Andy G needs brake love
- Thread starter AndyG
- Start date
That kit does not have pretty nice stopping power for 35's, it is overkill and a stupidly large amount of stopping power for 35s. The shake of the steering wheel under braking indicates a rotor issue. I also don't know the condition of the caliper bores, they may need cleaning out to stop any tendency towards sticking once in awhile. You also need to work on being very specific when diagnosing this stuff. I am assuming that the shaking is the steering wheel. You need to clarify.
Welcome to 99% of my tech calls. I spend more time correcting hand me down mythology that I do actually solving the problem.
Specificity is your friend. What exactly did you check and how?
Thread is 3/8-24 which is why I could never find any.
Block off plugs are easy but you can also use your little tube kit to make some. Cut the hose nipples off and plug the hole with the correct size screw. I have many if you don't want to do that. Oddly for reasons that I can NOT fathom, Dorman has been sending out port plugs with the 1 1/16" masters that are the wrong size which is why I have my own. Mine are not as good as solid plugs, but they are the best I can find.
No way to tell on the rotors, you have to tell me what they are doing that makes it seem like they need to be replaced.
OP
In the first part I was really trying to say that it stops better than it did but I don’t think it is giving the braking power the kit has the potential to- Which is my way of saying I think there’s more work to do.
I did perform a visual test of seeing that there was a sense of the calipers squeezing- seems good.
Tires have balance beads - And I’m not even sure they have enough in them
It may be that I’m slinging everything when I brake hard
And creating a short term balance issue
I’m not terribly worried about the slight left pull under hard braking and the little bit of shake or pulsing until its all bled and set up correctly
I don’t really think the rotors need to be replaced I just wondered if it was bad for the system to have been ran the way that it is- If it might be time to true everything up and do new pads
The way I’m thinking is I need to talk to you and make sure everything is bled and set up exactly like you say and then go from there with any other concerns.
I’m hoping I can call you about 12 Alabama time today.
Thanks Blaine,
Andy
Did you go do the break in for the pads again with a high level of enthusiasm? If not, that should be done before we do anything else. That means you get up to 40 mph, and then on the brakes hard enough that you are trying to lock them up, don't lock them if they get there, just keep it right below that. Take it down to about 3mph, do it again. Repeat that for 7-8 times to get the pads and rotors very hot. Do not use the service brakes to hold the rig at a stop, get it stopped if you have to and use the parking brake. After the stops to get them very hot, go drive around and cool them down for 15-20 minutes taking care not to hold the rig at a stop with the service brakes. When they are cooled down, go repeat the first steps again and repeat the cool down again. Let me know what happens.
What about the rear calipers? Did you idle it on jack stands to see if they are moving back and forth yet?
Pull the beads and go get a real balance on the tires.
And the pads are broken in again.
I still do NOT have a perfectly accurate picture of what that means and what started this mess.
OP
OK thank you- If I need to get all this done before I call you I will
On the part that you don’t have a clear understanding I’m probably just getting ahead of myself- I was trying to think ahead whether I should plan on getting the rotors resurfaced knowing that the jeep has been driven with the system improperly bled.
Low caliper clamping pressure doesn't hurt the rotors. If it did, they suck at their job because they would go to crap at every low energy stop.
OP
Ok, this is not the final post, there will be some fine tuning but I wanted to update this thread.
I spoke to Blaine today. That’s right.
He gave me a lot to do but finished with “get the pads seated and see what happens”
So I did that.
Now I’m driving it to a work appointment.
I’ll follow up later, I have to pick up all the stuff that was in the back of my jeep that is now in the front of the jeep
and go shop for neck brace.
After talking to him I realize I need to go back through the process of bleeding and set up but even at this point I’m almost scared to make them any better.
As a comparison my 2005 Corvette brakes don’t even come close.
Thanks Blaine. You know exactly what you’re doing.
Guys there’s a lesson in this entire situation. Not only about brakes. About being the bigger person, About standing behind your product that somebody purchased basically secondhand and doing that willfully. That’s about as professional as it gets.
I spoke to Blaine today. That’s right.
He gave me a lot to do but finished with “get the pads seated and see what happens”
So I did that.
Now I’m driving it to a work appointment.
I’ll follow up later, I have to pick up all the stuff that was in the back of my jeep that is now in the front of the jeep
and go shop for neck brace.
After talking to him I realize I need to go back through the process of bleeding and set up but even at this point I’m almost scared to make them any better.
As a comparison my 2005 Corvette brakes don’t even come close.
Thanks Blaine. You know exactly what you’re doing.
Guys there’s a lesson in this entire situation. Not only about brakes. About being the bigger person, About standing behind your product that somebody purchased basically secondhand and doing that willfully. That’s about as professional as it gets.
Awwww so mushy. I’m so proud to be a part of all this. 
OP
Awwww so mushy. I’m so proud to be a part of all this.
Group hug required.
Ah hell no. Ya'll talk too slow and I'd have to hunt me down a talk faster stick to use.
I believe my exact words were "you have YEEHAW fucking brakes on that thing, don't quit until that is how they work.
I may know a thing or two about TJ brake kits.
Has nothing to do with the secondhand part. It is something that someone paid a lot of money for to be safe. We won't quit until that is fulfilled.
Look at the bright side, you aren’t one of their cousins. That would be weird.
“Sweet Home Alabama” starts playing
OP
Yes- I got a glimpse of it today- that’s why I said it wasn’t my last post. We are just getting started Blaine.
As you went through the work list today Blaine, there wasn’t one thing I believe I’d done correctly in the set up and bleed work-
After seating the pads- I was like “this is gonna be great once its all done correctly. “
I want it all. It’s there for the taking.
You hit me with a lot, I’m rewriting the steps in order and leaving it on my shop wall.
Is Dot 4 a must? Can’t remember if that’s been covered. I try to always use it.
Thanks for giving brakes the attention they deserve.
Huntsville is growing right now, the roads are packed and people are taking chances to cross the parkway.
Huntsville...was there in 2016 for a month...had a lovely conversation with one of the engineers who designed the moon rover at the air and space museum.
-Mac
-Mac
Not remotely unusual. I spend most of my tech time fixing old wive's tales about brakes.
I use the Valvoline in the blue and white plastic bottle.
And even then, they are a very tough sell. Folks will buy anything else first.
OP
Alright. Holy Cow.
Now we are getting somewhere-
How did this start? Why would I have off the chart braking Saturday and soft pedal Sunday pm? Where is the air coming from? Why the weird pedal feel at times?
See pic below. Just has a super tiny pinhole. Just starts as a pencil tip tiny dot under pedal pressure and gets bigger.
I noticed this over the past week and it concerned me but I had no clue it was leaking.
Fixing this and some correct bleeding technique are about to happen.
Now we are getting somewhere-
How did this start? Why would I have off the chart braking Saturday and soft pedal Sunday pm? Where is the air coming from? Why the weird pedal feel at times?
See pic below. Just has a super tiny pinhole. Just starts as a pencil tip tiny dot under pedal pressure and gets bigger.
I noticed this over the past week and it concerned me but I had no clue it was leaking.
Fixing this and some correct bleeding technique are about to happen.