my jeep has never given me a problem, but in the past week, the back end has spun out 3 times when applying the brakes... i checked the brakes, they are still fairly new, tires are 6 months old, i checked everything i could look for, is this common or a fluke? when i slow down, it doesnt always happen, it happens randomly...

 

when you say "rear sliding out" do you mean:

you commonly brake in turns (thats a no no)
when you apply the brakes, it pulls to one side?

the end sliding out is most likely either your driving habits have changed, your driving strategy is poor, or your brakes are pulling.

how fairly new are the brakes, and which ones did you check? was there any wear differences between left and right, or front and rear?

 

Remove the rear drums... does it look wet in there?

A bad wheel cylinder will leak brake fluid into the drums, and can cause the brakes to lock up from time to time. This could be your problem.

Either that or you have a bad proportioning valve and your rear brakes are getting way too much pressure or something, but I doubt that.

Carefully inspect your rear brakes for leaking fluid. I'm betting that's the problem.

 

Snow? Rain? Ice? Driving habits aside, sometimes contaminants can cause brakes to be applied unevenly or lock up, or the rears could be out of adjustment. The auto adjustors in my 1999 rusted off a few months ago lol

 

i dont think its my driving habits, im not mario andretti, but i have driven/owned my fair share of rwd sports cars, never lost one when stopping ever...

its when i hit the brakes, it slides to either the left or right, depending how the orad is graded...i will check the brakes better, and look for what you guys said to look for. its hard to describe, i dont mash the brakes, sometimes it happens when roads are dry, others when wet... it just slides when i hit the brakes sometimes, not all the time?

 

Regardless of poor braking habits in turns or not, cars are designed to not spin out by either the fronts locking first or both at the same time. Rears locking first is a big problem. It means you're not getting max braking from the front. Since rears suck by design, I'd check the front for being worn out or not working correctly.

 

ya pop the wheel and drum off... have a peek in there. Like someone mentioned if its wet, thats the wheel cyl leaking

 

Slides... Ok, are you describing this correctly? Does it actually SLIDE like the tires are squealing and everything, or does it just PULL to one side or the other? There's a huge, major, important distinction between the two symptoms.

 

when i hit the brakes, the rear end will move like im drifting a 240z....best way to describe it... and im not trying to be a jeep drifter

 

Your rear tires are locking up causing the back to slide?
As mentioned- check for oil or contaminants on the brake shoes- that's probably the most common cause of grabby/locking brakes.

 

i know that's how it feels, but are the tires actually sliding across the pavement? Are the tires NOT spinning and skidding across the ground?

If that's the case, then yeah you need to seriously inspect those drums for broken components and/or leaking wheel cylinders.

 

brake fluid & drum brake pads dont mix .. I learned hard way, I replaced a blown out cylinder, didnt replace pads .. pads got soaked from blow out

didnt know shoes & brake fluid .. when warm .. mixing together = super glue !

 

Yeah it's weird, isn't it? My old Cutlass would drag the right rear tire under heavy braking, didn't understand what was wrong until I noticed brake fluid draining down the inside of the tire one day.

 

That's what mine did when it had a bad wheel cylinder. Check it out and if that's what it is then get it fixed wheel cylinders are cheap. I didn't know mine was bad when I first got my Jeep. my rear locked up and I rear ended a van.

 

ugghh ..is that why my insurance agent asked me to "up" my liabilty coverage?

she knows i work on some stuff, but I told her .. major fixes are done by shops

I upgraded to full coverage / full liability .. people can be crazy these days - sue-ing

since Im in this jeep over $4k now, good choice .. not too much more $$ wise monthly .. I have a killer track record with state farm .. for 20+ years

thought I was done wrenching this weekend .. not so .. havnt checked rear w/ drum off .. i wanna paint the center caps anyway .. sunday looks like brake inspection day .. and spray painting .. hope all is good .. those cylinders are cheap, just be careful with brakeline attach, probably froze, needs PB .. last jeep .. shop quoted me $350 or something

on that note .. last jeep .. hired some Craigslist mobile mechanic to help .. what a joke .. meth head ... showed up with hardly any tools .. in a minvan w/ wife .. and domestic squabbles


luckily I had just a few sprays on PB blaster on hand, guy almost snapped brake line attach .. dude used brake cleaner to wash his hands over and over, I even offered clean soap/water .. $80 wasnt too bad .. he was good at the brake bleeding help, but a fiasco for 3 hours .. live & learn .. Im not doing that again