P30/32 Autopark question??

[Kazoo Tom]

My '98 (chevy chassis) has the infamous autopark brake. To date I have had absolutely no problems with it.

When the parking brake is activated, and the shift lever is in "park" the buzzer sounds. I was of the belief that this was normal, but have read elsewhere that the buzzer only sounds when the brake is engaged in other shift lever positions. My question is; should the buzzer be sounding when in park??

If it is supposed to be silent, how do I adjust it, short of simply disabling the buzzer?

[Kazoo Tom]

My '98 (chevy chassis) has the infamous autopark brake. To date I have had absolutely no problems with it.

When the parking brake is activated, and the shift lever is in "park" the buzzer sounds. I was of the belief that this was normal, but have read elsewhere that the buzzer only sounds when the brake is engaged in other shift lever positions. My question is; should the buzzer be sounding when in park??

If it is supposed to be silent, how do I adjust it, short of simply disabling the buzzer?

[W8RLM]

Tom,

That is the way my Autopark system works on my 2003 Brave on a P32 chassis. I have 35,000 miles on my Brave, have taken it to Alaska and back, and the only problem that I had was the pressure sensor. It started to leak fluid through the sensor into the electrical connection, and it turned on the warning light on the Autopark system. I called Worhorse Technical Service, and they helped me make sure that the fluid level was OK, and that the Autopark motor was not continuously running. We both thought that it was the sensor. They arranged for me to take the MH into a service station, and they changed out the sensor in less than 24 hours. Other than that, it has run perfectly.

GM has produced thousands of these systems, and, overall, they work fine.

Enjoy the motorhome.

W8RLM - Bob

[Kazoo Tom]

Mine too has been functioning just fine. I was wondering if it was correct that the buzzer is activated while the transmission is in Park. When the motorhome is started and allowed to warm up a bit, that buzzer can be just plain irritating. If that is the correct action, I can certainly live with it.

[Kazoo Tom]

UPDATE

I got hold of a chassis service manual for my model year. The manual states that the buzzer (alarm) should not be sounding when in park. The buzzer sounding means that the auto park system needs service. In this case it means that either the cable needs adjustment, or the brake linings need service.

Now I only have to figure out how to do the adjustment of the cable. The motorhome only has 23,000 miles on it, can't imagine the brake linings wearing out that quickly, although anything is possible.

[W8RLM]

Tom,

Before you start servicing the Autopark, I'd call Workhorse Technical Service and check to see if the buzzer should sound. I think that when the pressure goes down - as it would when the brake is set - the buzzer would come on. A simple call to Workhorse's 800 number might save you alot of time and effort.

Good Luck -

W8RLM - Bob

[Kazoo Tom]

Thanks Bob, I will give workhorse a call, however my chassis is a pre-workhorse. The 1998 GM chassis manual says the buzzer sounds when the cable or brake needs service when in Park, and will also sound if the brake is on in any position other than park. I will give the experts a call for their opinion also. Wish there was a workhorse service facility close to me, it would be worth the labor cost just to know it is right. I haven't had a bit of problem with it yet, hoping proper maintenance will keep it that way.

[Steady Eddie]

Tom--

This is only for what it is worth (probably
not much) so here goes:

IMHO the Auto/Park Brake is wonderful...until
it stabs you in the back. 99.9% of those that
say it is OK--they never had a problem with it.
Which is again, wonderful. Good for them, I
say. Ask around. Visit a few RV Forum Groups.
Do a Search, using A/P or Auto Park Brake.
You can have Bill Gate's Money and if you
can't find a Tech to work on it, you are
either stuck or without a Park Brake.

[Art D]

I have a 2004 P30 with Autopark. It had to be replaced at 8000 miles because it would not release. Now at 15000 miles, the buzzer sometimes comes on when in park, sometimes not. My manual says that this means that Autopark needs servicing. Guess I'll get it checked next time I need to take it in for service.

[Steady Eddie]

Art D--
If I've learned one thing about the Auto-park Brake, it is that if it's buzzing at you, at times, then it needs fixed and the sooner the better. I have read your previous posts on this
subject, and it appears you are getting about
8000 miles in-between Auto-park Brake "events".

[NeilV]

Tom,

I believe that my 95 had the same model AutoPark as your 98 and it could be something as simple as the pedal for manually setting the brake did not release fully the last time it was depressed or it has accidently been stepped on and partially depressed. Have you tried pulling the release handle? If they eliminated the pedal override in 98 please disregard.

After the fire in my Vectra it was too hot to get under the coach to release the AutoPark so they had to winch it up on the tractor trailer truck. It took them over two hours to get it off afterwards. They had to suspend it using one of their big triple screw wreckers and drive the trailer out from under. I'll give it this much when it grabs it grabs pretty good.

As for the shoes wearing out, I can only see that occuring if you are in the habit of shifting into park before you come to a complete stop. AutoPark uses a separate brake drum on the transmission tail housing and since you are supposed to keep your foot firmly on the brake pedal for several seconds after stopping while waiting for the AutoPark to engage then the shoes should last for many miles as the drum will not be turning when the brake is being applied.

Make sure an errant mechanic dosn't make the mistake of adding brake fluid to the Dextron ATF in your AutoPark. This could be the cause of some of the failures we see out there.

Regards,

[bsinmich]

I wouldn't worry about '98 being Pre-Workhorse. They have all of the parts for late model Chevrolet at Workhorse now. It took me a week to get a simple radiator hose last summer for a '96 454. Tom, I have the complete manuals for a '96 Chevrolet in my Pace Arrow. If they are the same I could let you have a copy of the Auto-Park section. When you are talking to WH ask if '96 is the same.

[Steady Eddie]

"As for the shoes wearing out, I can only see that occuring if you are in the habit of shifting into park before you come to a complete stop."


OR...the durn thing is losing pressure and dragging the shoes against the
Park Brake Drum...or it (The Auto-Park Brake) had an "event" like mine did.
To my old school way of looking at the way it works, the shoes should last
for a long, long, long while. If you are replacing A/P Brake shoes, then
something is going on....Ours is a J-71---not working...

[Kazoo Tom]

NeilV - thanks for the information. I have a complete set of service manuals for my '98. There is no foot brake on mine, so nothing to fail to release. The manual says the buzzer means either the cable needs adjustment, OR the fluid level is low. As soon as I get the ambition to crawl under it, I can check it more thoroughly.

Bsinmich - Thanks for the offer of the manuals, I have a complete set. I need to check the cable and fluid first. Hopefully it is a simple solution for my problem.