Ok, I havent done any trouble shooting yet, but heres the deal. I did my brakes about 3 months ago and it's been stopping great. Well, I get in the thing tonight and when I try to come to a stop I have to jam on the pedal, and at that it would barely stop. I cant get the brakes to lock at all on wet surface, and usually I can get them to. I am just curious if something is failing or if you guys have had similar problems. Let me know. Laneiac PS the pedal feels soft and then becomes hard at the bottom, where all my stopping power is now.
Jeep wont stop!
- Thread starter laneiac
- Start date
graewulf
New member
laneiac said:
1. check the fluid level in the master cylinder. if its dry (probably is very low or dry), fill it and bleed the brakes. if not, you most likely need a new master cylinder
2. if the master cylinder was dry, you have a leak, check the brake lines and pull the wheels and look at the slave cylinders. the fluid has to have gone somewhere...could be a leak at the master cylinder too. be sure to bleed them properly after changing any part.
3. DO NOT DRIVE THE JEEP TILL YOU GET IT FIXED!!!!! you could do serious damage to your jeep or yourself with the brakes like they are....
Inspector-Gadget
New member
Hi lanejac,
(The following assumes you have power brakes.)
My guess, since you didn't mention anything about the "brake failure" warning light illuminating, is that the power brake booster has failed.
Apparently, the Jeep brakes are functional, but require much greater foot pressure to operate.
The fact that your brakes aren't functional until the pedal is much lower than normal is more evidence that the booster has failed. That is exactly what is supposed to happen when the power booster fails.
Regards,
Gadget
(The following assumes you have power brakes.)
My guess, since you didn't mention anything about the "brake failure" warning light illuminating, is that the power brake booster has failed.
Apparently, the Jeep brakes are functional, but require much greater foot pressure to operate.
The fact that your brakes aren't functional until the pedal is much lower than normal is more evidence that the booster has failed. That is exactly what is supposed to happen when the power booster fails.
Regards,
Gadget
graewulf
New member
Inspector-Gadget said:
interesting thought... though the brake failure light may not come on at all.. i lost the master cylinder in my truck all of a sudden and had no warning light... i wouldn't rely on the light to tell where the problem is... the fact that it is not lit could mean simply that the computer does not see that there is a problem with the system, not that it does not exist... the symptoms that were described sound exactly like what happened when the seal went in my master cylinder.. either way give it a good check before buying any parts...
just my .02
Inspector-Gadget
New member
Hi-Ya Graewulf,
I agree 100 percent. The lack of a "brake failure" light is merely a clue and not a foolproof indicator.
But when someone posts, we have only the information they supply with which to work. We must add up the clues the poster supplied (and sometimes we must read between the lines) and make our heuristic best guess in an attempt to help the poster.
Our guesses are just that -- guesses. Your guesses and the guesses supplied by others are as good (or bad) as my guesses.
We have to make assumptions about the Jeepz.com posters. One of the assumption I make is that a poster will perform an actual diagnosis prior to buying parts based on advice they received via the internet. That goes unmentioned because I also assume that our fellow Jeepers are smart enough to know that.
Oddly enough, I have had a brake power booster fail and cause exactly the symptoms lanejac described. But then, no one should be surprised that different faults can produce almost identical symptoms.
And therein lies the beauty of having multiple guesses supplied to help locate and fix a problem.
Collaborative troubleshooting, just like a "Blimpie" sandwich, can be a beautiful thing.
:wink:
Regards,
Gadget
I agree 100 percent. The lack of a "brake failure" light is merely a clue and not a foolproof indicator.
But when someone posts, we have only the information they supply with which to work. We must add up the clues the poster supplied (and sometimes we must read between the lines) and make our heuristic best guess in an attempt to help the poster.
Our guesses are just that -- guesses. Your guesses and the guesses supplied by others are as good (or bad) as my guesses.
We have to make assumptions about the Jeepz.com posters. One of the assumption I make is that a poster will perform an actual diagnosis prior to buying parts based on advice they received via the internet. That goes unmentioned because I also assume that our fellow Jeepers are smart enough to know that.
Oddly enough, I have had a brake power booster fail and cause exactly the symptoms lanejac described. But then, no one should be surprised that different faults can produce almost identical symptoms.
And therein lies the beauty of having multiple guesses supplied to help locate and fix a problem.
Collaborative troubleshooting, just like a "Blimpie" sandwich, can be a beautiful thing.
:wink:
Regards,
Gadget
LBR
New member
I agree with Gadget - also bet that if you held the brake pedal down for awhile that you might feel it push your foot back up a tick. Usually the diaphram inside allows vacumn to get on the other side of it (a pinhole or crack) and starts battling for supremacy. They only get worst from then on, so park it until fixed or, I suppose, if ya got rotten floorboards you could Fred Flintstone it! LBR
BakedAlaskan
New member
Has any one thought that maybe his rear brakes haven't adjusted at all since the brake job?? Mine will do this since I have a T18 I hardly ever use my brakes in reverse. So on occassion I have to drive backwards and slam on the brakes several times to gain my pedal back. This is the only time your drum brakes self adjust. Especially with the pedal being soft at the top and firm at the bottom.
Give it a whirl. Back up with some speed and slam on those brakes. And repeat several times. Got brakes yet?? If not listen the guys advice.
Good luck.
Give it a whirl. Back up with some speed and slam on those brakes. And repeat several times. Got brakes yet?? If not listen the guys advice.
Good luck.
Inspector-Gadget
New member
Hi Keith,
I guess it would come down to how you read and interpret lanejac's starting post.
As I read it, he had full brakes "right up until tonight." I took lanejac's post to mean that he experienced a sudden and drastic change of brake efficiency and pedal height.
If, in fact, there was a gradual deterioration over the last three months, then you are likely on to something.
Good question!
Gadget
I guess it would come down to how you read and interpret lanejac's starting post.
As I read it, he had full brakes "right up until tonight." I took lanejac's post to mean that he experienced a sudden and drastic change of brake efficiency and pedal height.
If, in fact, there was a gradual deterioration over the last three months, then you are likely on to something.
Good question!
Gadget
LBR
New member
My vote is the booster with the given info - if the rears weren't adjusting up, it probably wouldn't go nips up over night. The pedal would feel a bit different, but should still lock up the fronts when "jammed on". An ailing booster can give a rock solid feel and not actuate whatever it is designed to move properly, this case it's brakes.
BakedAlaskan
New member
Good point, What got me thinking was the soft at the top then firm comment. Hopefully (and sounds right) the booster has failed to hold vacuum. My experience has been sudden with the rears not adjusting, but I know that this is tied into the Master cylinder problem I have been having. I tested my problem out last night according to LBR's theory of what is going on with my master cylinder. I will post the the rest on that thread.
http://www.jeepz.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=320635
http://www.jeepz.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=320635
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