Back brakes question

just got a 99 xj. The back brakes would squeal when stopping. And the passenger side would get hot to where you could smell it. I have the tire and drum off and it looks like all new hardware and pads. Any ideas does it need adjusted? could it be the wheel cylinder? could the drum have neen turned out of round. when you you would slow down it would rub when you were stopping. Kinda a throbbing as you slowed down. I've got the stuff to rebuild both sides I will proubally go ahead and do it. But ill be pissed if it still does it. Just wonder if anybody has some ideas.

a pulsating in your pedal is from warped rotors/drums...just learned that in auto shop xD

I don't think I've ever seen a warped drum. I'd guess the lopping as you break is the front rotors. Can you spin the rear wheel freely with it jacked up? It could be a bad cylinder, or maybe the installer didn't get the hardware installed correctly. You could compare to the other side. Check the axle for excessive side-side or up-down play as that might point to a bad wheel bearing.

ok, multi solving answer... pulsating in the pedal; not always from out of round, (warping), could also be ABS. i had a similar situation happen to my honda, and the guage said it was "in spec" for out of round when i checked it. there are a couple other reasons why that could be happening. however with the side you can smell when braking; could be a stuck pin, stuck caliper or maybe a collapsed line (rubber and/or metal) that causes that particular side to brake heavier to the extent of the smell emminating from it. maybe a stuck prop valve or clogged one. bad master cylinder. the list may be overwhelming, but it is not endless.

you will want to remove both front tires and examine both sides. not to make sure they're the same, but to make sure everything is functioning properly. both inner and outter pads of each independant side are worn evenly, if not, could be a stuck caliper, frozen pin or slide, or clogged/ collapsed/pinched line. then examine to see that both sides are evenly worn, however, maybe someone got lazy and replaced one side, and the material on the pads wont be even... hmm. without seeing is hard to tell. i guess youll kinda get the picture now of what im trying to say. and remember, if it dont look right, then it probly aint.

now, for the backs..... try to find a diagram, so you can compare and contrast to make sure it was all together right...and to make sure the automatic adjuster was put in the correct direction on both sides, and they're adjusted properly. they will eventually self adjust if installed correctly, and the squeak may go away after time, can be caused by cheap pads, or shoes. could also be from hard braking conditions or sitting for a while. i have seen drums out of round before. and shoes fall apart... anyway, another rule is that the larger (more surface material) shoe goes towards the rear. always. no matter what! it is was installed backwards it will cause problems. also, when everything is all together, with tires mounted, and properly adjusted, the rear tires will spin one quarter rotation when spun by hand. if you have any questions let me know... its kind of a run on thought, but hope i could help. not good putting thoughts into words.

ase certified in brakes and braking systems. mechanic for 9 years. any questions i didnt address feel free to post again... i actually just made all 3 lines on my friends cherokee today. she just purchased a 98 2 days ago. wish you the best with your new purchase!

also, dont fret, brake parts for these jeeps are CHEAP! inexpensive wise... calipers are a whopping 20 bucks over here after core charge! lol. pads are more. go figure.

oh, answer was for front rotors in first paragraph. haha sorry. yeah, rear drums, make sure there setup right, and adjusted proper. could be turned wrong. could be bearing or wheel cylinder.

god im foolish. lol

If you wheel it or hit curbs you could have a tweaked axle flange, your drums will spin true on a lathe but wreak havoc on the jeep. Worth a check:wow:

Thanks for all the input. I just put new wheel cylinders in and will test drive tomorrow. I will check for the pad thickness too. Never heard about the thicker ones on the back. what if there both the same thickness? Not sure yet just asking.

Uppie89 said:

Thanks for all the input. I just put new wheel cylinders in and will test drive tomorrow. I will check for the pad thickness too. Never heard about the thicker ones on the back. what if there both the same thickness? Not sure yet just asking.

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Not pad thickness--he is talking about the rear brake "shoes". One is "long" and one is "short" for each side of the vehicle. The "shoe" with the longer length goes to the rear, and the "shoe" with the shorter length goes to the front.

joe_peters said:

Not pad thickness--he is talking about the rear brake "shoes". One is "long" and one is "short" for each side of the vehicle. The "shoe" with the longer length goes to the rear, and the "shoe" with the shorter length goes to the front.

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:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:



yes, the material of the shoe covers more of the metal area then the other. one faces front-wards one with more material coverage faces backwards...

best i could come up with... see how one shoe has more material on it, thats what i was speaking of specifically... the one facing you, would be the rear of the vehicle... the one away would face the front.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...=NEgxTYXjJ4L58AaOlv2cCQ&sqi=2&ved=0CDoQ9QEwAw

sorry for soo many posts, but some people just slap em together and call it a day... cause it looks alright... but there is a proper way to install them. and adjust them. also, before installing the drums, make sure they can sit flush to the axles, clean off all mating surfaces removing all rust and dirt and grease, wouldnt hurt to douse with brake cleaner a little to finish it all up to clean off brake dust and all... fingerprints, everything.

OK I put in all new hardware. The pads were brand new. Also put on new wheel cylynders. Bled the brakes and they were good for about 2 days.

Now I have the sqeek back when braking and the passenger side drum I can smell the brakes when I park it. This is the same symtom I had before.

I followed the directions on here to a tee. I'm a pretty good wrench have rebuilt my 6.0 ford deisel and many BBC. Could it be a soft line? The brakes were great then just last night and this morning they starting grabbing real hard when I stop. And you can tell its in the back brakes.

I might re-bleed them tonight and see if that helps. If it does and then the problem comes back does that mean I have a leak somewhere?

I'm just confused because they worked 100% fine for a couple days then the symtems came back. That leads me to beleave its something to do with haveing them re-bled during putting on the wheel cylynders.

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK..

thanks

If they worked well for a couple of days and you have all new hardware, could it have something to do with the self adjustor?

I might think about looking at the parking brake cables (if you use it - I don't really use mine) to see if it releasing fully. I had a load of trouble with an Aerostar a few years ago not releasing the cable tension on one side because of a bad equalizer system - not sure if our XJs could have a similar problem, but they are just cables and I suppose they could stick.

Broken Sockets

In responce to that I do have a question. There is a wire in the drum brake mechinism. I believe this is the parking brake asswembly. Should this wire be slack or should it be tight. I noticed on one side it was loose when i took them apart and the other was kinda tight. I never thought about it untill I read your post.

I believe they should have fairly equal tension. The cables on left and right are separate and run to an equalizer where an adjustable rod continues to the e-brake lever. If one of the 2 cables to the drums is seized or binding, I could see that it might not be releasing. If one is loose and one is tight, I think it is worth looking at.

I would think there is an adjustment procedure in the FSM for the tensioner and for checking the cables.

Just a thought - you say a wire in the mechanism? Are you talking about the e-brake cable that comes in from through the backing plate or the self adjustor cable that runs from the top post and around the inside of the drum to the self adjustor lever at the bottom which rests on the star wheel on the adjustor mechanism? If #2, I think they should both be tight.

yep thats it. So that should have some tension? I believe one of mine had some slack mabe an 1/8" or so of movement in the cable. the other side was tight or at least had no slack unless you tugged on it.

So the next question is how should they be. I beleive that may be my problem.

Was that yep to the first thing or the second thing? (I think I remember this from a movie with Billy Crystal and DeNiro)

Sorry the self adjusting cable that is inside the drum.

Uppie89 said:

Sorry the self adjusting cable that is inside the drum.

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needs to be tight to make the self adjust work properly.