Jeep Front Brake Overhaul
Author:
ThePhantum
***DISCLAIMER - Please note that
this writeup reflects my experiences
only and anyone using it for reference or as a guide, etc. does so at
their own risk. You may link to this writeup, but you must obtain my
permission to re-post it elsewhere.***
Synopsis
This writeup will
cover a front brake overhaul, including: New brake
pads, new rotors, remanufactured calipers and bleeding the
brakes.
Although this work was performed on a 97 Cherokee, the basics of a
brake job are fairly common to most front disc vehicles.
Parts
Acquired
All parts were
purchased from AutoZone:
Duralast Gold
brake pads - $31 for all 4 pads
2 - New Duralast
Rotors - $40 per
2 -
Remanufactured Calipers - $16 (+$20 core charge) per
Bottle of
synthetic brake fluid - $5
Anti brake
squeal - $2.50
Tools
Used
Hydraulic floor
jack
Stand jacks
Metric and
Standard size sockets, box wrenches, etc.
6" C-clamp
Oil catch pans
Vacuum
pump/Brake bleeder
Disassembly
Start by jacking up
the front end of the Jeep, support it with stand
jacks and remove the wheels. At this point, you'll be left with this:
The first thing that
needs to be done is an inspection. The rubber
lines should be firm yet pliable and should have no obvious bulges,
cracks, or leaks. Also check the hard lines as well as the junction of
brake lines. Check for grooves in the rotor surfaces or any other
evidence of uneven wear.
Next you'll need to
compress the piston back into the caliper so after
the new pads are installed, it will fit back over the rotor. While it
can be done later (they even make a special tool for it), I do it first
because helps the caliper come off easier plus it just gets it out of
the way. Besides, why buy a special "caliper-piston-compressor" tool
when 6" C-clamp does the job just as well...plus it has so many other
uses.
Just make sure that
it doesn't crush anything (like the bleeder screw)
and slowly close the clamp until the piston is all the way in the
caliper. It should move smoothly and you'll end up with a good gap
between the pads and the rotor when you're done Basically, from this:
To this:
Now you're ready to
remove the caliper. The picture below shows the
caliper from back. The 2 circles indicate the bolts that need to be
removed. In some cases these can be allen heads or even torx heads.
Once the bolts are
removed, tilt the top of the caliper away from the
rotor to take it off. Be careful not to twist, yank or kink the
attached brakeline.
Once the caliper is
out of the way, the rotor should just slip right
off the lugs...at least most of the time they slip right off. Depending
on how long it's been on there, the type of conditions you drive under
as well as the climate of where you live, It might have "grown
attached" to the hub bearing and take a little muscle or other
persuasion to remove it.
At this point (unless
you're replacing them), you should take the
rotors to a machine shop to have them turned. Basically, they put them
on a lathe and machine the contact surfaces so that they are smooth and
even. Not doing this can result in uneven braking, vibrations when the
brakes are applied, etc. They will also measure the rotors to determine
if they can be safely turned. If they are under the minimum thickness,
have excessive lateral runout, etc....you'll need to buy new ones.
Now it's time to
remove the brake pads from the calipers. Here's the
starting point.
To remove the
outboard pad pull up and slide the clips off of the
caliper. Note the location lugs on the pad as well as on the caliper.
The new outboard pads will have these as well to help ensure that the
pad is in the correct position in the caliper:
The inboard pad is
held on the inside of the piston with clips. To
remove it just pull away from the piston (towards the outboard side):
***DISCLAIMER - Please note that this
writeup reflects my experiences only and anyone using it for reference
or as a guide, etc. does so at their own risk. You may link to this
writeup, but you must obtain my permission to re-post it elsewhere.***
