Rear Brakes

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Wed Jan 02, 2008 7:16 pm

I had my right rear brake stick and drag for a couple of miles last summer although I didn't find it until I got home and smelled it. I kept my eye on it for a long time after and it didn't happen again until the Saturday night before Christmas eve. This time I drove it a long way (20 miles?) before finding it. The dealer couldn't get me in on Christmas Eve and I was busy the rest of the week. It did it again this Monday night so today I got into the dealer. The bottom line is that the right rear is gone.

After a little discussion and a lot of telephone time between DC and the service writer I am getting new rear brakes including calipers at the cost of new pads and possibly a new or turned rotor. I had about 70% wear on the pads.

Since others seem to have had this issue too I may start scouting out third party, higher quality calipers to install on my own when the weather gets nice. If anyone has a brand to recommend I will be taking advice.

kccrd · **Joined:** Thu Mar 08, 2007 10:35 pm **Posts:** 267

I used power stop on a 98 jetta tdi for 250,000 and when I sold the car in october 06 there was hardly any sign of wear all my miles were mostly highway but still I drove that car hard and used the brakes hard I also used repco metal master pads since about 55,000 miles and still had them on the car when I sold it they were a great combination I could not beleive the pads lasted for 195,000 but they did. Thats my story and I am sticking to it.

RTStabler51 · **Posted:** Wed Jan 02, 2008 11:28 pm

Is it a caliper issue or the fact that the slider pins are sticking? The old Gen I SHOs had the same issue and it was the slider pins getting stuck.

kjfishman · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:29 am

Cowcatcher wrote:

I had my right rear brake stick and drag for a couple of miles last summer although I didn't find it until I got home and smelled it. I kept my eye on it for a long time after and it didn't happen again until the Saturday night before Christmas eve. This time I drove it a long way (20 miles?) before finding it. The dealer couldn't get me in on Christmas Eve and I was busy the rest of the week. It did it again this Monday night so today I got into the dealer. The bottom line is that the right rear is gone.

After a little discussion and a lot of telephone time between DC and the service writer I am getting new rear brakes including calipers at the cost of new pads and possibly a new or turned rotor. I had about 70% wear on the pads.

Since others seem to have had this issue too I may start scouting out third party, higher quality calipers to install on my own when the weather gets nice. If anyone has a brand to recommend I will be taking advice.

Instead of having the ear of the brake shoe ride on a machined surface they have a stainless steel clip that can get corroded and cause the brake to stick. I had to remove the clip clean it up and grease it to fix the problem. Simply take the caliper bolts out lift it up enough to get the clip off and clean it up. I don't know if you can buy just the clips or if they are part of a kit. Cleaning mine fixed the problem and I will worry about replacing when I do the brakes.

Zonie · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2008 10:46 am

I had the same problem. Insist on new rotors. There's no reason you should have to replace them earlier down the road because DC caused premature wear.

chadhargis · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:05 pm

My rear brakes stuck and scored the rotors. I didn't take it to the dealer since brakes are typically not covered since they are a "wear" item. I could have argued, but I figured I'd just do it myself. Bought two new rotors and new pads. I cleaned and greased the slides and packed the slide pin boots with grease. They work great now.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:17 pm

Thanks for the replies. I am not going to argue too much on the rotor since I am getting two new calipers in the mix. Repair of the spring on the sliders would not have been covered under warranty. I will pull them in the Spring or Summer and check out the springs and sliders to limit future problems.

Thanks for all of the input.

RTStabler51 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:23 pm

If its the springs thats a problem isn't that emergency brake related? I guess I'm lost as to whats causing this issue. Is it slider pins? Defective calipers? or the E-brake not releasing?

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:37 pm

I am a notorious non-hand brake user RT so I know it wasn't that. :lol:

It needs to be the caliper or some part of it.

CHessMaster · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:54 pm

RTStabler51 wrote:

If its the springs thats a problem isn't that emergency brake related? I guess I'm lost as to whats causing this issue. Is it slider pins? Defective calipers? or the E-brake not releasing?

The parking brake uses a "drum in hat" design. There are little drum brakes on the backing plate that the rotor goes over, hence the name. The parking brake system is in no way connected to the service brake system, except that it uses a space inside of the rotor for the friction surface.

This is a much better design as the old "jackscrew through the caliper" system was very prone to failure (ie., leaks, seizure, etc.).

Page 5-49 through 5-52 in the '06 service manual has some descent pictures.

chadhargis · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:38 pm

When I fixed mine, the problem was rust, plain and simple. The slide pins were bone dry as were the guides. They were frozen due to rust, so when the brakes were applied, the pads cocked sideways and hung there causing them to drag until they eventually dug into the rotors.

I packed the slide pin boots with copious amounts of grease, and greased the guides as well. I'm sure the grease will eventually wear off (if it hasn't already), and it will be a simple maintenance item that I'll have to do from time to time. Probably be a good idea to check it when you rotate your tires.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2008 10:12 pm

chadhargis wrote:

When I fixed mine, the problem was rust, plain and simple. The slide pins were bone dry as were the guides. They were frozen due to rust, so when the brakes were applied, the pads cocked sideways and hung there causing them to drag until they eventually dug into the rotors.

I packed the slide pin boots with copious amounts of grease, and greased the guides as well. I'm sure the grease will eventually wear off (if it hasn't already), and it will be a simple maintenance item that I'll have to do from time to time. Probably be a good idea to check it when you rotate your tires.

Very interesting on the RUST comment here. Before I took it in I was looking through the spokes at the pads and calipers and I saw a huge amount of rust with flakes curling up off the caliper like it had been sitting on the beach in the Florida Keys for like 30 years. A little distressing. The new calipers appear to be plated like the ones I coveted after seeing them with the JEEP stamping through the wheels of the Commander. I will try to get a good look at them in better light to see if they have been improved and plated or powder coated.

Sorry that I can not provide pics right now if they are but my digital is in the camera hospital.

RTStabler51 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2008 10:46 pm

CHessMaster wrote:

RTStabler51 wrote:

If its the springs thats a problem isn't that emergency brake related? I guess I'm lost as to whats causing this issue. Is it slider pins? Defective calipers? or the E-brake not releasing?

The parking brake uses a "drum in hat" design. There are little drum brakes on the backing plate that the rotor goes over, hence the name. The parking brake system is in no way connected to the service brake system, except that it uses a space inside of the rotor for the friction surface.

This is a much better design as the old "jackscrew through the caliper" system was very prone to failure (ie., leaks, seizure, etc.).

Page 5-49 through 5-52 in the '06 service manual has some descent pictures.

Ah ok. I haven't taken it apart, but am familiar with that set up as the Exploders use that too...

bentrod · **Posted:** Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:48 am

Taking the kiddies to school today and noticed my left rear brakes blowing smoke!
Getting rear pads, claiper grease and brake fluid change, will let you all know if it works.

bentrod · **Posted:** Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:23 pm

Left rear caliper is seized.

Jim Friese · **Posted:** Sun Jan 20, 2008 2:56 pm

MY brakes started to groan every time I stoped at around 8K The dealer said he fixed them. However they continue to
groan and now that I have more than 12k on the CRD he says no fix or even denies that they have a problem. Does anyone know the fix? Please let me know. Thanks.

Jim

cxturboboost · **Posted:** Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:03 pm

Jim,

Bought my "new" CRD last week. The rear brakes we're moaning. So.... Being the guy I am I decide to take everything apart. What I found was that there are metal tangs which the pads slide on. One on top, and one on bottom. The one tang wasn't seated correctly, so the pads didn't want to slide. I took off all the metal sliding bars, cleaned them, cleaned the cast that they "snap" into, reinstalled and now everthing is working fine. You should check to make sure the round metal pins that the calipers "float" on are moving correctly and lubricated. Mine we're fine.

If you don't want to look at it yourself, try finding another dealer or contacting your Jeep representative. They know that they have had plenty of problems with rear brakes.

Just my .02

Pete

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:05 pm

Jim Friese wrote:

:x MY brakes started to groan every time I stoped at around 8K The dealer said he fixed them. However they continue to
groan and now that I have more than 12k on the CRD he says no fix or even denies that they have a problem. Does anyone know the fix? Please let me know. Thanks.

Jim

Fisrt of all make sure it is just noise and that they are not dragging by going out and feeling them. If it is just noise then search this site, not just in the CRD section, as there have been noise related issues with rear disk brakes that at one time were covered by a TSB on some and that others solved by lubercating them.

Jim Friese · **Posted:** Sun Jan 20, 2008 3:07 pm

Thanks cxturboost:

jim

cxturboboost · **Posted:** Sun Jan 20, 2008 4:08 pm

Jim,

The slides have a notch in the underside of them. One of mine wasn't in the right spot, so the notch wouldn't let the "slider" seat properly. I don't know if this will help or not, I'm just throwing it out there.

Pete

Rear Brakes

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