sr77

So I have a 2000 XJ 4x4. An issue started today and I am trying to figure out exactly what it is. So I am driving down the road and I smell a burning smell like rubber. When I got to my destination about 5 mins. later I got out and noticed smoke coming from front driver side wheel well. Upon getting down and getting a closer look I noticed it coming from the brake area and the Rim was extremely hot to the touch as in burn your skin off hot. So I had to get it home and what I did was coast to stops and shifting the car to low gear to slow it down, then apply the emergency brake gingerly until the car came to a stop. I arrived home without using the brake pedal at all and upon checking the car again the rim was cool to the touch and, no smoke or smell at all.So I know it is a brake issue. I am trying to figure out if it is a seized caliper (wouldnt it still smoke if it was seized)? The problem seems to happen only when brakes are being used but fine if no brake pedal is applied.....Any ideas gentlemen?

nvray

I had the identical problem getting my Jeep back on the road after it was given to me and it had sat in a yard for a couple years. The rubber smell? Pretty good chance it's the rubber boots around the bolts in the brake caliper burning up.

The pistons aren't retracting properly in the caliper. Could be corrosion, something bent or damaged, or other issues. When you apply the brakes they drag heavily, generating all the heat. Eventually they slowly retract and it seems as if all is normal, until you use the brakes again.

Some may have a lot more experience with this than I and may be able to offer advice for rebuilding the calipers. I wasn't going to mess with dangerous brakes so replaced both calipers with remanufactured units from Advance for less than $100 with new pads. Installed the calipers, pads, sanded rotors, bled hydraulic system and haven't had an issue since.

Radi

Another thing to check while you're eyeballing the caliper is the rubber flex line that feeds the caliper. They can get flaky inside creating a check-valve, not allowing the calipers to release. If they are old and cracked, change them.

sr77

I am figuring on replacing the two front calipers, pads and brake lines. I don't want to mess around with brake issues. Thanks for the tips guys!

Shane