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.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f65/hydra...on-101083.html

[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.

[santara94]

Old thread but thought I would update it and ask a question.
Update:
Replaced shoes and springs and rebuilt wheel cylinders. Bleed brakes and replaced grease seals and repacked bearings. Since 2011 I have put 25K miles on and the tag axle brakes work. Noticeable extra stopping power.

I have noticed one thing getting worse. As I put on the brakes harder the tag brakes seem to just "bang" on. Loud sound from tag brakes and I feel them really slow me down. Lately I feel that they do not release fully. Sometimes I feel slow acceleration and a drag. I stop and back up and stomp on the brakes and all is well.
Pulled the drums (ugh forgot how heavy they are!) and find no uneven wear or leaking wheel cylinders or broken parts.
Question:
Has anybody experienced a "slamming" on of the tag brakes when the pedal is pushed hard or fully on?
thanks
Kevin

[Nick-B]

I've never felt mine slam on, but it does typically feel like there is a 1-2 second delay in fully releasing, which is reasonable based on how the system works.

I can only guess that the synchronizer valve, vacuum diaphragm or master cylinder might be sticking a bit and causing the sudden braking "slam".

When I went thru my system I replaced pretty much everything except for the synchro valve and vacuum diaphragm which I just disassembled, cleaned up and reassembled.