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ZJ brake question

J

jeepcherokee95

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Missouri
If this does not go here please move it...

I am interested in changing the "proportion" of my proportioning valve; it seems that I have all braking in the front and not enough in the rear - is there a way to adjust this?

Is there a new valve I can replace it with which will give me a better hydraulic proportioning?

Any help is appreciated!


JC95
 
Does yours have 4 wheel disc or disc/drum ?
 
Rich,

I have the disc/drum setup; it's just the stock 95 XJ.

Sorry for the long delay in response...


JC95



Not sure how to edit... it IS a ZJ NOT an XJ.....big fingers got in the way!
 
Last edited:
What is different on your system compared to stock? Your Title says you have a ZJ brake question?
 
The days go by in blurs during the summer...work15+ hrs a day sometimes so I usually post here half asleep or in a hurry on the way out in the mornings.


I have a 94 ZJ and a 95XJ: The ZJ seems to have too much proportioning to the front of the vehicle as it "feels heavy" when the brakes are applied and we seem to go through pads and this time both rotors no matter how easy we are on the brakes.

The 94ZJ is the wifes daily driver and has 106k on the ticker, been well maintained and this is the only real issue I can say we have had with it.


Thanks,

JC95
 
In that case I don't really know what to tell you except this.... I too have a 94 ZJ and notice the front seems to work much harder than the rear all the time. The brake dust will completely cover the front wheels and the rears will be completely clean.

The only reason I can come up with is to ensure the fronts skid first keeping the vehicle more stable. Also, in an emergency situation the ABS will accomodate for variations in braking pressure somewhat.
 
Could also be that you have two problems, first is the rear brakes might not be working correctly, second is that women are tougher on brakes than a nascar driver. My brakes last me 100K, wifes, 22 months and thats on every car she's owned...
 
I replaced the rear wheel cylinders and the adjuster mechanisms on my XJ, and voila! All of a sudden I have brakes on all 4 wheels again!

The problem was that the wheel cylinders and adjusters were gradually seizing up, so that I couldn't really notice a dramatic change. When I pulled the drums at 130K miles, the shoes were barely halfway worn, so that was a clue something wasn't working correctly. Also, the front brakes were getting cooked just from normal driving, since they were doing double duty.

Also, my e-brake works great now too, since the shoes are automatically adjusted correctly every time I use the e-brake.
 
Bender said:
I'm pretty sure jeepcherokee95 is referring to his ZJ which has rear disk brakes.
Click to expand...

'94 ZJ has rear drums
 
My 94 has disks so I just assumed his did as well.

I forgot that was the transition year so he could indeed have drums on the rear. If so, out of adjustment drums would be a probable cause to his problems.
 
jeepcherokee95 said:
I have a 94 ZJ and a 95XJ: The ZJ seems to have too much proportioning to the front of the vehicle as it "feels heavy" when the brakes are applied and we seem to go through pads and this time both rotors no matter how easy we are on the brakes.

The 94ZJ is the wifes daily driver and has 106k on the ticker, been well maintained and this is the only real issue I can say we have had with it.
Click to expand...
Does your wife brake with her left foot? It seems about 80% or more of the population who learned to drive on automatics do this. And they ride down the road with the left foot always on the brake peddle, and then wonder why the brakes wear out.
 
Nope she drives right footed, and surprisingly easier than I do on the brake situation. She doesn't make fast stops or taligate or ride the brake and has never had an accident.

I do have the rear drums and the out of adjustment sounds plausible, will check that this weekend I hope. Doesn't this have the automatic adjusters on it?

Thanks for the responses guys everything helps!


JC95
 
My '94 XJ had brake work done last year. New front rotors.
I was told by the mechanic that the front brakes do 80% of the work.
The back drums are required to be working for maximum effectiveness.

It strikes me that a ZJ is a heavy vehicle for commuting.
You are likely to go through pads faster than you would a lighter
vehicle.

I experienced brake fade in the mountains here in Colorado,
and I have never had this problem with any other vehicle.
My opinion is that Jeep never quite got the brakes right on these
vehicles. I have never had brake fade on any other car that I
have owned, and I have owned many.
 
I'm surprised that nobody's mentioned an adjustable proportioning valve. I think that Wilwood do them, but I'd imagine that someone out there has developed a bodge with a different rate spring. Just my tuppenn'orth.
 
Yes I have heard that the fronts do the lions share of braking but thought it should be more like 60/40 instead of 80/20!

I knew about the adjustable valve but didn't know how that would work with ABS and what sort of effect would that have on the system...?

Just seems that the fronts are "heavy" on the braking load, I too have owned many vehicles and this is the first I had thought was bad enough to need addressing.


Thanks,

JC95
 
jeepcherokee95 said:
I do have the rear drums and the out of adjustment sounds plausible, will check that this weekend I hope. Doesn't this have the automatic adjusters on it?
Click to expand...
The automatic adjusters don't work very well, and they work only in reverse. And they will only work if the brakes are adjusted enough to be making some contact with the drums.

To use the self-adjusters, you have to back up briskly and slam on the brakes hard ... several times. In normal use they don't seem to accomplish anything.

You might try swapping in the combination/proportioning valve from a ZJ with rear disks. The ones with rear disks, I believe, don't proportion the pressure to the rear. The downside is possible premature rear lockup in slippery conditions, but if you have ABS this should not be a problem.
 
Eagle said:
The automatic adjusters don't work very well, and they work only in reverse. And they will only work if the brakes are adjusted enough to be making some contact with the drums.

To use the self-adjusters, you have to back up briskly and slam on the brakes hard ... several times. In normal use they don't seem to accomplish anything.

You might try swapping in the combination/proportioning valve from a ZJ with rear disks. The ones with rear disks, I believe, don't proportion the pressure to the rear. The downside is possible premature rear lockup in slippery conditions, but if you have ABS this should not be a problem.
Click to expand...



I thought using the e-brake operated the adjusters as well?
 
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