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View Full Version : Hard braking pulling to one side.



Mudderoy
04-14-2010, 10:33 AM
I thought it might be good to have a thread about a problem that I and at least one other member are having.

During hard braking my XJ pulls to the left. The harder the brake the more of the pull. It's nothing that I can't handle, but one has to wonder if it might be sympotomatic of a larger problem.

One really strange occurance. When I changed out my front shocks the problem litterally disappeared instantly and then returned over a period of about 3 weeks.

I only noticed it because since my XJ has been doing this for a very long time I noticed that when I would automatically pull the rig to the right during hard braking I was going right, not straight. It took a couple of times for me to notice it! lol

Jeep stops great, it will lock up the tires and slide depending on the type of road surface and if it is wet. Actually I'd like to fix the sliding thing too. My bumper will be able to handle the impact but my custom license plate holder is going to eat it!

So here's what I've got...

1) Replaced rotors several times, along with brake pads.
2) Original brake lines, and fluid
3) Original calipers

When I replaced the shocks, I upgraded from the shocks that came with the Rough Country lift to the RC 9000 200 psi nitrogen shocks, front only. I did so because of some wheel hop issues I was having and cupping that was occurring on my BFG 32's.

96xj
04-14-2010, 10:46 AM
it sounds like you need to chande your Original calipers

xj4life2
04-14-2010, 11:00 AM
Ok , my thoughts would be this. ABS sensor not aligned correctly. If you don't have ABS it could be a caliper/proporsioning valve issue. On the rare occasion a blocked fluid line but not likely. remember puliing to the left normally means the right side is weak. Good luck !!!!

PS as for the shock thing..... It may have just masked a issue, but I really wouldn't want to guess on that one.

Mudderoy
04-14-2010, 11:37 AM
Ok , my thoughts would be this. ABS sensor not aligned correctly. If you don't have ABS it could be a caliper/proporsioning valve issue. On the rare occasion a blocked fluid line but not likely. remember puliing to the left normally means the right side is weak. Good luck !!!!

PS as for the shock thing..... It may have just masked a issue, but I really wouldn't want to guess on that one.

Oh! So there is a proportioning valve from left to right?!?!? It it adjustable?

xjjeepthing
04-14-2010, 12:10 PM
Sounds like a sticky caliper or sticking caliper hardware. I have also seen brake hoses collapse and not let the caliper release. You haven't pinched a brake hose recently have you?

Mudderoy
04-14-2010, 12:23 PM
Sounds like a sticky caliper or sticking caliper hardware. I have also seen brake hoses collapse and not let the caliper release. You haven't pinched a brake hose recently have you?

Well this issue has been going on for years. I'll have a look, but I haven't noticed anything the several times I've been under there.

Interesting thing I thought about after Payless post. 3 months after I bought the XJ (new) I had to brake hard in the rain. The right front tire locked up and I started sliding. That brake has always been sticky on that side. Maybe this has been a 11 year issue.

xj4life2
04-15-2010, 10:32 AM
prop valve is a frt to rear thing but if stuck closed to the rear can push to much to the frt. I would still go after the calipers or blocked line

W.O.R.P.Offroad
04-15-2010, 10:40 AM
i say caliper and/ caliper hardware. calipers new are only like 16 plus core.

4.3LXJ
04-15-2010, 10:54 AM
i say caliper and/ caliper hardware. calipers new are only like 16 plus core.

I agree. Lubricate the rods the caliper slides on first and see if that helps.

Mudderoy
04-15-2010, 01:43 PM
i say caliper and/ caliper hardware. calipers new are only like 16 plus core.

Come to think of it I never priced any calipers. I went by "Just Brakes" many years ago now and they had a look at my brakes. I just wanted rotors turned and pads put on, but they said we need to overhaul those calipers! How much? $400+ I left and never went back. I guess I assumed the calipers were much more expensive because of that quote.

I may just replace the calipers and brake lines because of the mileage, and to get the extra length on the lines.

W.O.R.P.Offroad
04-15-2010, 08:08 PM
when i did mine i paid less than a 100 for rotors pads and calipers. i also did my u joints at the same time.

XJ Rat
04-20-2010, 10:02 PM
I periodically touch the center of all my wheels (be careful, if they are hot it will burn your hand). If you cannot touch them, then this is a clear indication of sticking calipers. I rebuilt the calipers on my TJ 3 times. Those are the exact same calipers as on the XJ. The o-ring kit and the hardware kit are about $14.50 total down at Autozone. A rebuilt caliper will cost you $20.00 after the core charge down at Autozone. The only reason I can see to get the caliper is if your bore is scarred up. I guess it can happen. Never seen it, but not impossible. Special tools required are a piece of wood about 1/8" thick and a C clamp.

Basically pull the caliper and totally disassemble it. Use a 3M pad on the caliber piston and bore. Under no circumstance use sandpaper. You DO NOT want to change the diameter of the piston or the bore. Only remove the buildup of crud on it.

Take your time. The toughest part is reinstalling the piston in the caliber. Tedious, but very do-able. If you really want to get fancy, spray paint the caliper with hi temp paint before you put it together.

Victoriabcboy
08-04-2013, 06:59 PM
So I know this is an older thread but I found it awhile ago when I noticed the same issue on my '99 XJ. I did a 3" coil, full leaf pack, and shock lift right away so I don't know if this issue was there before. I also replaced the track bar with a RC one that replaces the ball joint style. That fixed my death wobble and I did a TC drop to stop the vibes. So that's some backgroung on my rig.

A co-worker replaced a trackbar on his daughters Grand Cherokee, his description of the symptoms were more of a pull with slight wobble than just our lovley death wobble alone.

This got me to thinking, I wonder if our pull on braking problem is more of a kinda of bump steer issue????? I'd like to know what you guys think. My thoughts are that as we brake the suspension (now lifted having more movement), would theoretically make the tie rod from the steering box to the knuckle longer, pushing the wheels over to allow for the chage in distance???? But having these tie rod bars in front of the axle makes me think it would push the wheels into a right turn not a left???

Well that's my "bing" lightbulb idea for the day.

Mudderoy
08-04-2013, 08:14 PM
So I know this is an older thread but I found it awhile ago when I noticed the same issue on my '99 XJ. I did a 3" coil, full leaf pack, and shock lift right away so I don't know if this issue was there before. I also replaced the track bar with a RC one that replaces the ball joint style. That fixed my death wobble and I did a TC drop to stop the vibes. So that's some backgroung on my rig.

A co-worker replaced a trackbar on his daughters Grand Cherokee, his description of the symptoms were more of a pull with slight wobble than just our lovley death wobble alone.

This got me to thinking, I wonder if our pull on braking problem is more of a kinda of bump steer issue????? I'd like to know what you guys think. My thoughts are that as we brake the suspension (now lifted having more movement), would theoretically make the tie rod from the steering box to the knuckle longer, pushing the wheels over to allow for the chage in distance???? But having these tie rod bars in front of the axle makes me think it would push the wheels into a right turn not a left???

Well that's my "bing" lightbulb idea for the day.

I guess it could be, mine was mostly the calipers.

F1Addict
08-05-2013, 10:38 PM
I'm with XJRat on this one, I think the best first remedy should be a caliper rebuild. If you've been through axle-deep water enough times it can degrade the lubrication on the caliper pins (the pins that align the outer cage with the actual piston housing), causing them to bind slightly and thus, apply varying force from one side to the other. Rebuild kits are cheap so it's a good place to start.

Mudderoy
08-05-2013, 10:51 PM
I'm with XJRat on this one, I think the best first remedy should be a caliper rebuild. If you've been through axle-deep water enough times it can degrade the lubrication on the caliper pins (the pins that align the outer cage with the actual piston housing), causing them to bind slightly and thus, apply varying force from one side to the other. Rebuild kits are cheap so it's a good place to start.

At $19.99 per caliper, I just replaced them.