Recent content by Matthew Currie

One of the other things I found when I got the rear brake adjusters working really right was that the brakes did not lock up so easily.

I don't think it's the shoes, but the protruding part of the pivot. That's basically just an upset produced when the hole in it is punched, and on some cheap hardware it's shallow and ragged.

The problem I found (as I think I''ve mentioned before) is that once the spring is inserted, it's nearly impossible to perceive the difference, because the spring holds the bracket in nearly the right place, but nearly just isn't close enough. In my experience, if you could get that bracket...

Check the yellow pages, or local people, and see if there is a rebuild shop in your vicinity. There still exist some starter and alternator rebuilders, and they are often very good, and relatively cheap. You can be sure that the person doing it actually looked at what was needed, fixed it, and...

I think you'll find very significant differences between 96 and 01 models. The bumper design changed, for one thing. I think there are also likely to be differences in the electronics and wiring harnesses, so some things that might be plug-in compatible with the same year will not be. The...

Here's a dumb question: what would happen if you temporarily bypassed the combination valve and then tried to bleed the system? The result should give you the definitive answer to whether that valve is the problem.

It would be very beneficial, though, if you should get a chance to make a picture of your own rig. Maybe a fresh viewpoint could spot a problem.

Miller, your illustration shows that the adjuster cable pawl is not engaging the adjuster correctly. It should be lying on the star wheel when at rest. When this system is correct, when you need to back off the adjuster manually, for example to remove a ridged drum, you should have to poke a...

The cable guide is supposed to be free to rotate in the hole in the shoe without changing cable tension, but it must be firmly spigoted into that hole. If the tension on the cable is changing, I think it's because it's not staying properly in the hole. The return spring should hold it...

If by "backing off" you mean simply failing to adjust, one thing that's very common in replacement parts is a cable guide that does not anchor properly in the shoe. (I'm talking about the little crescent shaped piece that the cable passes over). If the guide is not fully engaged in the hole in...

I'm glad you found the problem, but for many years of XJ (Renix especially) the dash gauge is a notorious liar. It is poorly wired, and can drop drastically just when you turn on the heater fan, scaring you when there's nothing wrong. When diagnosing charging issues, always get the voltage...

I had this problem in varying degrees with all my XJ's, the worst being the 95, and one of the reasons I retired it. It became nearly impossible to have a passenger in the winter, and no amount of heat could overcome it. I suspect some of the draft is from a bad windshield seal, not readily seen.

As above, look at that bulkhead ground connector from head to firewall. It's a flat braided cable that may look all right even when it's turned nearly to dust.

I would consider any brake part that requires thread sealing to be a goner by definition. All the sealing should be done at the double flare, and the only function of the thread is to push it tight. I would never put thread stuff on a brake line except perhaps to get home from the woods at...

Yes, generally a bad bearing will give you a longer pedal travel, with momentary pull to the side with the bad bearing, followed by normal hardness and braking. There is, after all, no real malfunction of the brake. It's just that the caliper piston has been pushed back further than the seals...