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Brakes acting like rotor is bent, but its not.

SurfXJSnow

NAXJA Forum User
so my brakes are braking like the rotor is bent. Pulled the wheels and tires and checked out my front rotors and they are true and straight... pads are still in great conditoin...

so, could it be the rear drums? I have never worked on drum brakes before (wish XJ's had disc brakes all around)... anyone know how to pull the cover off and what problem signs I should look for when diagnosing the issue?
 
Is it pulsating? Thats generally an indicator of warped rotors. Warped drums will also pulsate but thats not nearly as common as warped rotors.
For the drums, remove the wheel, remove the drum. If the drum is stuck to the axle hub, hit it with a hammer and wobble it back and forth by hand. if the drum is loose but still wont come off because of the brake shoes, remove the bottom rubber plug on the inside of the brake backing plate and look inside with a flashlight. You are looking for the star wheel. You can use a straight tip screwdriver to rotate that starwheel (I forget which direction) opposite the direction you hear it "clicking". That will loosen the shoes enough to remove the drums. Once the drums are off just inspect the shoes and hardware
 
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