Club 80-90 Forums

not yet, but van is due for engine out overhaul soon and I'm not using it much, but I am wary and ready to stomp on the brakes.
I meant to say be sure it isn't a leak or the one way valve before going down the replace the pump road, iirc a rebuilt pump is about 50 or 60 quid. a new length of vacuum pipe and a valve shouldn't be much.

To put this in simple terms...at idle..the vacuum being used exceeds the amount that is being produced so runs out resulting in a hard pedal (this applies to diesel engines with vacuum pumps and not petrol engines)
Obviously not a desireable thing to happen and requires a fix but overcome in the meantime by basically...leaving the engine in gear so it revs and produces more vacuum.
If we are talking about a diesel engined T3?????? then this could well be a lazy worn pump.
Martin

Sounds like a worn master cylinder which leaks along its usual travel and makes a seal where the travel usually ends hence the pedal firming up.

Had the same problem with a defender once.

John

with respect mrtd....people keep saying this and I would agree this would be normal pedal creep as a result of internal seal failure but it wouldn't take 10 seconds to start to creep! if the master cylinder was the culprit the pedal would slowly go down as soon as pressure was applied. The same would apply for any leaks internally or externally.
Admittedly the diagnosis has been based on what has been said and how accurate that has been reported..so we will see. Any mechanic worth his salt isn't going to fully commit himself/herself to a diagnosis based purely on what a customer reports.
Martin

sorry to bring this back after so long but....i sorted it.
i havnt used the van over winter so i havnt addressed the problem till just recently...thanks to everyone for the replies but it DID turn out to be the master cylinder.i think i read somewhere on here that if you do any work to the brakes that involves having to bleed them ,while pumping the pedel it makes it travel further than normal and this can lead to the seals failing and i did change the front flexi pipes for the MOT last year.
well i thought as many did it was the vacuum but i checked all the joints and there was no leaks,so i took the master cylinder off and dismantled it and there was what looked like rusty scores in the bore so i replaced it and the brakes are great now

thanks again guys..invaluble information as always

Yup, might be vac pump or vac hose that loops from pump down under firewall going forward.

PS. You do know if the pump comes loose or is missing the oil pump won't get drive

But did sound a bit like the servo playing up.

I'd also say, check the adjustment and operation of the rear brakes and handbrake and bleed the side or wheel you didn't do before.

cheers harrymann....since my original posts ive been round all 4 corners and checked the brakes and bled them through with new fluid..even swapped the springs around that someone had put in wrong on the rear brakes so the self adjust mech wasnt working....my handbrake is a 1 click and its on now
i used to have bad dreams of going down steep hills with no brakes ...im cured now though