Brakes 1980 CJ7 - Chatter noise in front left wheel area
tjacobs
Jeeper
Hi Guys,
New here and new to Jeeps. I'd been itching to turn a wrench on a CJ7 for a while and recently got a good deal on a 1980 CJ7 . It was a ranch jeep here in Texas so got plenty of use. It's runs and drives, but the electrical is a mess (which is not a problem for me). It's got the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l IL6, T-176 4 speed and Dana 300 Transfer Case . The jeep was well maintained mechanically. When I'm driving it around my property, it has a chatter type of sound in the front left wheel area. So, today I removed the front left wheel and inspected it. I did check for play in the wheel once I had it jacked up and it's nice and tight - no play. What I found was a loose caliper. It had a lot of play in it. Upon removing the caliper I noticed that the anti=rattle spring was missing. I had a hardware kit for the caliper, including the support spring, support key, retaining screw and anti-rattle clip. Pads looked almost new with plenty of material left. Rotor looked good too. So, I replaced the caliper with all new hardware, and while the amount of play was less, there still is some play. I had originally thought, upon studying the service manual for the 1980 Jeep, that the support spring may have been worn out. I replaced the wheel, and while the chattering sound is less, it is still there. I don't see any abnormal wear on the support brackets, so I'm wondering if a new caliper would take care of this. Is this a common problem with 1980 CJ7s? What's the usual fix? Thanks in advance. Trevor
New here and new to Jeeps. I'd been itching to turn a wrench on a CJ7 for a while and recently got a good deal on a 1980 CJ7 . It was a ranch jeep here in Texas so got plenty of use. It's runs and drives, but the electrical is a mess (which is not a problem for me). It's got the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l IL6, T-176 4 speed and Dana 300 Transfer Case . The jeep was well maintained mechanically. When I'm driving it around my property, it has a chatter type of sound in the front left wheel area. So, today I removed the front left wheel and inspected it. I did check for play in the wheel once I had it jacked up and it's nice and tight - no play. What I found was a loose caliper. It had a lot of play in it. Upon removing the caliper I noticed that the anti=rattle spring was missing. I had a hardware kit for the caliper, including the support spring, support key, retaining screw and anti-rattle clip. Pads looked almost new with plenty of material left. Rotor looked good too. So, I replaced the caliper with all new hardware, and while the amount of play was less, there still is some play. I had originally thought, upon studying the service manual for the 1980 Jeep, that the support spring may have been worn out. I replaced the wheel, and while the chattering sound is less, it is still there. I don't see any abnormal wear on the support brackets, so I'm wondering if a new caliper would take care of this. Is this a common problem with 1980 CJ7s? What's the usual fix? Thanks in advance. Trevor
