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Brakes went out while driving

M

MJCfromCT

NAXJA Forum User
Location
CT
...thank god I wasn't on the highway.

On my way back from work, about ~1 mile from my apartment, I start to hear a funny noise. My jeep has always had a periodic "chirp chirp chirp" that went along with the tire rotation, I'd always assumed this was just a warped rotor that was making the noise.

Today there was a much different noise, it was still going to the rotation of the tire, but it was less of a chirp and much more metallic, like something was loose. Sounded like it was coming from the front passenger wheel area.

All of a sudden while braking, the noise got much louder, and I lost what seems like the front brakes. I was still able to slow down to a stop using the brake pedal, but my stopping ability was severely impacted.

After pulling over and thinking about it for a second, I made the decision (probably not the right one), to continue the ~0.5 miles back home, using a combination of the brake pedal and the emergency brake to get me home safely.

Now, I don't have access to any tools other than the jack stand in the jeep and a basic set of screwdrivers and wrenches. Does anyone have any advice as to how to start to pinpoint what the hell happened?
 
I'd check for brake fluid leak/loss, then check mechanical operation. I,ve had a rear adjuster pop out and the pedal went to the floor. I've alsoi had a master cylinder go and have the pedal hit the floor
 
i`ll check the fluid but i`m thinking this is mechanical. he sound was as if something gave way and was now rattlingaround. still makes a horrible noise that varies with the speed of the vehicle as well.
 
How long has it been since the front pads were changed??

May also be time for new rotors too (especially if the pad material broke away fromt eh back plate and gouged the rotor)....

I have had a couple vehicles do the same thing when the pads were shot.....
 
The front pads are between two and three years old. I don't an incredible amount of driving, though, less than 10K/year.

I felt the rotors and they felt smooth, couldn't notice any serious grooves in them. I also couldn't notice any "play" in the calipers as I attempted to wiggle them around, so I'm not sure what would have been causing this metallic grinding/thumping noise before and after I lost the brakes.

I checked the brake fluid, the master cylinder was very full so I don't think its a fluid issue. (Side note: you don't have to bleed the brakes once you pop open the top of the master cylinder, do you?)
 
Last edited:
No you do not have to bleed the brakes. Take the rear wheels off and take the drums off, I bet that your problem lies in the rear brakes. If you have limited mechanical knowledge of drum brakes buy a repair manual or look on the web on how to fix them. Or just take it to the shop of your choice.
 
What makes you think the rear? The noise really sounded like it was coming from the front, like the front passenger side.
 
Sometimes noise can sound liek one end of the vehicle, but it's the other end that makes the noise.....

I too now vote and rear shoes being toast. Mine are due soon as they are squealing when stopping, plus they don't feel as if they are working that well.....
 
whompinxj said:
No you do not have to bleed the brakes. Take the rear wheels off and take the drums off, I bet that your problem lies in the rear brakes. If you have limited mechanical knowledge of drum brakes buy a repair manual or look on the web on how to fix them. Or just take it to the shop of your choice.
Click to expand...

not likely since the rears only provide ~20% of the total stopping power
it sounds like one or more of the front pads are metal on metal
 
Yeah, and it felt like I had about 20% of my normal stopping power after the brakes went.

Maybe I should jack it up, take off the front wheel, take the caliper off and inspect the brake pads?

Another question:

If you look at the brake caliper while someone presses the brake pedal, will you see the caliper actuating? If not, should you see if actuate if you had the caliper off the rotor and were holding it in your hand? I'm just trying to think of a way to see if the problem is with the pad or with the caliper or something that actuates it.
 
DO NOT step on the brake pedal with the calipers off the vehicle (unless you need the the piston out for a rebuild). They are a pain to put back together without a rebuild kit.

The same goes if the drums are off.

The mount of movement in a caliper is minimal. You might or might not be able to see it moving. WIth the drum half off the shoes, you might see some movement back there.....
 
MJCfromCT said:
should you see if actuate if you had the caliper off the rotor and were holding it in your hand?
Click to expand...
:explosion
 
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Oh yeah, I don't plan on driving the thing until this gets fixed. There's an auto supply place about a mile away from my apartment, I could use the exercise.
 
Just to get a bit of clarification:

If it was a brake pad issue, shouldn't I have noticed symptoms gradually starting to appear...like squeaking brakes telling me the wear indicator was making contact, making that "friendly reminder" sound telling me to change the pads.

With this, it was a metallic pulsating noise that cropped up very quickly, within 1 mile or so of stop and go driving. Soon after the noise cropped up, I lost braking ability. The "quickness" with which it all happened would make it seem like it wasn't the normal wear and tear on a brake pad, but something else?

Nevertheless, I'll be checking the pads sometime tonight or early tomorrow, and I'll post up some pics of what I find.
 
It's also possible that the front hub bearing is bad allowing the wheel and rotor to wobble around. If this happens, the rotor will push the brake pads back further from the rotor and when you hit the pedal the front brakes will not get enough fluid to refill the caliper and stop the Jeep. The brakes might be perfectly fine but they won't stop the Jeep under this condition.
 
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