Brake Help???

[jleland]

I changed the brake pads on my 91 YJ 3 days ago. I noticed on my way to work it was really difficult to accelerate and when I finally got to work, I had smoke comin from behind the passenger wheel. Now when driving, it pulls to the passenger side and when I hit the brakes, it pulls back to the drivers side.

Could my caliper on the passenger side be locked up or what is this? I'm hoping someone can help me before I have to go back to work

 

[xt master]

Disc or drum?

Could be a stuck caliper or wheel cylinder.Also how where your drums/disc?

 

[jleland]

Discs, and they were fine. What would cause the caliper to get stuck?

 

[jackobotz]

A lot of time it is just dirt and road salt that makes them stick in, It happened to me yesterday as well. some times you can clean and oil them and reuse them. I cleaned mine up and put it back on.( Auto zone won't have new ones till tomorrow) after work tomorrow I am replacing both calipers , pads , rotors and hardware kit. I drove pretty far on it and I am sure I warped the rotor.
But if I'm doing one side, I am doing both.

 

[jleland]

I just took the caliper off and it looks like it may have caught on fire. I didnt have a c-clamp but channel locks and a small wrench pressed the piston back in,which I couldnt get accomplished the other day, so I'm gonna see if this works til Friday. I can replace both then.

Another thing I noticed was that the rotor was awful loose. Could my rotor bein off a hair and caused this?

 

[xt master]

If you did not compress it when you changed the brakes that alone could cause the problem.Also when compressing the caliper make sure it goes in even,If not it can get stuck.The way I have always done it is to use a C clamp with a piece of wood over the piston to make sure it goes in evenly.Anther problem I just ran into with my wife's car was the slides where the pads sit on.If there is any rust on the slides the brake pad was not releasing from the disc causing it to over heat.As far as it looking like it was on fire,it was probably close if you where driving with it stuck on.For the most part it normally does not due to much damage but I would check the rubber seals around the piston to make sure there is no leaks.

 

[jleland]

Everything looked ok on the caliper after I cleaned it, now there was some charred stuff that looked like something had melted on the pad. I have to admit, when I took the wheel off, three lug nuts were pretty loose. This is why I think maybe the rotor could've been outta whack. Put it back together and everything works smooth for now.

 

[TerryMason]

Don't worry about the rotor being loose - it's held in place by the lug nuts when your wheel is on.

Keep an eye on it, and once things are running good, check to see if your rotor's warped (excessive heat can warp rotors). Just get on the highway and apply the brakes - if the rotor's warped then the pedal will give a slight up and down feel.

 

[jleland]

Yeah my lug nuts were kinda loose..... I have to drive into work on the highway and no problems this morning. I got lucky, thank goodness because I am broke.

 

[xt master]

A good way to check if your lug nuts are on tight is by using a torque wrench.

 

[racerjim]

My front brakes/pistons were sticking. (discs) I bought new calipers. Disassembly revealed that half of each piston was hanging out in space, not engaging the pad. The outboard "hooks" , top and bottom, that engage the caliper mounts were also hanging out in space. I thought "some snapperhead's put the wrong calipers on the thing." Went to my local parts store, who handed me a set of the same calipers. Is this the way all CJ calipers mount? Can't be. Half the piston squeezing the pad will surely lead to more binding..