QuestionBLOWN REAR WHEEL CYLINDER ON A 1995 CHEROKEE SPORT CAUSED A BRAKE WARNING LIGHT TO COME ON , AFTER MAKING THE REPAIRS HOW DO I GET THE LIGHT TO GO OFF ? ALSO REPLACED THE TWO REAR BRAKE LINES, WHEEL CYLINDERS & BLED THE REAR BRAKES, DID NOT BLEED THE FRONTS, THE BRAKES SEEM TO BE WORKING FINE.
AnswerHi Ed,
You've answered your own question. Bleed the fronts also. The lines aren't connected, but they meet at the junction block as well as the master cylinder. So if air is in one line, it's highly probably that it is in all of them.
Start at the furthest wheel from the master cylinder, typically right-rear, then roll around to the left-rear, the right-front and finally the left-front.
The reason the light is still on is because there is still an unbalance in the braking system. Typically, ABS assemblies do the lions share of the bleeding for you but either you don't have ABS or it is not helping you here. That's not to say it's bad, just that it is currently being passive, possibly due to the fact that the light is on.
Also, did you adjust the star-wheels on both rear sets to bring the shoes to a light drag? If the shoes are improperly adjusted, the wheel cylinder will have to stretch further than it should and that could drive ya nuts because it'll cause air to remain in the line even after you bleed them several times. So pull the drum unless you have an access port through the backing plate, then use that, otherwise jack the corner of the vehicle up until the wheel is off the ground (best to do with a tire on if possible) adjust the star-wheel until you start to feel the shoes touch the drum and start to slow it down. You want to keep adjusting the drag until when you try to spin the wheel by itself, it just stops as soon as you let go of it. NOT a heavy drag, just a light drag and make sure both sides are close with the adjustment. Then go back around to all of the wheels again and power-bleed them.
Power-bleeding is done with two people. One pumps the brakes about five to ten times until a real stiff pedal is achieved. Then the other person slowly releases the bleeder until about half of the fluid has come out then quickly close it. Also it is a good idea to place a 1x2 under the brake pedal while bleeding so the pedal does not go all the way to the floor. That could cavitate the seal and cause other problems down the road in the master cylinder.
Thanks for the question, I hope this information was helpful to you.
Fred
Knucklebusters Used Auto & Truck Parts, Inc.
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