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Caliper Problem?

sgtpeeper

NAXJA Forum User
Location
nc
I've read a lot of other posts on this problem. Yesterday I was driving along just fine and started feeling like there was drag on my 97 XJ, RWD. Then I started getting vibration from the front, like it was out of balance. I pulled over and smelled this godawful burning smell, and saw a small amount smoke coming from around the left front wheel.

I just put NAPA reman calipers on last summer, along with pads, rotors, and new fluid. The hoses look good, but maybe I'd better replace them in case. I have the caliper off right now. The slides are fine. I'm not sure about the piston. It moves out. I can't get it to go back in. How easy should it be to get it back in? I don't have my c-clamp I normally use with me and I'm trying to use other tools, but no luck.

Considering the possible amount of heat, what else should I check? There is no melted plastic, just smell and that small amount of smoking. The rotor looks fine and doesn't seem to be warped. What about the front bearings? I noticed the hub has drag when I turn it, but how much is too much? There is no free play when I shake it.

Thank you for any responses.
 
Your unit bearings could be going bad if you had wheel play but since you don't I would lean towards a stuck caliper.

You should be able to wedge a long screwdriver or bar between the the knuckle and the back side of the caliper and the piston should compress in relatively easily. A lot of the drag when you turn the wheel is due to the brakes, so unless you took the caliper off to test the hub you will get drag.
 
Thanks for the response. I'm using a breaker bar to try and get that piston back, but it won't budge. The drag when I turn the hub is with the caliper off; just the bare hub. One thing I did notice before I took everything apart is, the wheel turned freely in reverse. It was when I turned it forward that it started dragging hard. Does this sound like a bearing problem?
 
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Sounds stuck to me--got you receipts?
 
Caliper sounds stuck to me.

EDIT: could also be a partially clogged brake hose... one of the guys I know at my local autismzone had this happen a while ago. The brake hose had a flap of material stuck in it acting as a one way valve. Hoses are cheaper than calipers so try it first IMO - unless you can warranty it.

If you open the bleeder valve and it suddenly will compress fine, that tells me it's a clogged hose. Of course you'll need to rebleed/refill after this unless you use speed bleeders.

Thanks for the response. I'm using a breaker bar to try and get that piston back, but it won't budge. The drag when I turn the hub is with the caliper off; just the bare hub. One thing I did notice before I took everything apart is, the wheel turned freely in reverse. It was when I turned it forward that it started dragging hard. Does this sound like a bearing problem?
Is this with the axleshaft in, or out? How far did you turn the hub? Turn a few full revolutions to get a feel for it, if you only turn like a quarter of a turn you may well be feeling the uneven resistance from the U-joint if the steering isn't centered when you test this.
 
Thanks again for the responses. Got a new caliper on. So far so good. Everything seems as it should. We'll see what happens. :)

sgtp
 
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