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New pads and rotors now clunking under braking.

97jeepxj1

NAXJA Forum User
Location
missouri
Arrrrg. So my new duralast gold brake pads and regular duralast rotors have squeaked since almost day one. Finally warrantied them out going With duralast gold rotors and gold pads. Got it all swapped out and the squeak is gone now replaced with knocking under braking. I've torn it apart 3 times now rechecking all my torque specs and can't figure it out. Any ideas? I know my control arm bushings are crappy and need swapped but it didn't do this till after the brake swap. Possible I got stupid and put the pads in upside down? C cut out in the pads is at the bottom of the bracket. Only clunks under braking forward doesn't mater if it's normal or hard braking and I can feel it in the floor and pedal. Sounds like it is coming from the driver front. I'm going to stop rambling now
 
How exactly do pads get upside down? They follow the contour of the rotor and snap into the caliper. Pushing in on the caliper piston and lifting the vehicle may have caused some collateral damage. As long as both caliper bolts are tight I dunno.
 
So have you tried reversing your pads?

There is no sliding with the pads. They are connected to the caliper which slides.
 
I was mainly just making a joke about the pads being in wrong I'm sure they are in right. Or at least I was lol. Caliper bolts are tight as that was the first thing I checked when I tore back into it. Feels like someone is under the jeep hitting the floor board and brake pedal with a tiny hammer not a pulse like a bad or warped rotor. My guess was maybe jacking it up trashed one of the control arm bushings that was maybe hanging on by a thread already. Exhaust isolators are shot also so it bounces around a fair bit but it's no worse then it has been.
 
Sounds like a bent rotor. However if this is the second set of brand new rotors you have been through I think calipers is the next best bet. Its possible the hub assemblys have taken some insanely hard blow at one time or another and are causing this as well. If you know tires and rims are good then best bet is calipers and hub assemblys
 
The knuckle assemblies can get groves in them from the caliper assembly sliding in the same spot Maybe that could cause a clunk?


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Sounds like a bent rotor. However if this is the second set of brand new rotors you have been through I think calipers is the next best bet. Its possible the hub assemblys have taken some insanely hard blow at one time or another and are causing this as well. If you know tires and rims are good then best bet is calipers and hub assemblys

Hub bearings were good when I did the axle u joints not long ago. I only swapped the rotors because I was doing the pads since their squeaking was driving me bat shit crazy. Seals on the calipers are cracked but they collapsed and seem to function fine. New shocks all the way around brand new tires and wheels a little over a year ago. I don't get to wheel it much so it hasn't taken any hard shots recently
 
Hub bearings were good when I did the axle u joints not long ago. I only swapped the rotors because I was doing the pads since their squeaking was driving me bat shit crazy. Seals on the calipers are cracked but they collapsed and seem to function fine. New shocks all the way around brand new tires and wheels a little over a year ago. I don't get to wheel it much so it hasn't taken any hard shots recently

If you are feeling it in the pedal my guess is the piston in the caliper is worn and hanging up when pressure is applied. Just went through this myself
Grooves in the knuckle is another possibility. Easy fix with a welder and 4" angle grinder
 
Thinking about...ok obsessing hence why I'm still up st 2:09...I didn't use the abutment clips because I've never needed to before. When I tear it apart tomorrow I'm going to slap them in and see what happens. Bracket is grooved from the pads but I don't have a welder to fill it in and smooth it back out.
 
I have run with grooved brackets before and never had a clunk. If the pads catch on the groove they will wear unevenly. I have never used abutment clips before because they aren't specified for our Jeeps. You may need calipers. Just pushing the pistons back in can open up a can of worms if they were going in. 5-10 years ago you could get new Bendix with metal pistons from Advance, but those days are gone. I think Centric makes pretty good ones these days. Some say you can't screw up rebuilding calipers, but if there's a will there's a way. Not sure who makes the best ones today. If the groove bothers you, you can always get another set of knuckles but I would try some of the non-corporate alignment shops or local muffler shops that do some extra work as they will all have welders and if they are any good usually enjoy fixing problems. If you own Jeep, one of the best things you do is set $5-10 a week away for a welder and buy one one day...
 
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Try the abutment clips. I just put them on mine as part of a front brake job. If my memory serves, the instructions said to chose the ones that give you a minimum of .010 and a max of .015 clearance.
 
Cheap crappy brakes with a "Lifetime Warranty" are the first thing to suspect. Are the brake pad backing plates undersize or excessively loose when assembled ?

Fix all known issues. Weld up and grind flush the grooves in the sliding surfaces on the knuckles. Replace any worn or suspect bushings. Check caliper function, replace if necessary.

Warped rotors don't clunk. Rotors do not bend. Unit hubs do not clunk unless they are about to actually fall apart, and you would notice that. Clips not required.
 
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Is it just a single "clunk" when brakes are applied? Or, does it continue to clunk as you slow down? Does it clunk when brakes applied while backing? Based on what I've read in this post, I'd be suspecting suspension parts rather than brakes, especially if a single clunk.
 
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