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2004 Jeep Cherokee Hot front hub and steering wheel shaking

Tiny
JIBBA
  • MEMBER
  • 2004 JEEP CHEROKEE
  • 6 CYL
  • AWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 75,000 MILES
Hello,

Problem: Hot left hub and wheel shaking

About a month ago I replaced both front rotors and brake pads. After driving for a while(the day after) I noticed that both sides smelled and I assumed it was because of the brake cleaner that was sprayed on it to get rid of the film on the rotor. About a week later I noticed that the inside of the right rotor got deep scratches in it so I took it apart again and realized that the sliding pin that the caliper attaches to was seized so I freed it and lubed both of them on that side and got replacement rotors and pads for that side.

After replacing the right side for the second time I noticed that the left side hub was getting hot. I took the left side apart again and cleaned out the sliding caliper pins and lubed them. The tires appear to turn just fine(by hand after applying brake pressure) so I don't think the caliper is frozen on that side. The inside of that rotor is starting to get scratched up(right side appears to be fine right now).

The front left hub is a lot hotter than all of the other hubs. There has also been wheel shaking since I replaced the rotors and pads. Sometimes its at lower speeds(30 - 40) and sometimes its higher speeds(60+). The first time I noticed it I was going 70+. I also did notice once that the car pulled to the right when I braked but that has only happened once. I don't know if the hub was getting hot before I did the replacements.

I had to do some banging on wrenches to get the caliper and caliper bracket loose so is there a chance I loosened up a bearing or something in the process? I had a friend who knows more about cars than me check a few bearings and he says they appear to be fine. I'm going to try to do the 12 and 6 position check tomorrow to double check check the wheel bearing.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! -Adam
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Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 AT 9:37 PM

14 Replies

Tiny
MADMIKE1735
  • MECHANIC
  • 951 POSTS
As uncommon as it is, you may have a defective rotor. Did you buy cheap rotors? Also, what type of pads did u get, ceramics are extremely hard, and eat rotors. Since you cleaned all the slides, try bleeding the brakes. See if you get any air. If you do, then it may be a copper gasket not sealing at high pressure. Also, dont rule out a caliper just yet.
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Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 AT 9:42 PM
Tiny
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I bought Duralast semi-metallic pads and Duralast Rotors. I will try bleeding it out tomorrow and let you know.

Thanks for your help!
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Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 AT 9:59 PM
Tiny
MADMIKE1735
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I wish I had your vehicle in front of me so I could be of more assistance. Either way, take a look at the rotors. Sometimes, rotors get dropped in shipping and that can throw everything off. One would think because its a new part, it should be fine, not always the case. We will get you fixed up one way or another.
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Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 AT 10:15 PM
Tiny
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Is the copper gasket at the caliper and flexible brake hose? If that were to be the problem, would it leak every time I apply pressure? I don't recall seeing anything leaking there so I'm just checking before I go and do it.
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Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 AT 10:24 PM
Tiny
MADMIKE1735
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There may be a leak anywhere. As far as the copper gasket goes, there are 2 per caliper. The brake hose that has the square block on the bottom where it goes to the caliper, they have 1 copper washer on each side. If it was leaking, it should be noticeable. Chase from the master cylinder, to each caliper. If you dont find any leaks, great. Keep in mind that when the caliper has force applied to it, it pushes the inner brake pad to the rotor, and pulls the outer pad to the rotor, this is why inner pads wear a bit quicker than outer pads.
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Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 AT 10:53 PM
Tiny
JIBBA
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Hey Mike,
I bled out about a 1/2 cup from the left side(the problem side). Drove it for a few miles and same problem, still hot. While bleeding it out I could see the top of the caliper get tight and loose but it wasn't as obvious on the bottom. Not sure if I got any air out of it or not because of the initial air that was in the bleeder hose. The outer side of the rotor is now getting scared(think it started yesterday when I lubed up the pins and took it out for a drive).

Thanks!
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Friday, September 3rd, 2010 AT 9:53 AM
Tiny
MADMIKE1735
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So the side you bled is still getting hot? The problem may not be that side. If the other side is cool, there may be in air it not allowing it to work, and this could be why only one side is wicked hot. Its doing the job that 2 calipers should be doing.
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Saturday, September 4th, 2010 AT 1:31 PM
Tiny
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If if were the case that the drivers side is working harder than the passenger side, wouldn't it pull to the drivers side when I brake? It doesn't seem to pull to either side when I brake.

What would be causing the shaking while driving? Maybe the heat and shaking are directly related.
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Saturday, September 4th, 2010 AT 2:36 PM
Tiny
MADMIKE1735
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In most cases yes. But your saying one side is getting hotter that the other? If you step on the brakes does it pull? You just replaced the pads and rotors, they need time to correctly seat to one another. As far as a wheel bearing, you checked those, and didnt find any play. Put about 50-75 miles on it and see if the problem goes away. We may be jumping the gun by not allowing adequate break in time.
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Saturday, September 4th, 2010 AT 7:14 PM
Tiny
MADMIKE1735
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Also, as far as the shaking goes, it only shakes when the brakes are applied, or at highway speeds cruising? Problem may lie in a faulty tire, bad tie-rod end, maybe a bad drag-link. Remember I dont have this vehicle in front of me, so the whole diag will take a bit longer. Bear with me, and we will have your problem solved. Just for ha has, try putting your rear tires on the front. A rotate is always good, and if the shaking goes away, then you can narrow it down to a wheel out of balance.
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Saturday, September 4th, 2010 AT 7:18 PM
Tiny
JIBBA
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The vehicle brakes as it did before I changed the brakes. It doesn't pull to either side(except for ONE time when it veered to the right after changing the brakes but hasn't happened since). I have over 50 miles on the new pads and rotors right now and most likely over 75 total. Does brake glazing have anything to do with generating heat? I can imagine they are pretty well glazed now(I would think so anyway). Does it wear away or do I have to remove it?

I did the '12 - 6' check and it didn't budge. Didn't check anything else on the tire.

The tires are new and less than 6k miles on them and have been rotated once. The shaking happened after the brake change.

Need to get the vehicle inspected this month and need it to get to a new job so I might have to break down and go to a shop.
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Saturday, September 4th, 2010 AT 7:43 PM
Tiny
MADMIKE1735
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Glazing occurs during heavy breaking. The best way to prevent this use a semi-metallic pad instead of a ceramic. Most likely your pads are not glazed as im sure your not racing this vehicle at daytona. The heat your talking about is generated by normal friction. I wouldnt worry about it. Keep driving it normally.
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Sunday, September 5th, 2010 AT 1:36 AM
Tiny
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Well, it gets hot enough that I can't hold my hand on my rim. The other tires just get warm.
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Sunday, September 5th, 2010 AT 11:12 AM
Tiny
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I had my Jeep inspected(annual inspection) and it was suggested that I replace the brake pads on the drivers side(the bad side) because the pads were all messed up. I just did that and it still runs hot.

When I got home, I jacked up the drivers side and then pressed and released the brake(with the Jeep on) and couldn't turn the tired. Did the same thing on the passenger side but I could turn the tire.

So, I would assume it would either be the caliper or brake hose that is the problem. Or maybe when I pushed the caliper pistons in when I changed the brakes some rust got in. What do you think?
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Thursday, September 16th, 2010 AT 3:03 PM

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