Brakes pulling to one side?
 

I have a 98 XJ Limited fitted with stage 5 EBC yellow stuff pads & slotted/cross drilled rotors that was done maybe 2000 miles ago. Recently it started pulling towards drivers side when I brake & simultaneously increases in the steering pulling towards the passenger side while driving normally. At first all is good, at the 5 min mark, it feels off a bit, at the 10 min mark, it increases enough to not be ignored, past that it gets worse & driving is impossible. When I get out, there's a burning smell coming from the passenger front wheel well which throws off anything I can think of as the problem.


Everything's been taken apart, pads & rotors are perfect, calipers working 100%, blead the lines a few times, Stainless lines are good to go, knuckles are free of any grooves or wear, no leaks, slide pins & caliper bolts cleaned up & lubricated with Royal Purple grease, (I spare no expenses), back brakes are also good & were done some 5k ago. No e-brake lines exist due to the Ford 8.8 rear, but I do have them as there still in the shed cause I'm lazy, lol).


If the passenger brakes weren't working 100% (less clamping force), then it would pull drivers side under braking & would make sense, but then why would it pull me passenger side with the burning smell coming from passenger side as well?? Ive run out of things it could be so any input here would be grrreatly appreciated!!


Thanks,
SeniorXJ

Had the same problem as well I would replace that passenger caliper anyways. They are relatively cheap. Also check your rear brakes they could be leaking and causing the front to work harder

Brake hoses as well - don't be doing the calipers without the hoses.

The front hoses alone stopped my gmc from doing this.

Sounds like passenger side caliper is seized!


This would cause the pulling to driver side when you step on the brakes......(passenger side caliper piston does not want to clamp the brake rotor, and requires a lot of extra force to activate)


Then once you take your foot off the pedal, the caliper piston will not retract away from the rotor, causing it to drag and pull to the right...........As well as generate a ton of friction heat.............




This is mainly caused by not flushing/bleeding the brake fluid, and replacing with fresh fluid every few years...............................especially if you live in an area that gets a lot of humidity.
The brake fluid absorbs moisture over time, and then this moisture starts to corrode the caliper piston and piston bore..................
Calipers with Phenolic (plastic) pistons are not as likely to be affected by this....................That, and they don't transfer as much of the friction heat to the brake fluid........

As I said, the rear brakes were checked, the front stainless lines are good, calipers were tested one by one, & there's no leaks anywhere. There is also NO change in the pedal. Stays right where it should be... :brickwall:

This is exactly what I thought myself & expected to find when I pulled them apart, but there working just fine!


The lines are Looong aftermarket expensive stainless steel lines for the amount of droop/flex I get & I inspected em inch by inch while under pressure.


I think i'll do what the other guy said & just go get a new caliper since there only like $25 bucks!

Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of heat to get them to seize............


They will work fine when cold, or when you pull them off the vehicle after they have cooled (then you take your c-clamp and it pushes in easily)


But you put it back on the Jeep, and as soon as you get a little heat in the system (a few easy stops) The piston seizes in the bore, and you get the issue you are describing........................

Very true & I cant debate that. The calipers I have, (plastic pistons), are the only stock part of my front brakes as I spent a lot to get the EBC stage 5 kit. The only other thing I coulda done was the WJ swap but ive already built my OTK 1-ton steering & over the axle panhard bar so there was no need for the high steer as my setup is exactly where I want it! That stage 5 brake kit came with yellow stuff cramic pads, cross drilled & slotted rotors with the no break in time coating, & I already had the stainless lines. they are the only brakes that have had the power to lock up my 35"s so it was worth every penny!


Gonna stop & pickup new calipers tomorrow. Figured ill replace both cause its just the smart thing to do especially while I have everything apart on stands. I'll letcha know how it goes tomorrow.

Smart thing to do, if they are both original.................


You've got some good quality friction material on there.............If you can lock up your 35's, then there is no need to go with the WJ swap........
You've got all the power you need!

There $46 bucks each, then u get 20 back with the core so there actually $26 a pop. Gonna just grab em then go back so I can skip the core charge BS!


They can lock up my MT Claws which are also brand new, but that's at full blown emergency & pushing the pedal thru the floor which I tested in an empty parking lot at 45 mph. I wouldn't recommend romping on that pedal with that much force on the front end cause those tires have so much bite that its liable to rip a mount off with all that forward momentum!


...Back to work I go...

As some one stated earlier in the thread....do the hoses too.

As I said earlier, the expensive, extended stainless steel lines that NO auto part store carries are in my opinion 100% not an issue & there's no need to debate this.


If when the new calipers are on, & everything isn't working at 100%, ill re-think other parts. It makes zero sense to order $100 dollar lines if there's no need for them & it'll be a hassle to return & deal with shipping & wait time.

Your right....I didn't see you had those earlier. :)

lmao I made the same mistake of not reading that when I made the suggestion either. My bad.

And yes stainless steel braided hose is always the most ideal anyway.

Just did brakes last week, and discovered that my rear drums hadn't been touched since they were installed in the factory. I'm not sure how they've lasted as long as they have. I got the outer drum off and shoes and hardware... crumbled. I still have a hunk of shoe surface material in my parking space. My XJ has been an event but I don't mind putting in the work/paying to have the work done.