9/97 Australian RHD XJ with horrible 3" hockey pucks in the front struts and matching higher springs in the rear. Also 31" x 10.5 mudrunners on it.

This has happened a few times but definitely twice yesterday.

Front right hand brake jammed on and got VERY hot after about a km of driving. Smoke everywhere. Felt it release a bit before I stopped.

Car was driving around town for around an hour beforehand with plenty of stops and starts no problems. What seemed to proceed this jam on was reversing backwards on a slight incline.

Got home ok with minimal brake usage (another 20 km) and then managed to reproduce it by going backwards up the hill. This stuck the LHS calliper this time?!

It unstuck fairly quickly. Was unable to reproduce again. Have since put stock tyres on it and will look to take the pucks out soon.

What do you guys reckon? I have had a search of the forums and some have suggested lines or callipers. But alternate wheels on after the other? Could the ridiculous cheapo suspension changes cause this somehow?

See pics. Looks like a fair bit of meat has come out of the pads there?

 

It is likely just a failing/sticking brake caliper. It happens. Typically, the fix action is to simply have it replaced. You can replace the soft brake line at the same time, but unless it is damaged it is not normally the cause of the problem. They can stick at random times, and have a tendency to un-stick as they cool down. It has nothing to do with the wheels, tires, or suspension lift.

 

Thanks. The only thing making me wary is that both sides are doing it.

That being said, both sides are equally filthy rotten dirty...

 

You can service them completely, clean them all up, and re-lube everything (sliders, slide rails, piston seal, etc). It may help. I had the same problem (passenger side) and servicing them would help sometimes, but ultimately it would happen again. You can also rebuild the caliper, but they are so cheap for the XJ that it almost isn't worth it.

Have both sides done it at the same time? Or were they at different times?

Keep in mind that a stuck caliper can be a significant fire risk.

 

Different times and different sides. Thanks.

 

Saw how cheap they are stateside! Street price here looks to be around $150 a side :-(

 

Looks like one side of your brake disc is much more worn than the other as well. Im guessing that caliper had been stuck for quite sometime.

IMO your best bet is full replacement of the calipers, pads, rotors and hardware at this point.