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Low front brakes after getting stuck. (Its not the mud)

tballer4596

NAXJA Forum User
Location
NY
Hello all,

Before I explain, slippery mud in my calipers is not the issue! At first I thought it was that too. :doh:

I recently got stuck for the first time out in the Jersey pine barrens. Before getting pulled out, my brakes worked great, my pedal was high and hard, and I could lock up all 4 wheels.

Right after getting pulled out, my pedal was super low and squishy. I chocked it up to the mud.

While I was stuck, I tried the old trick of holding the brakes to try to cheat the open diffs and crawl out. I only did this for at most a couple minutes and I don't think there's any way the brakes could have over heated as they were submerged in cold mud.

A week later the issue persists. I adjusted my rear drums hoping to address the problem. It was a rainy day, and after the adjustment, moderate braking would completely lock up my rear wheels and my front would continue to turn. Super sketchy. Same low squishy pedal. I have a feeling its something to do with my master cylinder or proportioning valve, let me know what you guys think.

As of now my fronts don't seem to engage until the pedal is almost to the floor.

Some extra info:
New pads, calipers, rotors, drums, shoes, cylinders, brake lines, everything all around!
If I pump up the brakes with the truck off the pedal becomes almost completely hard, but not as hard as it used to. It holds pressure once pumped up.
There are no leaks.
I have bled both front calipers to no avail.
Not low on fluid.

What the heck did I do in that mud hole?
:wstupid:
 
In my view, your brake lines may have pinhole leaks. Many steel brake lines can rust from the inside-out
due to incompatible brake fluids, etc. Incompatible brake fluids were a problem years ago. Here's what I'd suggest ;
1. Try to pressure-wash the brake lines as well as possible.
2. After the brake lines are dry, apply the brakes and inspect the entire brake lines for "pin-hole leaks".
3. If pin-hole leaks are found, replace all the brakes with "In-Line Stainless Steel Brake Lines". Forget about replacing only a section of brake line. Reason? The steel brake line is rusting from the inside to the outer surface and more pin-holes will regularly appear over time.

That's been my experience with brake systems over the years.

Best regards,

CJR
 
CJR,

I will inspect the lines. I feel that this is not the reason however because I replaced every single brake line with new stainless lines about 2 months ago. Not a single brake line on the jeep currently is original, they are all brand new.
 
Since you have new calipers, new ss brake lines, you are down to:
1. If you have ABS, the calipers were not bled properly, or
2. A leaking ss fitting, or
3. A bad proportioning valve, or
4. A bad master cylinder.

Best regards,

CJR
 
Were the calipers installed after the mud hole? If so, make sure the bleeders are installed on the tops. You probably did them right, but it never hurts to cover the basics.
 
You could have faulty new parts. Seriously. You need to check. Take down the front brakes. Re-lube the slide bolts if you didn't already. Make sure it all works and is oriented properly.

Also, I had installed a brand new set of stainless steel brake lines when I did my lift. One failed within a week. I pulled them both out and installed a new OEM YJ set (works great with a 3.5 inch lift) and they have been trouble free.
 
Have a look at the booster bushing where the rod driven by brake pedal goes through firewall. See if its deteriorated. I had intermittent braking before and by chance looked into where the rod goes and sure enough the bushing was half gone. Mines a 90' 2 door cherokee. I grabbed a booster w/ master cylinder from the boneyard out of a 94, or 96' i think. It took a little editing, but been braking great since. Cruiser54 has a double booster idea that works like a charm.
 
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