Brake Pad Wear Question

[bamaman]

I installed new front brake pads on my XJ the other day & I noticed the old pads had worn very uneven. One pad had hit the metal one one end & there was over 3/4 of pad material left on the other end (same pad). Vice versa for the opposite pad. I've never seen brake pad wear like this. The other side pads had also worn uneven (not as bad). Anyone have any advice on why my brake pads wore like that & how to fix the problem? I replaced the old pads with top-of-the-line Akebono Ceramic pads & I would like to fix the problem before I wear down the Ceramics too much. I would appreciate any advice anyone could give me.


Bamaman
90 XJ Laredo, 240K, 4.0, Mostly Stock (no lift)

 

[RichP]

Lube the caliper mounting bolts the calipers move on, sounds like they were stuck crooked, actually I would replace the bolts myself but thats just me. I'm doing all mine on tues when one of my customers offered me the use of one of his bays w/lift for the day and the flushing machines . Might get to try those cryo'ed rotors and drums if mine are bad enough to warrant it. I'm stockpiling parts now, O2's, hoses, etc. Now if I can just keep that day free....

 

[Eagle]

Ditto what RichP said. I would also check the calipers themselves to be sure the pistons are free to extend and retract cleanly. If the piston gets "cocked" in the bore, it'll push on the pads unevenly.

[edit] Just noticed you have a '90. Unless your calipers have been replaced recently, it might be wise to just invest in a pair of rebuilts. Thet aren't that expensive, and putting on new ones would resolve the issue I mentioned above.

 

[Wayne Sihler]

Check the surface of the anchor plates for a grove that would prevent the pads from slideing.Some pads come with a metal plate to place over the anchor point or you can weld up the surface and grind it smooth.
Wayne

 

[bamaman]

Thanks for the advice RichP, Eagle, & Wayne. I will be taking a closer look at my Calipers this weekend. I usually lube the two bolts pretty good when I change brake pads & they seemed to move freely when I had the Calipers off. If I can't find any obstruction on the anchor plates preventing pad movement, I may just replace the Calipers with rebuilt. Not looking forward to all the air bleeding though!

Thanks Again!

 

[89xj]

if you need new calipers, i would install speed bleeders. its basically a bleeder with a check valve. it becomes a one person job. just loosen the bleeder valve a half turn and pump the breaks a few times. the check valve doesnt allow air back into the system when you release the breaks when pumping. you can find the speed bleeders in the help section pep boys.