81Z4ME

As usual, what seems like a simple quick job just doesn't work out that way.

Put the Cherokee Sport (2000) in the garage yesterday. Figured I'd rotate the tires and check the brakes. Back shoes looked okay, front left side pads were getting pretty thin so I put the wheel back on and went to the auto parts place this morning. Got new front pads, a lawn mower batter, a set of new headlights (the originals have gotten pretty dim on the old jeep) and piece of heater hose.

Got home, replaced the pads on the front left side, put the tire/wheel back on and let it off the jack and jack stands.

On to the right front. Holy cow!! Those pads where into the rivets and the rotor was shot. Back to the auto parts place for a new rotor. Got back home and started trying to get the caliper off but it seemed stuck/binding. I got down real close and saw why. Whoever put the last set of pads on had two outside pads for the same side of the jeep. On the driver's side the slot on the pads was on the bottom and they "levered" right out from the top with a screw driver prying on them. On the passenger side I had one slot on the bottom (inside pad) and one slot on the top (outside pad) and I had a heck of a time getting those things off. Finally had to just bend the springs that hold the pad on the caliper and then twist it off/out before the caliper would come out.

Then the rotor. By then I'd gotten irritated and even though I took the time to get the Jeep shop manual out I only looked at the picture () and didn't really "read" the text. So I ended up removing the cotter pin, nut, etc. and used a wheel puller to pull the rotor (which also took the hub since they were pretty well stuck together). I was pretty surpised to see those ball bearings being the hub. I finally got the hub out of the rotor by dropping it on the concrete a couple of times (studs down which pushed the hub back out of the rotor). I cleaned the hub up, wiped all the loose brake dust/rust off everything, added some wheel bearing grease and put the hub back in. If there was any grease on the splines (as the book instructs you to do when installing the hub) I sure couldn't see it. Got the rotor on, the new pads in the caliper and the caliper back on. Torqued the hub nut down and put the spring washer, cap and cotter pin back in and got the wheel/tire on and torqued and then let it off the jack and jack stand.

Took it for a short drive and it all WORKS!!!

Now, back to working on the darn S10 Blazer again (that's another story).

Japple650

never as easy as it seems: computers, cars, trucks, girls

DaddyCat

Wow I hope whoever did the brake job before this never touches your (or anyones!) brakes again.

I hope you remembered to remove the caliper pins for inspection/ lube and confirmed the caliper piston was not stuck. If they were sticking that would explain why one side was fubar.

81Z4ME

never been in the salt.

Everything is as clean and free as could be. I thought the way the little rubber boots protect the bolts and the piston was pretty neat. After I used a 3/8" ratchet to break the bolts loose I turned them out by hand. The boots themselves would move back and forth easily when pushed with a finger.

All I've got left to do to feel good about it for another 4 or 5 years is to replace the heater hoses, replace the transmission filter/fluid and put the right sized battery back in it.

104,000 miles in 10 years and hoping I'll get another 100,000 on it.

DaddyCat

Sounds like the slider pins were still good. Up here where they salt the roads in winter we need to be much more aggressive about maintenance. That's why I wondered if you checked and lubed the slider pins and checked the piston. I do mine twice every year.

Good luck with the other projects! When you go to drop your trans pan this might interest you:
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/tra...-change-79755/