easons, try this link.

http://www.xjjeeps.com/

 

If he really called them calipers I would find a new mechanic.
These are not things that are necessarily hard to fix though man.
Google and youtube and cherokee forum will be your best friend doing stuff like this. All it takes is some time, elbow grease, and common hand tools. I wouldn't pay someone 1000$ for something you can do yourself for 300 or so depending on what you have to replace in the rear brakes.
Whatever you do to one side it's always best to do to the other. While your in there I would go ahead and replace the shoes and springs along with the wheel cylinders.
Tons of info on this on the internet. And the fuel pump, stay away from airtex brand(or so I've heard)

Also, because of your mechanic calling your rear wheel cylinder a caliper, is he the one who told you to replace the fuel pump?
Just wondering how you know it's bad is all.
Good luck with your jeep man, have fun with it!

 

Great advice^^here.

 

Google search "2000 jeep cherokee XJ specifications". Start there and explore. Google is your friend. Just ask and it will lead you to information.

 

eason, you seem like a nice young man and you need some help. We weren't born with the knowledge we have now. We were all 17 once. We will guide you, direct you, advise you any way we can.

 

Regarding the cost of rear brakes, my recently purchased 96 Cherokee had a low brake pedal and a brake warning light. The previous owner said vehicle had new front pads and discs and that appeared correct. I travel for my work and did not have time to dig into the brakes, so took it to a local shop that I know and trust (third generation family shop, tires, brakes, suspension only). Jeep had sat for a long time and wheel cylinder seals had dried and were leaking. $450 for new wheel cylinders, new shoes, full hardware kit, and new drums (worn beyond tolerances), and a full system flush at my request. Not cheap, but it's a job I won't likely have to worry about again. So your total of $1000 still sounds high, particularly if the guy is not highly qualified.

 

Thank you all alot. Im takeing your advice. Yes he did say we needed a new fuel pump so i don't know how it really is.

 

I took my car in there for new breaks and told her to just check everything. How could he tell i needed a new fuel pump? If it is inside the tank (my dad told me this bit of info)

 

Because that's USUALLY a good upgrade for mechanics. We changed em on all our fleet sprinters cause it was easy. A "normal" fuel filter is a wear item. Chevy van, sprinters etc. As for the XJ, once they put it in the tank, you'll know when you'd need a new one

 

You might want to fill out your signature with your vehicle info along with your location, there just might be a member who lives near you that would be willing to help for a couple beers. That being said, does the jeep run ok? Start ok? Drive down the highway ok? plenty of power? If you answered yes to all, the odds are good that you don't need a fuel pump. If you haven't changed your fuel filter (does a 2000 have one?) it's time. Look at www.rockauto.com for your parts needs. Wheel cylinders aren't too hard as long at the brake line unscrews easily from the back of them. Brake shoes and parts kits are relatively cheap, might as well do those at the same time, plus if the wheel cylinder is leaking there is a chance the shoes are trashed (the short shoe faces the front of the vehicle). You'll need a special wrench, called a tubing wrench, to remove the brake line. Take lots of pictures before you start, it'll help when you go to put it back together again. Also after you are done, you will need to bleed and adjust the brakes before you drive it, and it takes a few miles of driving for the shoes to mate with the drum. Good luck!

 

I will caution you about attempting this brake repair without a skilled person there to assist you. This forum is full of ppl who will be happy to type snippets of instructions that you may read and then believe that if they can do it, you can do it. In your case, I still suggest some study time first. Learn how the brake system works. Know the parts and what they do. Are you good with a wrench? Do you have a full set of tools for this type of work? Do you know how to bleed air out of brake lines? I'm guessing not, and that's normal at 17. Learn enough to do a simple diagnosis at home to validate what this mechanic said. It's fairly easy to inspect your rear brakes visually by pulling the drum off. If you remove your leaky wheel cylinders expect to replace the shoes and hardware. Also, old brake lines do not unscrew, they twist and brake off. You will have to replace several hydraulic lines in the process. It's not a fun job. For a beginner it would be a friggin nightmare. If you want to attempt this, expect it to be difficult and perhaps impossible unless you have the resources I mentioned earlier. You may want to use this opportunity to find a decent, honest and reasonably priced mechanic to do this and other future work.

 

Brakes!......lol

 

Always a good idea to take the drums to a auto parts/machine shop and have the Drums checked too see if they are still safe (thickness). Then if so turned to remove any flat spots groves, etc. for a good seat of new shoes. This doesn't cost a lot and should be done at each brake job, same for the Calipers in front when replacing pads.

 

Can I just say first of all to look inside through your rear wheels and see if you see a drum or a rotor? If you haven't owned the XJ for its entire life it may have been modified to disc brakes. If you see a shiny metal disck, its disc brakes, if you see a bulbous chunk of rust, it's drum brakes.

Before you get too far into this, take it somewhere else. Maybe a couple places. And take it there yourself so you know exactly what the mechanic says.

You may even want to pay the small amount they'll charge for a brake inspection. Hell, take it to a Sears auto center. It's only like twenty some dollars for a brake inspection there.

 

As Cruiser said: We were all 17 once. The problem with brakes is you don't know what you don't know. I found disc brakes pretty easy and GM drum brakes pretty easy. I didn't find the drum brakes on my '87 that easy and got the self-adjuster messed up. I ended up taking it in to good mechanic and he said "You really messed those up!".


You need to get a Haynes manual, search some youtube videos on drum brakes and watch them to see if you think you have all the tools, time and ambition to do it yourself. I picked up a lot of brake tools at garage sales. Lots of old guys not wanting to work on cars anymore and getting rid of stuff all the time.


The people on this forum will help you a lot but you need to post very accurately what the problems are and if you use the wrong names for parts, they will lose confidence in your ability to really fix it and you will just get empty space under your posting.


For everyone there is a first time for everything so get someone else who has done this before a few times to coach you. If that's your Dad or uncle, great. If it's the old guy next door that's fine too.


Good luck.