dropped a grand at dealership on brake and transfer case job

[hyde]

No wonder.. I agree. When I apply pressure it seems to stop faster by the distance (while I keep my foot at same level).

 

[grogiefrog]

hyedipin, I might have missed it... but how many miles were on your brakes?

 

[hyde]

almost 27k highway/local about %50 %50

 

[grogiefrog]

almost 27k highway/local about %50 %50

Oh my gosh! That's all for this price?! Ouch....

On my wife's previous Honda, the brakes had warping, and under warranty, the dealer fixed them.

 

[hyde]

That's the difference in service between american and japanese or german cars.. benz covers the dot on your carpet and wipers and brakes, etc.. while DC says screw you after 12k.. This has nothing to do with the price I paid but for DC not covering most of the easily eaten-up or fastest worn parts of the vehicles...

 

[hyde]

It it the type of brake pad material. Brake pads require a certain amount of heat to grab. Typically, the "high-performace" brake pads, or ones designed for severe use, suchy as towing or racing, require more heat to get to the grab point. This is so they will have a decent service life. The increased force you feel is a result of more heat being needed to get to that grab point.

I told them about this.. they said it is fine..

I told them my brakes were different following the last brake job. Now, today I drove the loaner GC, all it takes is a tiny tap and it stops. With my KJ I have to put my foot and press down a lot more to get it slowing down (after my recent brake job). I will be going back tonight to pick it up, any ideas if that is a problem? It feels like slower I go, harder it is to stop. I have to push all the way..

 

[Corwyyn]

I told them my brakes were different following the last brake job. Now, today I drove the loaner GC, all it takes is a tiny tap and it stops. With my KJ I have to put my foot and press down a lot more to get it slowing down (after my recent brake job). I will be going back tonight to pick it up, any ideas if that is a problem? It feels like slower I go, harder it is to stop. I have to push all the way..

Well, if the mechanic did a half-arsed job on the brakes and forgot to bleed them that may cause some of the problems you described. Another possibility that comes to mind is the brake booster, which you can at least do some visual checks on yourself. Open the hood and check the vacuum lines that run to the check valve - click on image below for larger view:

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You probably know the white plastic container with the yellow cap is the brake fluid resevoir, and the large black housing directly behind/below it is the brake booster. The orange colored hose is the vacuum line that runs to the intake manifold on the engine, and the green one leads off to ??? ( I didn't take time to trace it out). They both connect to the vacuum check valve on the brake booster (blue circle). If either one of those is loose, disconnected, or has a leak in it that may cause the booster to not function properly, which would translate to your needing to apply more force to the pedal. Here is a shot of the vacuum hose attaching to the intake manifold:

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Check this also to see if it is loose. There is one other test you can try - this is straight from my FSM:
DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING - MASTER
CYLINDER/POWER BOOSTER
(1) Start engine and check booster vacuum hose
connections. A hissing noise indicates vacuum leak.
Correct any vacuum leak before proceeding, also
ensure booster mounting nuts are torqued correctly.
(2) Stop engine and shift transmission into Neutral.
(3) Pump brake pedal until all vacuum reserve in
booster is depleted.
(4) Press and hold brake pedal under light foot
pressure. The pedal should hold firm, if the pedal
falls away master cylinder is faulty (internal leakage).
(5) Start engine and note pedal action. It should
fall away slightly under light foot pressure then hold
firm. If no pedal action is discernible, power booster,
vacuum supply, or vacuum check valve is faulty. Proceed
to the POWER BOOSTER VACUUM TEST.
(6) If the POWER BOOSTER VACUUM TEST
passes, rebuild booster vacuum reserve as follows:
Release brake pedal. Increase engine speed to 1500
rpm, close the throttle and immediately turn off ignition
to stop engine.
(7) Wait a minimum of 90 seconds and try brake
action again. Booster should provide two or more vacuum
assisted pedal applications. If vacuum assist is
not provided, booster is faulty.

I wouldn't worry about the POWER BOOSTER VACUUM TEST because it requires a vacuum gauge, but you should be able to perform the other checks to see how they work.

Hopefully you can get it figured out, if not then the dealer or a good independant mechanic should be able to. Good luck!

 

[hyde]

Corwyyn, thank you very much for your help and the suggestions.

I did the engine/pedal test and it seems to work OK. Although I will compare the compression of the pedal with my uncle's 06 and see how different it is, it seems to work as described, with the pressure build up while engine is off.


As for the hoses, please see what mine looks like. I just followed the same hose, but I don't see any leaks or damage to the hoses, and no hissing.

For the brake fluid resevoir, I have no way of telling fluid level, because it is not as clear as yours, just like how the hoses are different.

You must be registered for see images

 

[JeepJeepster]

lol, just take the cap off to check the level. O

 

[Corwyyn]

Well, just looking at your photo it appears that the connections are OK. If by saying my hoses are different you mean the colors I added that in GIMP just to make them stand out. As for cleanliness I just do the engine compartment when I take the KJ to the car wash; I use the engine degreaser on low pressure, let it sit while I go around the exterior with the soapy water, then come back and rinse it at low pressure. I HATE having to work on a dirty engine :-s I would maybe see if bleeding the brakes helps.

 

[hyde]

my hoses are different you mean the colors I added that in GIMP just to make them stand out.

oh my god, I am so stupid. 8-[ I actually thought your hoses had them, now with a closer look on my laptop I can see they were drawn on. I guess I wouldn't touch the brakes or try bleeding them, I feel I might do something wrong and make it worse. I might try local shop when I have time.

Thanks so much for your help.

jeepjeepster, when I saw the warning on the container, which says sometihng about not letting any dirt get in while closing it, and with the container being very dirty, I thought it might plug it or get some dirt in it, so I decided not to touch that either.

Only if I was as handy with cars as I am with computers.. I am trying...