help! new rotors don't turn after tightening

I tried two different pairs new rotors and they rub on the inside of the wheel hub. Once I tighten down the wheel spacers they don't turn at all. I even tried removing the brake dust/heat covers but that didn't help. I don't have the old rotors now, once they couldn't be turned I left them at the parts store.

Why would the new rotors sit deeper on the hub more then the old ones? Is there two different depths rotors for years and maybe I don't have the original front axle? Did TJs or YJs with dana 30s have different front brake rotors and maybe my axle is off of that. Can I just put washers behind it to move it out a bit?

Thanks, I'm kinda stuck here and not sure what to do.

Eli

Sounds familiar to me from some years ago.

I think I had a similar problem with my '84 XJ when changing rotors.

There were 2 different thicknesses of rotors available in the auto parts store catalog. When tightening the calipers the thick ones would lock up the rotor.

Thinner discs were what was needed.

It would help, a little, if we knew the YEAR of your XJ.

^ agreed.

There are a number of years of unit bearings, rotors, knuckles, etc and it really matters what year your jeep is and if it's 2wd or 4wd.

It's not a YJ 30, those are leaf sprung, it MIGHT be a TJ 30 or a ZJ 30 but I doubt it.

I am betting you have a 99 XJ and either it's a 99.0 that you ended up with 99.5 rotors for, or a 99.5 that you ended up with 99.0 rotors for, but can't be sure unless you say.

joe_peters said:

http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=907146&highlight=brake+rotor+height

Click to expand...

I have a '91 cherokee btw.

Thank you everyone!

That solves it, I guess i have the thin rotors? Is that the composite rotors or the cast ones?

From the above post it sounds like composite rotors where used from 1990 to 1999, and cast 1999 to 2001, so why when i got rotors from two different places for a '91 do i get the wrong size.

Should i ask for a 2000 rotor?

Eli

You don't want 2000 rotors, unless someone put 2000 unit bearings on your jeep at some point.

Do you have 2 wheel drive or 4 wheel drive?

kastein said:

You don't want 2000 rotors, unless someone put 2000 unit bearings on your jeep at some point.

Do you have 2 wheel drive or 4 wheel drive?

Click to expand...

It's a 4wheel drive that's had lots of mods before i got it, lifted 33"s, lockers, exo-cage. Does the 1999-2001 unit bearings include bigger u-joints or some kind of upgrade?

Thanks again, this forum is so helpful it's like having an expert in your back pocket.

Eli

A '91 XJ without ABS should have had 5-260x u-joints. A '99 should have had 5-297x ujoints, they're heavier.

ChiXJeff said:

A '91 XJ without ABS should have had 5-260x u-joints. A '99 should have had 5-297x ujoints, they're heavier.

Click to expand...

Ah i'm betting someone upgraded it to the '99-01 u-joints, and so i have the rotors from a '99-01.

Eli

PO likely swapped axles...always a good idea to take the old part to the store with you...especially with a modified vehicle.

And when I say store, I don't mean AholeZone or O'Malleys. I mean a place where they will understand why you have 1999 parts on a 1991 vehicle or vice versa.

It's the hub & rotor combination that's specific, the axle shafts can be used in any XJ Dana 30 front axle without a passenger side vacuum disconnect (or one with the disconnect that's been modified with the right seals.) So, just upgrading the axle shafts doesn't lead to your situation. But, if the entire front axle assembly was replaced, then, yes.

Identify the hubs on the axle using the updated and more complete info linked in the FAQ section -> 1999 unit hub and brake rotor identification and measurement

Buy the rotors that match the hubs on your axle. Don't explain anything to the parts store guy, simply ask for either 1998 rotors or 2000 rotors, as required.

If is very possible that a previous owner or a repair shop swapped unit hubs or the entire axle at some point.



.
Three different unit hub/bearing assemblies and disk brake rotor types were used over the years on XJ D30's. The unit hub/bearing are the same part number for both sides of the vehicle. The model years for hub/bearing assemblies were:

1) Original AMC hubs used 1984 through 1989 ( AMC brake rotors and calipers, and AMC roller bearing hubs )

2) Older type unit hubs ( Jeep Part number 53007449 ) used 1990 through 1999.5 ( Use Composite brake rotors and Chrysler calipers).

3) New type unit hubs ( Jeep Part number 5016458 ) used 1999.5 through 2001 ( Use Cast brake rotors and Chrysler calipers ). .


.

Can you take a picture of the front passenger side of the steering with the rotor off, from the front, so we can see the knuckle, unit bearing, and steering links? Did the previous owner give you any records as to what upgrades had been done or what parts were used?

Ok this story gets a little odder. So i go back to the parts store to return the hubs that don't fit and see if i can get my old ones back to match new ones to. I got the same guy helping me as last time. He tells me a he's still got my old rotors and he can turn them, the owner told him to tell me they can't be turned and sell me a new set. So I wait while he turns them and I figure problem solved, I know i have rotors that will work now.

Well i get home and put them on, tighten up the wheel spacers and i had the same problem. It sits to far deep and scrapes in a couple spots, including the tie rod end. Then it wouldn't come off. After beating on it a while I got it off.

I couldn't find anything wrong with how i put it together so i checked it against the other rotor i got off and sure enough it's slightly different depth, one sets back 0.209" more. I even tried putting the other rotor on and it worked fine, so apparently i have a left rotor and a right rotor.

I took some measurements of the rotors with calipers, here's an img of what i got.


I took a picture of the where the rotor fits on the left and right sides. I'm not sure what you can tell from here. They look the same to me.

Ok this story gets a little odder. So i go back to the parts store to return the hubs that don't fit and see if i can get my old ones back to match new ones to. I got the same guy helping me as last time. He tells me a he's still got my old rotors and he can turn them, the owner told him to tell me they can't be turned and sell me a new set. So I wait while he turns them and I figure problem solved, I know i have rotors that will work now.

Well i get home and put them on, tighten up the wheel spacers and i had the same problem. It sits to far deep and scrapes in a couple spots, including the tie rod end. Then it wouldn't come off. After beating on it a while I got it off.

I couldn't find anything wrong with how i put it together so i checked it against the other rotor i got off and sure enough it's slightly different depth, one sets back 0.209" more. I even tried putting the other rotor on and it worked fine, so apparently i have a left rotor and a right rotor.

I took some measurements of the rotors with calipers, here's an img of what i got.


I took a picture of the where the rotor fits on the left and right sides. I'm not sure what you can tell from here. They look the same to me.

Going by the pics, your unit bearings are mismatched. Look at this pic in Tim's thread, then look at yours again.

BINGO

Thanks for posting that pic, that's nearly what I suspected. It's not a WJ brake/steering swap like I thought, but it is a steering swap... who makes that custom high steer knuckle, teraflex? I forget.

And hubs97xj is right. You have either a RENIX or a 99.0 down hub on the passenger side and definitely a 99.5 and up hub on the driver side. Try swapping your brake rotors...

Thanks everyone, I'm going to go see i if i can get it back together with the original rotors (turned) now.

Eli