help my brakes are only half there.

i got a 97 cherokee 5 inch lift. auto i just put in a dana 44 with the teraflex disc brakes.

the problem i am having is after bleeding the rear brakes 5 times they still are not working to great.

when i press on the pedel it is hard then it sinks about 5 inches then i hold it almost to the floor before i finally come to a stop.

when i took out my 35 i used the hardlines from that everything is tight and there are no leaks brakes are kinda grabbing cause the rotor is warm to the touch.

what do ya guys think? try bleeding them more and more or have a shop do the bleeding for me with there fancy machines.

any help would be great Thanks:flamemad:

Did you put the calipers on the correct sides? Do you have rubber lines, and if so are they good? (i.e. not expanding in diameter when pressing down)

You did go around and bleed the entire system right, not just the rear brakes?

What fancy machines do shops use? They can have a vacuum bleeder, similar to ones you can pick up at an autoparts store for cheap, except it uses shop air. But most shops still do the "one guy pumping the brakes, one guy opening the bleeder valve."

i was told that ya only have to bleed the rear cause the fronts are not touched.

it was a brand new kit from teraflex all the hoses and lines look great and my hardlines were good to it has not been leaking anywhere and i just checked the driveway again and still no spots.

sinking pedal means presure is going somewhere. I had mine bypassing through the master.

check all connections and any ruber hoses. are you sure the calipers on the 44 were good.

fuelfox4949 said:

i was told that ya only have to bleed the rear cause the fronts are not touched.

Click to expand...

Here is your problem. This is NOT correct.

The brakes are a system, and regardless of work done on front or rear, you need to bleed the entire system. When you unbolted the rear wheel cylinders to put on the calipers, air got into the system. That air is what you are feeling when your pedal goes to the floor.

The correct procedure is to start at the brake farthest from the master cylinder. Therefore you need to go passenger side rear, driver side rear, passenger side front, and then finally driver side front.

Pedal going down steadily is a leak. Either you have a leak to the outside (line, connection, piston) or an internal leak within the master cylinder.

Are the bleeders at the top of the calipers the way you installed the Dana 44? Sometimes people get calipers on the wrong side and the bleeder is on the bottom. That won't bleed right. Air has to get out at the top.

It's not hard to bleed the fronts also to make sure no air got up there.

well i will try and bleed the whole system here soon when i get to work. my brake were working great before i put this 44 in and the teraflex kit.

yes the calipers and everything is on right it took me 5 hours to put the dana 44 in and the alloy axle shafts and the teraflex kit.

ill try bleeding the whole system now

try pumping the brakes until the pedal starts to get hard (air bubbles compressing) and then bleed it. Sometimes this will help a stubborn bubble move on down the line to the bleeder. Also try using a small section of clear rubber hose that fits snug over the bleeder nipple (this will help you see whats coming out instead of just a money shot of brake fluid flying across the garage)

Even though your brakes worked good before, while bleeding them the conventional method, you may have damaged the rubber in the master cylinder. That's why I recommend the gravity method instead of the buddy pumping system.

Bleeding brakes: The best way is the GRAVITY method. The only problem is it takes a lot of beer and you don't want to drive right after. (CAUTION: YOU MUST BE 21 TO BLEED YOUR BRAKES THIS WAY!) I use it whenever I replace brake cylinders or calipers, but mostly it's just to change the brake fluid, which I do whenever I change shoes or pads. Ideally you change brake fluid at least every other year. If you worked on old cars and saw rusty pistons, you'd know why, but people also say that old brake fluid boils and won't stop you right.

1.) Get the car in a position where you can open up the bleeders. I always like to break them loose with a 6 point socket being careful not to break them off. If you can, spray them with breakaway or similar a day before.)
2) Starting with the bleeder furthest away from the master (pass. rear), open it about 1 turn. You can put a little hose and cup on it if you want to keep the old fluid from running all over. Make SURE to keep the master cylinder topped off with fluid and DON'T let it get down to where air gets back into the master cyl. Let it flow this way until the fluid comes out of the bleeder clean. This will take at least 2 cups or so of brake fluid. Using gravity alone, you can drink 2 beers while topping off the master cylinder for the first corner. (CAUTION: Do not store brake fluid in beer cans or put beer into master cylinder. Drinking a little brake fluid however will probably not kill you. Beer in your brake lines might.) Snug up bleeder good when you're done.
3.) Proceed to drivers rear and repeat. It won't take as long because the long brake line has already been purged of the old fluid. So you have to drink your beer faster.
4.) Pass front. Drink even faster.
5.) Drivers front. Etc.

Patience can be substituted for beers, but that's no fun.

This prevents the rubber pieces from going any further than they are used to and self destructing.
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