I have terrible brakes, but why

[Txakura]

I must be ignorant, this just sounds like a weak master cylinder...

 

[Ecomike]

I must be ignorant, this just sounds like a weak master cylinder...

If you are reffering to my thread revival posts, mine is a brand new, cast iron, Renix style MC. Not rebuilt, not aluminum. Life time warranty, $90, brand new MC. But yes, if it was not brand new, I would suspect the MC was bad.

I guess they could have packed the wrong parts in it?

 

[winterbeater]

If everything new was good, I wouldn't have a job in quality control.

 

[Txakura]

I sort of got turned around reading this, you did mention it was a quality part - I was fixated on the symptoms, what are the chances it's bad from stock?

 

[kastein]

The most recent problems were with the '96s, so newer M/C, dual booster, but I've been through similar nonsense on my '92, old setup. Mostly we're finding the air-bubble difficulties with the rear system, and I'm finding that it takes almost two complete reservoirs-full of fluid bled to the farthest, the right rear, to bleed the farthest first. Then, probably at least half a reservoir again for the left rear. And, somehow, the left rear is where the bubbles seem most prolific. Fronts seem to be happy with the initial bleeding, rarely ever being a problem like you're having, but ya never know!
Like I said, fresh soft lines. Been stung too many times by clogged rubber, giving false pedal feel, and sometimes acting like a check valve, not letting brakes fully disengage, causing them to drag, heat up, boil fluid, expand, give high pedal, then either fail from overheating, or lock up from expanded fluid keeping them applied.

I'm getting long-winded here, but anymore when we bleed the rears, we typically use more than a quart bottle of new fluid. On the last stroke of the brake pedal, I'll just go about half-way down, have Junior close the bleeder, then I'll give it a good, hard pump, and usually feel the prop. valve click as it re-centers.Hope I've given you something to chew on!

Glad I'm not the only one who uses a lot of fluid when bleeding the rears. I usually go through about two quart bottles when I do a full system replacement of all lines (done it on an XJ and an MJ now... both rust buckets)

Man am I going to get flamed for this.. but I wrapped my cracked front rubber lines with electrical tape The hose is made up an inner liner.. then that woven string reinforcement stuff.. then the outer jacket that you see cracking..

The hoses on my '89 parts jeep look MUCH worse.. and when I was robbing the pads and rotors form it I dropped the caliper many times to have the hose catch it..and to my amazement they never snapped...

I do plan to replace my hoses soon.. its on the list..

Like everyone said already, never play it cheap on a brake system. I did, and spent $1000 on parts and tools to save $30 on replacing hardlines before they broke instead of after... and part of that $30 was hardlines, so I didn't even save the $30. That being said, electrical tape on the rubber lines isn't the worst I've seen, when I redid the lines on a friend's 99 dodge ram, we found electrical tape holding some of the hardlines together :scared: - well, it had been for a while! The spot where the tape was is where the line failed.

:nono: Tip on keeping everyone alive when driving an old beater. Test your brake system regularly by pushing the brake pedal down VERY hard while the vehicle is stopped. If you have a weak spot, you can blow it out and fix it under safe conditions. I did this with my sons' beater cars while they were growing up and learning about cars. Blew out a few rusted lines that way, which they learned to fix themselves.

X2. This is how I ended up replacing all the hardlines on my friend's MJ instead of replacing the front clip and all the hardlines. He said his brakes felt a little funny just before we started off on a trip, I told him to jam on the brakes real hard a few times and 5 minutes later he goes "well Ken, it looks like everyone's going in your Jeep..."

 

[Ecomike]

If everything new was good, I wouldn't have a job in quality control.

So it's your fault! #@%$#@ Now I know who to blame, LOL.

 

[Ecomike]

I sort of got turned around reading this, you did mention it was a quality part - I was fixated on the symptoms, what are the chances it's bad from stock?

Low, but anything is possible.

 

[Ecomike]

here in Houston, in 37 years, I have never had a hard line of soft line fail. That includes 500,000 miles on a 78 Dodge station wagon (big one), and a 73 Ford LTD I sold in working condition a year ago.

It must be weather related problems, road salt, and cold that gets to them.

 

[w_howey]

:nono: Tip on keeping everyone alive when driving an old beater. Test your brake system regularly by pushing the brake pedal down VERY hard while the vehicle is stopped. If you have a weak spot, you can blow it out and fix it under safe conditions. I did this with my sons' beater cars while they were growing up and learning about cars. Blew out a few rusted lines that way, which they learned to fix themselves.

Got kinda funny story about this.....

I was backing under my trailer one day and I got one of the those way down the leg, needs scratched right now itches.. So I stomped down on the brake pedal, lifted myself off the seat and started scratching. I hear a pop and the brake pedal sinks to the floor. The truck rolls backwards and the trailer hitch bangs into the rear bumper. Well.. I blew a rusty hard line right above the fitting for the soft line.

Yup.. the wheeling trip was scrapped while I redid the front brake lines. But I am much happier it happened in the driveway, rather than on the interstate while trying to dodge cars...