My front passenger brake is locking up and I'm not sure why. It seems to not want to release the pad. What is the culprit? If I let it sit for a couple hours, it relaxes and I can drive for a bit, but not long. I pulled the caliper off to replace it earlier, but the brakes worked again so I didn't replace. Talking with a buddy, he thinks it could be the caliper, rubber brake line, or fluid. I'm inclined to replace all three but need some advice here.

Edit: Turns out the search feature works. For extended lines on my 3.5" lift, I should go with the following. ('95 Wrangler *YJ* - 18$ each ( 3 inches longer )). Anyone have experience with these? For the past few years, I've been running stock lines straightened out per RE directions.

Thanks for your help all,
s

 

You might as well change all 3. For the extended brake line get a front soft line for a 1995 wrangler (yj). I doubt the fluid is the main problem, but change it anyways, it probably needs it.

 

But what is causing the caliper to freeze up? I have 8 degree high temps coming on Wednesday and a few deer to cut up first. I don't have a whole lot of time to do this so I'd like to know what the fix is before I just start jumping in there and replacing stuff.

Thanks,
s

 

they just get old over time and can seize up. id say your best bet is to replace the caliper and youll more than likely be good to go

 

I'd put my money on the brake hose.

 

Always a good idea to bleed your brake fluid out and replace it with new every coupla years. Often overlooked maintenance. The fluid degrades over time and becomes corrosive to the internal parts of your system.

 

Agreed. I'm a strong advocate for preventative maintenance. I try to replace my brake fluid every 2 years but since I only put about 3000 miles on a year, I've let it slip (And yes I understand brake fluid needs replaces regularly regardless of use). I bet this fluid is three years old. No older for sure.

s

 

The rubber on the ID of older brake lines can deteriorate and expand from absorption of the brake fluid, causing a restriction. You get full braking since the fluid is forced through the hose under pressure from the master cylinder, but return pressure is significantly less and will flow at a slower rate through the restricted hose. This can cause the caliper to freeze up, but relax after a few minutes once the fluid pressure normalizes. Assuming all the other brake parts (like slider pins) are clean and lubricated, this could be causing your problem and can be corrected with a new brake hose at the wheel.

 

I'm confused now. When I look up parts, the 95 YJ brakes hoses are 14 5/8" long but the XJ replacements are 16 1/4". That means the XJ lines are longer? What am I doing wrong here? See for yourself:

YJ
(http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...862_0282888293) and (http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...861_0329894087)

XJ
(http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...894_0329894062)
(http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Ca...895_0282888231)

So, what part am I looking for then?
s

 

i say get some c1500 lines and never worry about them again.

 

I've read in posts that the banjo fitting is a bit larger on the C1500 lines. Are you running these and are you having leak issues?

 

Hey all, I'm not finding what I need with the search feature. I'm looking for part numbers for extended brake lines for the YJ lines as the ones I find by searching autopart stores show the lines are SHORTER than the XJ lines.

Also, I'm open to hte idea of the C1500 lines, but I've read that the banjo fitting is larger ethan the XJ fitting. For those who run these lines, have you noticed any leaks at the banjo fitting?

Thanks all. I need to get this fixed fast as I'm driving in deep snow with 12 degree high temps and I can't use my brakes or they lock up on me. Foolish for sure.

s

 

just go to your local auto store and ask for 95 YJ brake lines. I just did this a month ago and they are longer.

 

I am not running them YET but will be soon. There's a orienting feature on the calipers that have to get ground down for the bango to fit but shouldn't effect its seal as long and the crush washers are ok

A 95 yj line should be 3" longer and 100% bolt in.

 

Post primarily for future thread searchers:

My concern with the XJ length being longer than YJ brake hose length was caused by Napa's part description which reads "Overall Length : 14.5"." The issue is that Napa means that the hose length is 14.5" on the YJ line but the hard line on the hose is much longer, ultimately resulting in longer overall length than the XJ line. My apologies for the confusion but the Napa website is misleading. As a result, the YJ line, is indeed longer than the XJ line and I now have it on order. I opted to go with the YJ line as it is a direct bolt on and I've already straightened out my hard lines so I have no use for an even longer line for a 4" lift.

I have all parts on order and will be replacingboth front brake lines, front right caliper, and the fluid of course. I will update this thread once I get the new parts installed. I hope to have a success story.

Cheers,
s