died ABS on a 91 xj - please help

hi guys,

yesterday my abs pump started making strange(r) noises at first and then stopped the same a bit later. now i don't have any brake assist and have to stop the car with both feet on the pedal...

i read about the conversion back to no abs before, although i seem to have trouble finding it right now. can anyone who done it give me a heads up about the work load and time involved?
i'm fairly mechanical (changed the rod & main bearings in an underground parking once - successfully)...

i was also wondering if i couldn't switch to the later abs? i had the anti locking brakes save my butt in different other cars before and wouldn't mind it. what changed from the bendix to the better abs later on?

last, if anyone has a link to the write up on the abs removal...

thanks, friends
and merry christmas

This isn't necessarily the answer you want to hear, but I believe that particular ABS system is under lifetime warranty from Chrysler due to its propensity for failure. May want to give a dealer a call and see if you can at least get a free replacement while figuring out how to remove it.

sounds good - but is this true for canada as well or was it only a us - class action? i'm up in vancouver, bc...

Should be, not sure about the class action lawsuit though.

Micha said:

sounds good - but is this true for canada as well or was it only a us - class action? i'm up in vancouver, bc...

Click to expand...

No idea if it was US-only, but I suspect that for liability reasons it probably covers the entire North American market. Can't hurt to call the dealer and check.

Might also be worth calling a dealer in Seattle (or Bellingham - they have a dealer as well, and are closer to you). Could be worth a drive down to have it done if your local ones won't play nicely.

any info on the differences between the first and second generation abs systems?

yes, they are worls apart.
the firstABS system had no brake booster and relied on the abs pump to provide power assist.
the second gen system used a completely different arrangement, it has a brake booster and used the abs pump only for the abs system.
I think the easiest solution would be ditching the abs system and going with a traditional brake system.
you'll need the booster/master cylinder from a non abs vehicle. Past that it's just making new brake lines/ mating the pedal assembly to the booster.

ok, what about the electronic part? i guess the black box is different - are the wheel sensors the same? if so, could i (and yest, mo money, mo problems) upgrade?

87manche said:

I think the easiest solution would be ditching the abs system and going with a traditional brake system.
you'll need the booster/master cylinder from a non abs vehicle. Past that it's just making new brake lines/ mating the pedal assembly to the booster.

Click to expand...

Yes I agree, I had to do the same with my 91 Limited. Junkyard parts for the job, I was able to reflare the stock brake connections for the most part. Cost me about 36 bucks for the dual vac booster.(went on 1/2 price day) I'd go with the dual booster from a 94+ IIRC. Took an afternoon, and the brakes are 100x better. Search for the writeups.


Later

I think it was the dual-diaphram booster and master from a 1995/1996 XJ that were a near straight bolt-in. The dual-diaphram booster is a common upgrade for the weak boosters on the earlier Jeeps. I've got a 97 booster out in the garage waiting to go in my 89, but the stem is longer and I'll have to modify the pedal.

I have a 89 Limited that had the ABS. I put a booster and M/C out of a 99 Classic (Non ABS) paid $50. I had to redrill the brake pedal. As I've stated in other post, it took more time getting the brake light adjusted correctly than the booster and M/C. Approximately four hours total. Well worth the trouble.

ok, final report on the issue:

i swaped a '96 booster + pedal assembly in w/o problems. stops nicely and makes no stupid noises anymore.
did not have to make a spacer or drill any new holes - it was pretty much a direct bolt on

a big thank you to anyone contributing to this thread, you helped me a lot!!


have a happy new year,

michael

Glad you got it fixed. That was a great ideal in getting the brake pedal assembly with the booster and M/C. I wish I had while at the junkyard.
I'm also glad you posted up with your fix. So many people post problems, but don't do a follow up post with the fix.