Jacked it up finally, are the front pads supposed to be touching the rotors?

skiznits

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Have had this YJ for years but never really worked on it bc I rarely drive it. Its been neglected and needs maintenance.
So finally got some time, jacked it up to replace the shocks and noticed that both of the front brake pads appear to be right up against the rotors. It turns but it's for sure touching.

Is this normal? Does it release when u start it? Seemed strange to me.

As an aside, in the past I've had the passenger side lock up on me twice over the last 8yrs and had to take it in for a bunch of new components bc that's way outta my league.
 
Have had this YJ for years but never really worked on it bc I rarely drive it. Its been neglected and needs maintenance.
So finally got some time, jacked it up to replace the shocks and noticed that both of the front brake pads appear to be right up against the rotors. It turns but it's for sure touching.

Is this normal? Does it release when u start it? Seemed strange to me.

As an aside, in the past I've had the passenger side lock up on me twice over the last 8yrs and had to take it in for a bunch of new components bc that's way outta my league.
Yes that’s normal. They should be right up to the rotor, but the rotor should turn freely. A little dragging sound is not unusual.
 
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There are no springs that pull the pads away from the rotors. But....if the calipers that hold the pads sit on slide rails of sorts rust,crust,dirt and the like from lack of use can easliy cause them hang up and the pads will drag and possibly hang up. When this happens heat is created which in turn can cause the brake fluid to boil and expand and push the pads against the disc even further and possibly lock the wheel up.
 
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The brake pads will drag. Try pumping the brake pedal several times then try rotating the front or rear wheels. They should slightly drag, more in the front, and that's normal but if they seem to be locked up then there's a good chance the rubber brake hoses are swollen and not releasing the fluid as they should. Mine were really bad to the point that the rims were getting hot.
 
The brake pads will drag. Try pumping the brake pedal several times then try rotating the front or rear wheels. They should slightly drag, more in the front, and that's normal but if they seem to be locked up then there's a good chance the rubber brake hoses are swollen and not releasing the fluid as they should. Mine were really bad to the point that the rims were getting hot.
That was a problem that I had, bad caliper hoses, to the point that they were working like a check valve.
 
The term 'dragging' seems 100% right on. That's what it feels like and sounds like it's within normal limits.

It turns with a little dragging but definitely not a free spin...like I can't flick it and watch it go like I'm on wheel of fortune or something. Lol. I need to put a lite pressure on it.

Thx👌
 
The brake pads will drag. Try pumping the brake pedal several times then try rotating the front or rear wheels. They should slightly drag, more in the front, and that's normal but if they seem to be locked up then there's a good chance the rubber brake hoses are swollen and not releasing the fluid as they should. Mine were really bad to the point that the rims were getting hot.
Yeah my front passenger locked up on me and pulled hard to the right. Smoked so bad then released on its own a few hrs later. They replaced the passenger brake lines and the brake booster and slave cylinder bc they said they were shot. Said the fluid in the lines looked like 💩.
Then it happened again 5 yrs later. Smh. They only replaced the booster and lines on round 2.
 
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Dragging is 100% normal. The pads need to be as close to the rotor as they can possibly be. If they backed off enough to not touch at all, your brake pedal would have a noticeable dead spot as you waste pedal travel on getting the pads to touch the rotor before they start clamping and stopping it.
 
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