• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Brakes still soft

barillms

NAXJA Forum User
I've replaced my '85s front calipers and added YJ hoses too. I bled the brakes accordingly, there doesn't seem to be any air in the lines - but my brakes still aren't working as strong as I'd like them to. What to do? REBLEED? Any tips or tricks?
 
Last edited:
my brakes suck also, always have. I think that any XJ with bigger than stock tires will always have bad brakes if the brakes remain stock. if you want to get better brakes, you may need disks in the rear, IMHO. I hear the explorer d44 comes with disk brakes, you could swap for that and kill two birds with one stone.
 
I think it may be possible to put callipers on wrong side(not sure bout that) make sure your bleeder screws are above where the line goes into the calliper. If not then they may be on wrong side and no matter how much you bleed them the air cant come out.. let gravity bleed most if not all the air out just crack the bleeders loose, keep the master cylinder full of fluid and let it drip for a few minutes... works for me. then I give it a couple bleeds the regular way... good luck...
 
When I bleed a brake system I try to get rid of all the old fluid because brake fluid absourbs moisture from the air. (The can will say keep tightly closed.) With hard braking the water will boil causing air in the system. I would bleed the whole system. !st the right rear then the left rear, right front then the left front. Try not to get brake fluid on your paint. Wash it off within a short time. If you can catch the old fluid, you can flush it down the toilet on a city sewer system and not harm the system. It mixes with water.
 
xjfrancis said:
my brakes suck also, always have. I think that any XJ with bigger than stock tires will always have bad brakes if the brakes remain stock. if you want to get better brakes, you may need disks in the rear, IMHO. I hear the explorer d44 comes with disk brakes, you could swap for that and kill two birds with one stone.

The explorer have an 8.8 axle in back, not the d44. They do have disc brakes though, but only in the 95+ explorers. I swapped an 8.8 in my cherokee and i am very happy with it, only complaint is i think i need to upgrade my brake booster and master cylinder to one from a 95+ xj. I have a 93. They newer ones have a dual diaphram booster, compared to my single diaphram booster, i think. So it will move more fluid which i need for the disk brakes in back. Sorry sort of got off topic there, but...

I agree w/ ranger rick. Brake fluid absorbs water like crazy. Even in a closed system it can obsorb it. I think it is reccommend to bleed your entire brake system once a year, and if that hasnt been done in a long time, you could be far behind. i know i am! That means air in your brake lines....
 
Jeepkid8037 said:
... only complaint is i think i need to upgrade my brake booster and master cylinder to one from a 95+ xj. I have a 93. They newer ones have a dual diaphram booster, compared to my single diaphram booster, i think. So it will move more fluid which i need for the disk brakes in back.
A '95 conversion may move more fluid, but not because of the dual diaphragm booster. All that does is give you more vacuum assist to apply more pressure to the system without more foot pressure. If you only change the booster and not the master cylinder, you won't move a single drop more fluid.

Moving more fluid is a function of piston diameter and reservoir capacity, and by itself has NOTHING to do with braking efficiency or pedal pressure. The only reason it's important to be able to move more fluid with a disc brake conversion is that the disc calipers have much bigger pistons than drum brake wheel cylinders, and you want to ensure that you can move enough fluid to engage them completely without emptying the reservoir in the master cylinder.
 
xjfrancis said:
my brakes suck also, always have. I think that any XJ with bigger than stock tires will always have bad brakes if the brakes remain stock. if you want to get better brakes, you may need disks in the rear, IMHO. I hear the explorer d44 comes with disk brakes, you could swap for that and kill two birds with one stone.

explorer D44?
 
Back
Top