Braking Click/clunk

Alright, So i searched the other day and found some information but I felt like there were too many postings, too many different descriptions. Plus, I feel that mine is a bit different. Let me run it by you.

When I first start up and go for a while applying regular braking, the brakes are fine. There is no clunk or anything. However, after they have warmed up a little bit after about 5-10 minutes, there is a good clunk that happens when I brake. I am not braking hard or anything, just braking. Pedal feels fine, everything works fine. Brake fluid is full. I changed the pads and rotors about 6 months ago now. Everything has been fine up until about 2 1/2 weeks ago.

So, is this in the brakes? I saw lots of postings saying things about suspension and others but it seems to me it would be something in the actual braking system. Something loose? I have been so busy I have not been able to get the front end up in the air.

Any input from you would be great. Thanks!

Oh yeah I have a 2000xj sport 4x4 Automatic, 96K miles

come on guys, any help. Please!

check your lugnuts

I would check the calipers and wheel cylinders. Make sure there working correctly. I just replaced a wheel cylinder in my s-10. It was clicking but my brake power would go at that wheel and it would pull.

Ok, I will check my lugs. I will check the calipers. The thing is it never does it until I am driving for about 5 minutes. It is so strange. Then after that it gradually gets louder.

Alright I checked my lugnuts, I checked my calipers. Everything seems fine? No play in anything. I guess I am just going to ride it out. It is not really a loud clunk, just annoying more than anything.

Unless someone else has a suggestion?

Thanks

I have something similar to that but it happens mostly when Im going down hill. I thought it was a bad TRE but I swapped hiems in and I still get it. so Im just going to ignore it till it either gets worse.

edit- reading the posts again it does some times pull to the opposite side that the clunk appears to come from so maybe I have a bad pass side caliper.

Check the ledges that the front pads slide on. They can get pitted or worn, and if there's a little play, the pad can rotate a little when it hits the rotor and click when it stops. It's not usually a safety issue unless the pitting gets so bad the pad hangs up trying to move sideways.

Sometimes a bad axle universal will click when you brake, too, so check them.

That's about all I can come up at the moment with without further detail on what sort of click or clunk it is, where it occurs, and what you've checked.

Ok I can try to give you more information. I really appreciate all of the responses so far.

It happens when I have driven for at least five minutes and probably have applied my brakes a few times. It happens in a straight line, not just in turns, and ONLY when applying the brakes. I could apply them lightly and it would happen. I could apply them heavy and it would happen. However, sometimes it will not make the noise, and then the next time I apply the brakes it will make the noise. It will not make the noise at low speeds anything below 5-10 mph. It will not make the noise when I am standing still applying the brakes. It is does not pull to one side or the other and it does not make the noise when I turn the steering wheel.

Like I said yesterday, the pad, the rotor and everything down there looked solid. No conceivable reason as to why it is doing this. Brake fluid is good. Pressure in the pedal is good.

Weird. I will probably just let it go and chock it up to another noise coming from the jeep.

Not sure if it could be your cause, but when my '98 developed a click such as you describe, I found the following solution.

In my case I had a 8.25 axle at the time. I discovered that the drum sit's somewhat loose on the lug nuts. However, if you were to pull your e-brake, then remove your rear wheels; the drum would "tweak" over on the lugs and not seat correctly. When you reinstall your wheels, the drum remains "tweaked" ever so slightly, that when you release the e-brake, the drum becomes somewhat loose now that the tension of the e-brake is released.

Try this... Lift up the rear, without the e-brake set. Remove both rear wheels. Now, slip the drums off to make sure they are not binding, then replace them to where they seat correctly. Now, reinstall your rear wheels. See if this doesn't make your clicks go away....

Did you do any brake work on them recently?

not for the past 6 months. Everything has been fine. No issues whatsoever, and in fact...everything FEELS fine.

What work did you do 6 mos ago?

just pads and rotors up front

If you did the work yourself, I bet if you installed new calipers, your click/clunk would go away.

My 01 had the same problem. Since there is no real hardware to speak of that the pad rides on, they have these clips available that go on the top and bottom of the pad. They are different thickness to take up any space between the pad and the knuckle.As mentioned before if there is any wear on the knuckle itself, the pad can shift back and forth, causing noise as well. Those will have to be welded and ground flat. The clips are avaiable at napa. If I can find some I will post a picture. I think the are called embukment (sp)clips.