brake prob

[CJ5_Will]

my cherokee's brake don't brake very well when you first start to drive it. After you drive it a while they work a little better but still not great. the calapers and brake pads are fine. it's like the brake pedal comes to a stop point but the brakes just don't seem to react. it's stops eventually but it takes sometime.

 

[jakbob]

check your fluid level and master cylinder...there may be a hole in it

 

[dingus]

do you have ABS?

my '90 XJ had ABS, what a terrible system that was! Had to wait for the ABS pump to prime the system with pressure before my brakes would work (internal leak of some sort).

cheapest bet is just to deal with it, if i still had that jeep i'd have ripped out the ABS for a non-ABS system by now.

 

[northshore29]

sounds like a hydraulic problem. check ur master cylinder fluid level. also check the pad wear. if the pads on one side are worn further on onside that could indicate you have a bad flex hose to the caliper. does the pedal go to the floor or feel spongy? that could indicate a fluid leak. if so trace the lines from ur master cylinder to eack of the wheels while u have a friend pump the brakes up a few times and hold it. sometimes u can feel the pedal very slowly going down if there is a major leak. try to bleed the system and see if air comes out or just straight fluid. if the fluid doesn't shoot out and there are no leaks you might want to start looking into a master cylinder. hope that helps.

 

[graewulf]

Sounds like a vacuum problem with the brake booster to me. Master cylinder/air in the lines would lead to a spongy pedal. Bad vacuum booster/low vacuum would cause the pedal to be hard and not brake well (which seems to fit the symptoms as described). Check the vacuum lines and make sure they are good & secure, no cracks, etc. It could also be a bad booster.

 

[Saurian]

How're your drum brakes in the rear? I did my discs when they were going, but it was still not stopping very well at all, the rear system was not only worn down, but the star adjuster was seized up, my uncle Chip helped me out with it while I was down in Virginia, made a 100% difference on the way back home.

 

[CJ5_Will]

Thanks I'll check all that out.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Could be the rotors and or pads are glazed over.

It's also very common that the rear drum brakes are out of adjustment regardless of how much pad you have left.