I have a 1993 Jeep Cherokee 4.0L I6 model. When I took it for a 3.2 mile drive (I randomly decided to reset the trip meter before I left) the left brake locked up and started to smoke. I took the entire assembly off of the wheel and pressed the brakes. It seems to close fine but it will not re-open after it closes. This is on the front passenger side wheel. The driver side brakes work like new. This car has 303,000 miles on it so its up there. Do any of you have any idea what I will need to replace or fix>?
I can’t really grasp your terminology so I will put it in my own words. You say at first “the left brake locked up” but then you say the drivers side work like new,so I don’t know what side we are talking about. My repair list is two new front calipers,all rubber brake parts on the whole car brake pads and you will have to make some kind of decision on rotors,pretty much everything brake related with a bearing pack and a fluid flush,just about everything.
The problem might be with the flexible brake hose that goes to that caliper. When these hoses get old, pieces of the hose can become disattached on the inside. This hanging hunk of rubber can then act like a check valve. That is, it allows hydraulic pressure to be applied to the caliper piston so the pads clamp onto the rotor, but when releasing the brake pedal the hydraulic pressure isn’t released and the brake remains applied. To check for this, crack open the bleeder screw on that caliper. If brake fluid squirts out of the bleeder, there’s still hydraulic pressure being applied to the caliper piston. And this is usually due to a defective brake hose. When this problem is discovered, it’s a good idea to replace both brake hoses.
Tester