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Brakes pulling after replacement

glennv

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Northeast
Did the brakes yesterday and tey were perfect for about an hour. Now they pull to the right bad. The left appears to be sticking. I'm guessing the caliper is frozen. If this is the case what needs to be replaced? The pads and the left rotor? I basically ran it on the highway for about an hour. Rotors were replaced yesterday with the pads. It's a 98.
 
so you say the left caliper is sticking but it puls to the right?
that doesn't make any sense.
anyway, if it really was stuck, then it's likely you got the rotor hot enough to warp it, any pulsating in the pedal when you step on the brakes?
You'll need to pull the caliper and inspect the surface that the pads ride on for any grooves/notches, that surface neds to be relatively smooth for the pads.
You'll also want to pull the guide pins out of the caliper and inspect those.
Should be smooth, if any rust or pitting is present replace the guide pins. Don't forget the silicon grease for the guide pins.
 
It happens, usually over time as the piston moves out as the pads wear it exposes more of the piston and it's bore, piston and bore corrode then when you push the piston back in it can damage the seal or just stick in the bore. I think I'm on my 4th pair of front pads but I replace them every year whether they need it or not so they never get that far out.
Personally I would do both calipers, the other is not usually too far behind.
 
I think they are both toast. Neither wheel wants to spin freely when in the air.

No pulse in the new rotors so I'll try and salvage them.
 
Before you go and buy new calipers, look the pads and brakes over carefully. More than on guy has posted about brake problems right after putting on new pads, after lots of troubleshooting with no answer, they found they installed the pads incorrectly or they weren't seated on the ledges/rails correctly, making the pad stick.

Pull the calipers and check the pads still slide along the ledges/rails easily and aren't stuck. Also inspect those rails /ledges for gumming up and wear spots that pads fall into. Spots wearing into the rails/ledges that the pads ride on, is a problem for the XJ's, that can grab or stick the pads.

If you can't find anything wrong, then yea, I'm betting on RichP, those calipers probably had corroded pistons that got damaged or stuck when you forced them back down the bore. You could always try pressing the brake pedal with the caliper off the pads (WARNING, that can pop the piston out and make a mess as well tough to put back together) you should feel no resistance in the pedal, if you do, then that piston must be stuck in the bore.
 
glennv said:
I think they are both toast. Neither wheel wants to spin freely when in the air.​


No pulse in the new rotors so I'll try and salvage them.​

Since you say neither will spin while in the air.

Make sure you have the right rotors. Apparently there are two types of rotors for xj's.

The parts store gave me the wrong ones once, and it did the same thing that you are describing.

-Andrew
 
bizkit642 said:
Since you say neither will spin while in the air.

Make sure you have the right rotors. Apparently there are two types of rotors for xj's.

The parts store gave me the wrong ones once, and it did the same thing that you are describing.

-Andrew

X2...but then mine started smoking halfway down the street, so if he got an hour out of them, it may be something else.
 
davidb0986 said:
X2...but then mine started smoking halfway down the street, so if he got an hour out of them, it may be something else.

Yeah I noticed him saying that too. Just trying to help him cover all his bases.

-Andrew
 
Update.

I pulled both sides and double checked everything. The rotors match up perfect with the old ones. The rotor will spin while in the air but there is a little resistance. I gently pressed the caliper piston inside each caliper and threw everything back together. Now it seems fine. Not smoking or pulling anymore and it stops fine. I am worried about any damage that I may have done to the rotors or pads. Should I just replace the calipers and pads again?
 
Did you take the caliper guide pins out and grease them? Could also be the piston like RichP mentioned....

If it stops like you think it should, without any pulsing, I don't think you did any harm to the pads or rotors. Calipers are pretty cheap....
 
i dont think anybody mentioned brake hoses if they did i missed it i had same prob with a dodge van changed everything calipers pads still dragging asked a mech. friend he said change the hoses and that was it, they collapse over time and will allow flow to extend the pistons but will not allow flow in the oppisite direction causing caliper drag and pulling when brakes were applied
 
Anti squeel clips interfering with caliper movement?? had it happen!!!pinched between knuckle and pad/caliper assembly
 
bcmaxx said:
Anti squeel clips interfering with caliper movement?? had it happen!!!pinched between knuckle and pad/caliper assembly


The little silver colored clips that went on the ends of the pads where they meet the knuckle?
I think this may have been the problem.
 
glennv said:
The little silver colored clips that went on the ends of the pads where they meet the knuckle?
I think this may have been the problem.

I always throw those things away.
 
RichP said:
I always throw those things away.

Are they supposed to cut down metal to metal wear?
I've seen them used in other vehicles but not the XJ. Are they factory or aftermarket?
BTW the knuckles get some deep grooves from the pads.
Being castings, they need high nickel rod to weld them. Once welded they become super hard and I think they get less wear.
I had a set done but I have not checked in the last year or so to see if they are wearing less as expected.
 
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