Freightliner S-cams?

[indiana journey]

smlranger,
The drums will turn with little or no resistance and the air pressure is approx. 125 lbs. Any other suggestions?
Thanks, Indiana Journey

[Martind4]

I'd call Freightliner Custom Chassis Help Line 800-385-4357, be sure to have your VIN number ready for reference. They can also provide you with the procedure to cage the parking brake spring rather than rely on air pressure. You don't want to be working on the brakes and have a sudden air leak cause the parking brake spring to activate. That's like working on a loaded gun.

[Pigman]

I had the problem once when the drum developed a small ridge from wear and the adjuster had just tightened up. I partially unscrewed the dog on the adjuster far enough to release the dog, then hand tightened it a bit to hold the parts together. It released the cam enough to let the shoes clear the ridge. I'm not sure if this is the recommended procedure, but it worked.

When done with the cam I tightened the dog, making sure it didn't bind. A few brake applications picked up the correct adjustments.

John

[indiana journey]

Pigman, I can see the shoes, there is enough space for the drum to clear them.
Martind4, I called Freightliner, they said to use a "dead blow" hammer and hit the drum to break it loose from the hub. They sometimes rust together. I hit the drum several times as I rotated it, it didn't break loose. I then checked everything that needed checking, except the S cams, put the wheels back on and "buckled everything up". I'll check them in the spring when I have more time and a bigger hammer. Will try to get everything ready for the long, cold, winter storage tomorrow.
Thanks, Indiana Journey

[mystere900]

Had this problem within the first couple years of ownership. The symptom we experienced was a loud clunk noise whenever using heaver than normal brake application. Was told the rollers had frozen and were sliding on the S cams instead of rolling smoothly. At some point during application they would skip on the S cams causing the clunk. Since then I have had them cleaned and lubed two times with no subsequent problems. Presently the coach is 4.5 years old and just over 40,000 miles. I feel the 6000 mile service interval is a little excessive, especially when the service fee can run 3 to 4 hundred dollars. But then if you are frequently driving in wet and salt conditions, that can change everything.