Issue with brakes after stopping hard on 2008 JKU

Flowermama1969

Flowermama1969

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Today I had a TERRIFYING experience with my 2008 Wrangler Unlimited.

I had to do a hard stop when someone slammed on their brakes in front of me. The break pedal went all the way to the floor, grinding ensued and the car pulled hard to the right. Afterwards, the Jeep wouldn't go forward till I put it in park then back into gear. I'm going to have the brakes looked at this afternoon! Should the transmission be looked at as well or is that a safety thing?
 
I can't speak to the transmission as my 2009 has a manual, though I do have a function that holds the brakes for a second after I let off the brake to assist in starting off going uphill.

For the pulling the the right, there are many reasons it could do that, but an uneven bleeding of the brake lines would do it. This also can account for it going all the way to the floor. I would check to make sure there is brake fluid in the reservoir. An empty reservoir is the easiest way to introduce air into the lines.

This could be bad and the next time you get in it should be directly to the brake shop and do not go very fast.

In addition, before you turn it on, check underneath for drips of brake fluid. Probably right next to the tires or even running along the back of them.

I have no idea why you would have to shift into park and back. This could be some safety thing or feature I'm unaware of.

or as @BLACKJKU says, a locked up caliper. regardless next trip is the the shop, unless a leak is found. Then it's a tow unless you can fix it yourself.
 
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Flowermama1969 said:
Yikes! It stopped fine on the way home. Would it only cause issues with hard braking?
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It might but also since it pulled to one side usually means a caliper problem. It might be best to have them checked.

I just noticed you said grinding, usually means a brake pad is worn down to where the pad is gone and it's metal to metal and that can make it pull to one side.
 
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I have an old chevy Nova that I can't drive until I change out the rubber brake lines near the tire. Over the years these have swelled to the point that with pressure I can stop the vehicle, but the brakes don't release as fast as they should because of the smaller passage they have.

I'm certain this isn't what is going on with you, however I just want to point out that stopping is the single most important thing your vehicle can do, if that isn't working the way it should, and you don't know why, probably not a good idea to drive it.

For you a very slow drive to the shop will probably be fine. But no side stops, take detours that allow you to go slow and not stop very often.

I once drove 10 miles with a massive leak and a freshly topped off brake reservoir. I knew I had about 4 complete stops before the brakes failed and I knew the route and was able to coast through a few stop signs because of low traffic. Turned out to be a shattered caliper. Fun day.
 
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MacGuyver said:
I have an old chevy Nova that I can't drive until I change out the rubber brake lines near the tire. Over the years these have swelled to the point that with pressure I can stop the vehicle, but the brakes don't release as fast as they should because of the smaller passage they have.

I'm certain this isn't what is going on with you, however I just want to point out that stopping is the single most important thing your vehicle can do, if that isn't working the way it should, and you don't know why, probably not a good idea to drive it.

For you a very slow drive to the shop will probably be fine. But no side stops, take detours that allow you to go slow and not stop very often.

I once drove 10 miles with a massive leak and a freshly topped off brake reservoir. I knew I had about 4 complete stops before the brakes failed and I knew the route and was able to coast through a few stop signs because of low traffic. Turned out to be a shattered caliper. Fun day.
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Been through all that before in my many years of driving.
 
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Ok guys, at the shop right now. He's going to look at the brakes and see what's up. I'll keep you posted. Thank you for all the comments and suggestions.
 
Ok, so I needed new pads, rotors and calipers. The calipers froze up, rotors were below manufacturers replace recommendations by .25mm. The calipers fell apart when they took them off and the pads were paper thin.

Last brake job I had was a month ago. They replaced the back pads and driver side rear caliper. The passenger side rear rotor has a beautiful groove in it. I'll replace THAT next pay day.

Total damages today, 815.00. 3/4 of my paycheck for the week!
 
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Flowermama1969 said:
Ok, so I needed new pads, rotors and calipers. The calipers froze up, rotors were below manufacturers replace recommendations by .25mm. The calipers fell apart when they took them off and the pads were paper thin.

Last brake job I had was a month ago. They replaced the back pads and driver side rear caliper. The passenger side rear rotor has a beautiful groove in it. I'll replace THAT next pay day.

Total damages today, 815.00. 3/4 of my paycheck for the week!
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Thanks for updating us. $815.00 i would be lucky if I had that much for a weeks pay unless I had 30 hrs OT with it.
 
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BLACKJKU said:
Thanks for updating us. $815.00 i would be lucky if I had that much for a weeks pay unless I had 30 hrs OT with it.
BLACKJKU said:
Thanks for updating us. $815.00 i would be lucky if I had that much for a weeks pay unless I had 30 hrs OT with it.
Click to expand...
I'm an Uber driver. Last week, I worked 80 hours. Good thing I did, huh?
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Hopefully they flushed the brake fluid. This is why I DIY, $300 for new front calipers, pads and 4 SS brake lines. It was about a days worth of work.
I did Hoses too as I have read that sometimes people replace calipers but still have sticking calipers because hoses were collapsed and that was the issue.
Feel your wheels after you stop driving to see if they are warm/hot to the touch. That would indicate calipers are sticking.
 
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Always a good idea to replace old rubber brake hoses. They get weak and under pressure they will swell taking away pressure to the calipers
 
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