metalhead
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- south carolina
I have visited this website many times, and it has helped me greatly just by reading various posts. I now have a condition that I think warrants a new thread. The background on my XJ is a '96 country with 180k with 9 in drums and ABS. I have had the jeep since I bought it used from a dealership in '99 with 56k. I can't recall when it started (some years ago), but I started noticing a decline in braking ability. Some time after this my ABS light came on. I assumed it was a sensor that went bad, and I didnt do anything to fix it becasue I hate ABS and it wasnt kicking in anymore. I dont htink this has anything to do with my problems, because it came on after the decline. I had the jeep on a lift and was trying to diagnose some other problems when i decided to put it in 4wH and slowly let the wheels turn. When i pressed the brakes as hard as i could, it took like 15 secs. to get the back wheels to stop, while the fronts locked up. I tried the handbrake, and it yielded the same results. This is when my troubles began. I took the drums off to find the adjusters all the way in. I greased them, adjusted them, and it would help for about a day, then I would have to readjust. I also tightened the handbrake cable. This process went on for some time. Then I went on a week long trip, came back and saw where a wheel cylinder was leaking. I replaced both, and since it started leaking while it was parked, there was no fluid on the shoes. Braking was still the same as it was. I just put up with it for a while. Then one day on the way to work, a yellow light changed to red quicker then expected, and I moderately applied the brakes. The pavement was a little damp from a very light rain we had, and I went half-way through the intersection with front brakes locked and losing no speed (I am sure this looked pretty funny to the other cars). I never did stop, just gassed on it and looked in the rearview mirror expecting to get pulled over. That was the last straw (or so I thought). I replaced the shoes, springs, adjusters and drums because they had a lip on them. The braking didnt get any better. Also, when you pull the handbrake, its really hard to pull, but it will not lock up the rear tires, even going at speed in wet grass!! I got really mad and adjusted the crap out of the shoes. All this succeded in doing was heating up the brakes and causing a horrible vibration after 15 miles or so. I had to let them back out. From there I got on this forum and found out about the combination valve. It seemed to be the perfect fix. Had to order one from the dealership, and wait 2 months for it to come in. It got here, installed it, and flushed the old brake fluid til clean brake fluid came out at all 4 corners. Bled it at the master cylinder as well. Still no change in braking ability. I was one step away from pulling my hair out, but decided it was a lost cause. I have been driving my jeep this way for probably about 2 months now when yesterday and today I started losing my brake pedal. If you are on a long, solid brake, like getting on an off ramp from the interstate, its fine. If you need to make a left turn or so at a red light, and you have to pull forward a little, stop, pull forward, stop, etc, then every time you press the pedal, it goes lower, then lower, then lower. All the way to the firewall (even though I havent let it reach that far yet). If you release the pedal fully and press again, then full pedal again. It holds when you apply the brake. It only does this if you press the brake and release, but not let the pedal come all the way back up before you press again. It has never done this before. You still have full braking ability (or I should say full front braking ability) at each increment, but i am scared its gonna get worse, or i am gonna get to the firewall and have no brakes. I checked the fluid level, and its not getting any lower. So as you can see from the length of this post(sorry), I have been dealing with this for a while and I am about fed up with it. Any help will be greatly appreciated, although I will be pretty mad if it is a simple fix that has caused me gray hair at age 24 . And while I am at it, whenever I get gas, the pump cuts off every 23-46 cents. Takes me 15 min to fill up. I wanted to get some advice before I tackled that prob. I am thinking its either a vent tube clogged, or the fill hose has a crease in it. Let me know what you think so I only have to drop the tank once. Thanks in advance!!