Coachmen: santara tag axle brakes

[santara94]

Hello, trying to fix/replace get operating the tag axle brakes on my E350 1994 santara.
I do not have anything that tells me who makes the axle or brake system.
hydraulic with self adjust, wheel cylinder part of the backing plate, looks to be 1".
Brake shoes are 3.5inches with bolts to hold the shoe on.
I have no paper work that shows who the manufacturer is. I have sent an email to Coachmen asking for help.
I can do the work but the ford dealer says aftermarket so they will not help. I have a good brake place that can rebuild my shoes but the wheel cylinder kit is an unknown since I do not know who makes the axle/brakes.
thanks for any help.
kevin

[Nick-B]

Hi Kevin and

Your E350, Class C chassis might be different from My Class A Santara but it sure sounds like the same tag setup I have.

Axle & Brakes made by Dexter, the Supension, master cylinder, brake actuator and overall package was provided by Mor-Ryde.

Look for an ID band around the tag axle on the driver's side. This is the Dexter number and they can give you all the parts numbers you might need.

Read the info in this post below for more info.

Hydraulic Tag Axle Brake Information

[santara94]

Thanks for all the info Nick and the welcome.
I will work through it and post if I have any more questions or repair info for others to use.
The only quesiton for now is how to determine if the tag booster works.
I think i will just open a zerk and see if fluid comes out when the brake pedal is stepped on.
thanks
kevin

[Nick-B]

Kevin, if your system is like mine, you will need to have the engine running when you do your "bleed" test. The system uses vacuum to work the tag brakes. Sort of a hydraulic to vacuum to hydraulic system. Once you see how things are all connected it will make more sense.