Im having problems with my brakes. My rear brakes keep locking up. It seems like my front brakes aren't even working. Is there a way to adjust the valve to get more pressure for the front?

 

Sounds like you may have air in the lines. It's also possible the proportional valve may be bad...Tj

 

Do they just lock up under normal braking? Like just rolling up to a stop and light braking? It could just be time for new shoes. They could be just grabbing and locking up.

 

They are new shoes. It locks up under normal braking. I was coming to a light and I went through it because I couldn't stop.

 

I'm assuming you have ABS. Under about 8mph the rear wheels on ABS will lock up if the road is wet,icy, or snow covered. If this is the only time it's doing it I wouldn't be overly concerned. Has your stopping distance remained normal or is it taking longer to stop now? Any pulsation in the brake pedal when you apply the brakes?

 

No ABS. Its crazy because the pedal feels perfect. I even unadjusted the rear brakes and it is still doing it.

 

How do your front brakes look? Try bleeding them and make sure you have plenty of pressure to all 4 wheels.

 

This might be a dumb question, but are the rear shoes installed correctly? Longer shoe towards the rear.

 

bleed the brakes including at the mastrr make sure you have pressure everywhere

 

Try bleeding the front brakes with the rear circuit open and then bleed the rear. If I recall corectly, the master cylinder puts fluid to the rear circuit first and then the front. If you bleed the rear first and get them tight, You will get almost no fluid movement when bleeding the front circuit.

 

I have this same problem with a 1995 Country. I have had the brakes worked on several times at a very reliable shop, and even after servicing, they are grabby if there's the slightest hint of moisture around. With this year's weather this issue has gained much greater importance. I have been avoiding hills like the plague; the last thing I need is grabby brakes on a slick hill!

A buddy of mine who's a Wrangler guy says that the Cherokee rear drums are notorious for this, and that there is no real cure. Is this true? Would replacing the whole brake assembly work long term? Are there after-market brakes that would solve this?

 

I've had them done at reliable shops and have done them myself. I rebuilt them this last time (shoes, drums and spring/cable kits - cylinders were good and bled clean - less than 6 months ago). It still does the same as described by "Cooter Brown" above. I'm all ready to go and open them up again...

 

You can upgrade the rear to a disk system.... A number of posts are in the system that tell you what to get at the junk yard and how to install... Also new kits but $$$$$

 

Rear brakes inspected and all's well except for the fact that they needed manual adjustment. There's something about those self-adjuster cables that I observed and I don't think I like what I saw. The green spring within the adjuster cable (the one that hooks onto the scraper) seems too soft. As I tug/deflect the cable to cause the scraper to turn the adjuster wheel, the green spring stretches far too easily - it's just not stiff enough to support scraper actuation. These are aftermarket adjuster cables. Has anyone out there encountered similar hardware and are those springs color-coded for their spring tension/rate? If so, are the green-springed self-adjuster cables wrong for the application? ...And if so, which color-coded spring is best in this app?

 

mine rears lock up occasionally whenever it's moist outside also