Salvagedcircuit

I am going to address my glaring issues with the driver side brakes and then inspect the booster. Worst case, I will grab some clay or mounting putty and take a measurement. Thanks again cruiser54 for the input.

An update on this. I checked my driver front caliper and I noticed the 3 month old autozone caliper shifted on me. I do not know if either I did not torque the slide pins enough, or maybe I forgot to push the caliper in all the way. I have never had this happen to me on any vehicle I've worked on. I am also investigating the rear driver side drum cylinder to see if its leaking internally and lastly I will double check the booster push rod length. I originally decided to leave the booster rod length stock as there was no documentation from jeep on adjustment in the WJ manual and the cardone technical asce technician did not mention the process. The photos included show the booster length just before I installed it. This is the length shipped by cardone. The adjustment nut is fully seated on the push rod shaft. I did not make any adjustments. I will be calling cardone again tomorrow and re-reading the lexus booster rod length adjustment process cruiser54 mentioned. This could be the reason why I am experiencing a soft pedal for 7/8 of the throw and it then gets hard the last 1/8 of the throw.

Thanks again for all of the help guys. I swapped the lines and re-bled every wheel (rear passenger, rear driver, passenger, driver). I now have brakes but the pedal seems very weak. I removed the rear drums and inspected the drum cylinders and there were no signs of brake fluid leaking anywhere on the drum backing plate assembly. I reinstalled the drums and adjusted the rear drums again, following advice on how to properly adjust the star-adjusters. The pedal still feels soft up until the last, say, 1/8 of the travel length. My wilwood proportional valve is set on 5 turns, about 50%. I have a new brake line in the back and old brake lines in the driver front and passenger front. I notice there is a large sucking sound whenever I press the brake pedal to the floor. I then disconnected the vacuum from the booster and plugged the hose. If I do not plug the hose, the engine revs pretty high. My brake pedal now feels pretty stiff. However, when I use the brakes with the vacuum disconnected from the booster, they barely work. It takes a while to stop from accelerating to 5mph. It does indeed stop and it is not just rolling resistance. I plugged the vacuum line back into the vacuum booster and the pedal is soft again until the last 1/8 of travel. However, the brakes work a lot better. I put my rear tires on the lawn and my two front tires on the pavement. I was able to do a burnout while the front brakes held the vehicle from going forward. I conducted another burnout test with all front and rear wheels on the pavement and the front brakes hold the vehicle in place while I spin out the rear tires. It just seems incredibly strange that 7/8 of the pedal travel feels incredibly soft. Am I not getting enough vacuum to the booster? My vacuum gauge is measuring 15in-mg when the engine is idling (~400rpm). I connected the gauge with a T as stated in the 01 WJ manual. I did my very best to baby the master cylinder during bench bleeding. I did not mishandle it in anyway. I did not push the shaft more than 3/4in when bleeding for fear of flipping seals. I triple checked the master and booster alignment so they are definitely aligned properly. I am at a loss of words to why this does not work. If anyone has any advice, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

Hmm. This was normal paint and not powder coated? Do you by chance remember what shade of gray you used? Thanks!

Thanks a ton Pete! I glass bead blasted my turbine rims and they look great, but I've been mulling about robust options for refinishing the rim, yet retain the factory look. I think the two best options are to either: -powder coat light gray (no idea the shade), tape up 10 spokes -remove tape, polish 10 spokes -powder coat clear entire rim or -anodize light gray (no idea the shade), tape up 10 spokes -remove tape, polish 10 spokes -anodize clear entire rim I believe both methods will work. I think the only differentiator is the polish on the anodized spokes will not be as shiny as the powder coat, but I believe the anodized finish should outlast the powder coat. From what I've found is that consumer / prosumer paint does not adhere to aluminum well. Factory electrolysis painting yields best results, but that's usually out of every restoration budget. I am currently leaning toward the anodization. I don't want the spokes to be a chrome level polish shiny. Folks that have powder coated feel free to chime in. Thanks a ton!

Here's a snapshot from the WJ service manual. Here's the master cylinder properly labeled. Well, That's all folks Is there anyway to know if I damaged the master cylinder or prop valve by having the lines reversed? I ran the comanche 5 times at 40mph for brake testing.

I'm looking back through the WJ service manual to see if I can straighten this out. Thanks for all the input. I really, really, really appreciate it. Seriously, Thanks. I'm hoping this is the solution.

If this is a '92, he already has the open style cooling system (i'm jealous) Nice find!

I guessed that the front of the unit is for the front and the rear is for the back. Again, Raybestos makes no effort to provide any documentation about the item. They don't even list the part on their website. I'm calling their tech support now but I am conveniently getting an answering machine.

Just edited the original post. distribution block and rear prop valve removed. It is possible that I connected the two lines from the master cylinder to the prop valve in the reverse manner. There was no documentation with the raybestos master cylinder stating what each line was for. I have to double check my photos. Thanks for all the input guys.

Problem: Finally completed the WJ dual diaphragm brake upgrade. My front disc brakes don't seem to be doing anything. Bleeding does not yield stiff pedal. Symptoms: After a quick 40mph test on a closed paved road, Rear drums grab and get warm. They get to about 210f with a thermal gun. Front brakes barely hit 90f, so they don't seem to be doing anything. Observations: no brake fluid leaking anywhere. No fluid leaks from front calipers, rear drums, rear axles, master, or prop valve. When bleeding entire vehicle, brake fluid flows easily from all brake fittings. Work Done: Removed original master, booster and distribution block removed prop valve under bed installed new WJ Cardone 5C-473163 booster + Raybestos master MC390511 combo. master cylinder properly bench bled. 1in travel on shaft at most, according to cardone. Pumped for 15min. no air bubbles. master properly aligned to booster outside vehicle and then installed into comanche. new DOT3 fluid used new wilwood 260-13190 prop valve new nickel chrome brake line to the rear axle drum brakes removed all old brake lines to the back new fittings. old front passenger brake line old front driver brake line new rubber brake lines on all wheels old passenger front caliper new driver front caliper new passenger and driver caliper brake pads disk brake fittings in up position, not down, so calipers should be installed correctly. bled entire vehicle 8 times. No more air bubbles last 4 times bled. bleeding does not yield a stiff pedal. bled vehicle in proper passenger rear, driver rear, passenger front, driver front fashion. bled system with prop valve in middle and then again at 30%, no change. I bleed vehicle with engine off. When engine on, pedal becomes soft. Engine pulling vacuum well, I removed many vacuum leaks, but there may be some I missed. I called wilwood on 10/31 about the brake problem I have. the technician mentioned that I need a 10lb residual pressure valve for rears. This would be installed right after the brake line out of the prop valve. He mentioned that many car companies implemented a 10psi pressure valve into the master cylinder distribution blocks on older vehicles. He mentioned this helps resolve the rear drums locking up before the fronts. While this may help resolve that issue, I don't think it's going to solve my soft pedal problem and the front discs not doing much. I'm really drawing at straws here trying to determine the source of the problem. I've been through 3 whole 16oz bottles of dot3 fluid and I cannot get usable brakes. I'm about ready to hand it off to a shop, but I have a feeling they will not be able to solve the problem either. My first inkling is to make new driver and passenger brake lines, but I have a feeling that will not solve the issue. If anyone has any input, that would be great. Thanks!

Neat! It's great to see more comanche content on the youtubes!

Does this still exist? Is the rear baseboard (behind the seat), rear baseboard trim piece and headliner still exist? May make a trip out there if they are still there. I am in the NH-MA area Many thanks.

I don't always check back on this build thread, but when I do, I'm simply amazed. Nice job man!

Has anyone found a shade of gray spray paint close to the original turbine rim gray? Thanks.

Wait, did you order new axle shafts, or did they have an entire rear axle assembly on hand and just rebuilt it to spec? Thanks.

Excellent work! I'm hoping to get my new heater core installed before I see this years first flakes. Fingers crossed.

Haha, yeah i borrowed some photos for this post Thanks for the input guys! I think what I will do is heatshrink a new vacuum line to the last non-broken part of the vacuum line, use rubber hose with the right ID or just replace the entire vacuum line when I open up the HVAC box. What is strange is that the vacuum lines are missing from some comanche owner's hvac box. I've seen photos without then. Why is that? Do people just remove them if they removed the heater control valve? Do folks reroute them when they refurbish the hvac box? Thanks!

I'm in the middle of buying parts for my HVAC box restoration, and I can't seem to find the vacuum pigtail that is commonly found in the rear portion of the HVAC box by the evap and heater ports. It looks like the following circled images. Is this part available any more? Is the next best alternative to just shove new vacuum lines through the firewall with a new foam seal? Thanks!

Awesome work! Does anyone know if the fittings for this '96 ac evap unit are the same as on the '89 comanche? Didn't the evap core fitting sizes change through the years? According to rock auto, the 96 evap unit you used is the Four Seasons 54812 / TYC 97347 /UAC EV4178PFXC / GPD 4711548. Thanks.

I saw your latest build. It is a marvel of a restoration. Seriously excellent work. Unfortunately, I noticed a teaspoon of some green fluid (engine coolant) that pooled up on my new passenger side floor after a heavy rain storm. I am hoping its just the hoses to the heater core failing from old age and not the heater core itself, but there's a good chance she's a goner. In the mean time, I will be skipping the heatshield installation until I get the coolant leak fixed. Looking over dynapad and the Luxury liner pro, both seem to just be closed cell foam with a thin layer of MLV glued on top. I have not ran any numbers yet, but I think I will be going with just a 0.5in or 0.75in thick closed cell foam pad underneath my ACC vinyl floor and not bother with MLV. The ACC vinyl floor should be close enough to MLV. The vinyl floor has a uniform mass and has a consistent thickness, so I think it will work just fine considering it will sit directly on top of the closed cell foam pad. The order of operations for the next round of repairs are: -find source of coolant leak -If heater core is the problem, replace with a 97+ one like ghetdjc320 did in his latest build -seam seal the cab and both sides of the engine bay-firewall -use 97+ molded coolant hoses -convert to open system with new coolant tank and bracket from 97+ cherokee (I grabbed this from JY last time I visited) -install inline Moroso Radiator Hose Filler in the gates coolant hose by the AC compressor bracket -remove water pump -install Dorman 56398 Engine Water Pump Inlet Tube. late 90s cherokees use this, makes installing coolant hoses easier. -reassemble everything for umpteenth time.

Hey guys, I just finished repairing my floor and POR15'd everything. I cut back the original gray plastic coated foam heat shield that Jeep used from the factory. It was deteriorating in my hands and was damp, so I did not see the reason to keep it. I grabbed SEM seam sealer and hope to be seam sealing next week and conducting a waterproofing test with my garden hose. Following, I plan to install a replacement heatshield, underflooring and the new ACC vinyl floor. Heat shield options: -Dynaliner. 300F rated. $6.66/sqft -Eastwood X-mat. 350f rated. $5.98/sqft Under-floor options: -Dynapad. 0.5in thick. $9.17/sqft -Luxury liner pro. 0.375in thick. $8.88/sqft -DE undercarpet. 0.375in thick. $6.06/sqft -closed cell foam. 0.5in thick. $2.74/sqft -closed cell foam + MLV (mass layered vinyl) Sound deadening options: 3m Sound Deadening Pad 08840. 160f max. $3.72/sqft https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40068137/ Frankly, none of these options are very affordable. I am not fond of buying import products just to have to redo the process again a year down the line. That said, the dyna company expects you to have a gold plated yacht in your yard. No automotive manufacturer is paying anywhere near these prices for sound deadening or shielding. When 3m is the cheapest option, you know there's a problem! It seems that thicker material yields a better thermal and sound deadening solution, so I don't mind selecting a 0.5in or 0.75in under floor / heatshield solution. Let me know if you guys have come up with any other alternate solutions. Thanks!

Good news all, One of my theories was correct: The rod inside the booster was not lined up with the master. Because of this, the booster rod is now off center and the master is slightly damaged. This is why nothing was flowing from the master cylinder outputs when the brake was pumped. Also, I grabbed the '96 brake pedal assembly from the JY and it fits perfectly. The brake light switch housing is simpler and more robust, but I still have to modify it for the automatic transmission cable clip bracket which I will have to weld. In addition, I ordered a new old stock '96 dual diaphragm mopar booster+master from omix-ada / morris 4x4. It came completely dented and is not unusable. No packaging material was used. The WJ booster I ordered from napa was unpainted and remanufacturered which was not mentioned. It is a centric part, in case anyone was curious. After my testing with the new WJ brake setup, I discovered that my main brake line from the front-back is shot. I will update with photos later on.

I wonder if the 1999-2001 Grand Cherokee service manual mentions the acceptable push rod clearance values. I should try and find the WJ service manual.

Curious, was your booster shaft too short and you had reduced brakes and pedal drag? I was hoping that by purchasing a new 3rd party booster and master designed for the identical vehicle that the two parts would have the proper fitment.