Dave51

I tried Evolution pads and rotors with holes AND slots to try to fix an overheating brakes issue in my Frontier that occurred carrying heavy loads and the pads were just eaten up. But I suppose they looked flashy.

Maybe I'll paint my calipers Fire Engine Red and see if that helps...

Dave51

Using DOT 4 fluid would be a good upgrade.

robsjeep

Update...

Mig welded the low spots on the brake pad guides on the knuckles. Used a round file to clean out the low spots to fresh metal (the cast iron is soft, digs out easy with file) Then used a MAP gas torch for about 60 seconds in the area to preheat. Then set MIG settings for 1/4 inch thick material, and two or three squirts on each low spot filled it up. Let it cool a minute between squirts of the mig torch. Dont over heat the cast iron, cool time between squirts! Weld material is rock hard, file wont touch it. Used an angle grinder with a very thin 4 inch dia. cut off disk. slowly worked the weld down to the right shape Take your time grinding, use the thin blade for control, they make a fine cut. It all has to be done by grinder or with a stone, material will rapidly dull a file. If you over cut, you get to start again a weld up the low spot! Dont put your welder away until you finish the grinding, just in case.

The hard weld material should wear much better than the soft cast iron it replaced. Might tear up the pad backing plate slot faster though.

My verdict on the Cherokee front brakes is....S.D.D.

STUPID DUMB DESIGN!

Next is my front brake rotors... I need to replace. They, both the front rotors are to close to wear limit to resurface.

Get this........ It is a CJ7 brake rotor I need, machined down from 11.7 to 11.0 inch diameter disc, and 7.2 to 7.0 diameter on the hub part. This rig has a Warn manual hub free axle kit installed, 5 x 5.5 lug pattern. Hence custom rotor. My rig, well she runs stock XJ calipers, but the rotors are cut down CJ7 types. That's what fits the hubs anyway. Ain't that the cake? So special. So CJ7 rotors after a go around on a lathe is what she will get.

Anyway my knuckles is repaired, weld and grind was simple! Yippie.

lawsoncl

So the answer on the pad alignment, was really having mismatched rotors installed?

robsjeep

Problem is wear on the knuckle pad guides. The rotor is ok, as evidenced by the outer pad wearing correctly, the outer pad guides were not worn, but where the inner pad bear on the guides they was worn bad. welding fixed that.

lawsoncl

I didn't think the divots on the guides looked bad enough to shift the pad that far. It looked pretty typical really and I've repair far worse. It almost looks like the pad is wider than the wear surface of the rotor?

Oswalla

Just an FYI, my 90' divot wear was greatly reduced by using the abutment clips on the pads. I had no idea they were used on my jeep til I stumbled upon them installed on brakes at a wrecking yard. Mine never had the clips installed when I bought it. Apparently some new pads come with them or you can buy them separately. I assume the softer material of the abutment clips help with wear on the guides harder metal.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...179996&jsn=502

robsjeep

Inner and outer pads are a set, same size, although different clips. Both have location determined by the knuckle guides. Outer pad guide areas were undamaged, and outer pads ran nicely centered on rotor, all is good! Inner pads rode on the guides that were worn with divots in them. This shifted the inner pads to a smaller diameter contact path, which caused them to be placed partially off the rotor. The wear on the guides was deep enough to do this, Perhaps the photograph posted did not do a good job of showing the depth of the divots in the guides. The inner pads rode on the deepest part of the divot, and that was all it took to shift them towards the center of the wheel, taking them off center of the rotor.

If the issue was the rotor being wrong sized, then both inner and outer pads should have shown the same problem of not being centered over the rotor.