  Some people report this being easier if the brake fluid filler cap is removed since it elimiates the effect of pressure in the braking system working against you.  If you choose to remove the brake fluid filler cap, take care that spreading the caliper doesn’t push fluid out of the filler, and be sure to replace the cap when you’re done!

Once the caliper jaws are wide enough, pivot the caliper back over the brake pads into its bracket, replace and tightne the lower retaining bolt, and re-tighten the top bolt.

Before replacing the wheel, it is a good idea to smear some copper grease on the mating surface of the wheel mount; this makes it easier to remove the wheel in future.  For obvious reasons, avoid accidentally transferring copper grease to the thread of the mounting studs!  Replace the wheel (you may need to raise the car a little more if you inflated the tyre) and hand-tighten the wheel nuts.

Remove the axle stand by raising the car a little, then fully lower the car to the ground and remove the jack.  General good practice when tightening wheel nuts is to first tighten them all to 75% torque, then finally to 100% torque.  It is also good practice to tighten one nut then tighten the one that is directly opposite, to avoid mounting the wheel at an angle.  Since there are five nuts on the Freelander wheel, it is adequate to tighten the nuts in the sequence 1-3-5-2-4.  The nuts must be tightened to 142Nm, so tighten them all to around 106Nm first (75%) then repeat, tightening to the full 142Nm.

Remove the chock, replace the brake fluid filler cap (if removed), the plastic jack point cover, and the locking nut cap.  Pump the brake pedal to close the caliper jaws – you will feel a slight increase in resistance when the jaws are closed – then turn on the ignition and repeat, using the powered braking to be doubly sure.

Remember, brake pads take a while to bed in, usually varying according to the type and brand of the pad – ensure you read the information accompanying the pads – and can last from 25 miles to 500 miles.  During this time, braking might feel strange, and you are advised to leave extra time and distance when braking, and avoid braking hard unless in an emergency.

Troubleshooting

When moving parts, friction and heat are involved, there’s always scope for troubleshooting!

The front wheels smell strongly of hot metal
That’s just the brake pads bedding in.  This smell should last only a few miles.  If it lasts much longer it is worth removing the wheel to inspect the pads and disc.

A wheel is hot to the touch
This could indicate something rubbing as the wheel turns.  Once the wheel has cooled, it might be worth driving a short distance very slowly, but using the brakes a lot – this will indicate whether it’s something rubbing (which causes heat at high speeds) or using the brakes that is the cause.  It is possible that the spring clips got bent or slightly unseated and are rubbing against the disc, in which case you should remove the wheel and inspect the clips, or even replace them.  It may even be the brakes binding, which can be caused by the floating caliper losing its ability to float – the guide pins may need re-lubricating or replacing.

While driving, I hear a clicking sound coming from the wheel
If the frequency increases with road speed, it’s likely to be the spring clips out of line or slightly bent.  As above, remove the wheel to inspect the clips, or replace them.  It could also be friction between the pad and the disc which will disappear as the pads bed in.  Bear in mind that the new pads may be of different size to the old pads, and so may make contact with the disc in a different area – the clicking sound could be surface rust being ‘buffed’ off the face of the disc by the new pads.

A moaning sound comes from the wheels when I brake
This is normal, and is the pads bedding in.  Once the bed-in coating on the pads wears off, the sounds should disappear.

Additional steps

There are several additional steps that you can carry out while the front wheels are off, none of which are particularly difficult.

Replacement of spring clips
The spring clips keep the pads in place, and help give them a small degree of movement to avoid vibration and noise.  However, they’re easily bent out of shape, and slightly bent or unseated spring clips seem to cause odd noises and the heating up of the wheel for no apparent reason.  They’re cheap, so it’s not a bad idea to replace them with the pads.

Floating caliper guide pins
If the guide pins seize up, the caliper is unable to float correctly, and can cause the brakes to bind, or result in poor braking due to uneven application of pressure on the disc.  The pins are a doddle to replace (and you have to remove at least on of the two on each caliper to replace the pads) so it’s no trouble to replace them along with the pads.

Disc replacement
A slightly more involved process, since the disc is retained by two screw in the centre, and can seize quite easily.  The use of an impact driver is sometimes recommended.  Disc replacement is usually performed at the same time as replacing the pads, but some pads (especially EBC pads) result in far less disc wear and needn’t be replaced quite so regularly.  The discs on the TD4 are vented, so be sure to replace like with like.  There are several upgrade options (these and these, from EBC, for example) along with the standard (and cheaper) Land Rover discs.