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StansCustoms · 04-29-2015, 08:09 PM

The good news is Stan finally got the wheel off (with the help of three really big. stout guys). He said there was a considerable amount of rust on the rotor and caliper. He did a lot of cleaning, pushed the pistons back, flushed under the rubber seals really well with WD-40 and lubed the pins with a very small amount of bearing grease. He said everything is moving very freely now, much more so than when he started. He also determined that this coach has the 2 piston calipers which is good information to have. Other than the rust, the caliper and brake shoes looked good. He's still concerned about the brake fade, but he did say the brakes felt normal this morning with the engine running and applying the brake, although he couldn't move the coach to see if they held up. I'll update if there are any new developments but at least it looks like a start.
Thanks again everybody.

Beckey

Dave Fernandez · 04-29-2015, 10:23 PM

Beckey, you should use Caliber grease on the pin sliders not bearing grease. Permatex Caliper Grease is what I use and works great.

StansCustoms · 04-30-2015, 06:02 AM

Thank you Dave. He just used what he had with him figuring any lubrication was better than none. We'll make sure we use the right grease when we service it.

StansCustoms · 05-02-2015, 08:04 PM

Update-We got the coach home with no trouble from the side Stan worked on but the same problem has occurred on the other side. At least it's home where we can work on it. Thanks to all for your help. It is greatly appreciated.

Beckey

StansCustoms · 05-02-2015, 08:51 PM

Hello Alpine friends..this is Stan.

Many thanks for helping Beckey with my questions secondhand.

I got the coach back home this afternoon...stopping frequently to check the wheels for heat. Three stops with no issues then drove on in (about 20 miles).

I had to go thru Lake Worth,Texas braking several times and believe that may have triggered the issue again. By the time I drove the last 7 miles the left front wheel was generating considerable heat (560 degrees on the left rotor when I got it to my shop..according to my laser thermometer).

Funny...the brakes were good...till it sat a little and I moved it...then the pedal went to the floor, like it heat sinked or something. I'm not in the habit of having hot brakes, so I'm not sure why the pedal faded to nothing...just sitting till I could open the gates. It felt like a master cylinder bypassing fluid internally...and maybe what it was?? I guess the viscosity of the brake fluid could get really thin and bypass if it got really hot...but still act normal after it cooled??

At any rate..I'm going to buy a 1" impact and a wheel dolly to handle the duals early next week and get the wheels off where I can see the calipers and rotors all way round.

I may need rotors, although the front pads on the right front were at least an inch and a quarter thick and in good condition even after being overheated. Not glazed or cracked. I don't believe it ran far at high temp. when that wheel got hot.

This coach has two piston calipers...I don't know if they will be easy to find or not. Does anyone know about the availability of those?

I'm not sure what I will have to do to elevate the rear wheels yet either. I have elevated the front wheels with the leveling jacks...but have never tried to elevate the rear wheels that way. The rear is much heavier than the front. Has anyone raised the back end with their leveling jacks in order to remove the rear duals?

I hope I don't have to buy a low profile truck air jack in addition to the other equipment I'll have to buy. This is going to get expensive if I do. But... I'm going to keep this coach for a while, it still looks like new...and I need heavier equipment to service it.

Best regards...Stan

Dave Fernandez · 05-02-2015, 09:36 PM

Hello Stan when I assisted a friend with replacing the calibers, Found that NAPA truck parts had them in stock. Use the casting number on the calipers for part numbers.

I use HD Jack Stands under the axel. I drive the coach up on some wooden ramps i made. I run the Jacks down without dumping the air as a secondary support. I then use a 20 ton hydraulic bottle jack to lift the axel and place the stands under the axel to work on the brakes. I only work on one axel at a time. :thumbup:

Mr_D · 05-02-2015, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Fernandez

Hello Stan when I assisted a friend with replacing the calibers, Found that NAPA truck parts had them in stock. Use the casting number on the calipers for part numbers.

I use HD Jack Stands under the axel. I drive the coach up on some wooden ramps i made. I run the Jacks down without dumping the air as a secondary support. I then use a 20 ton hydraulic bottle jack to lift the axel and place the stands under the axel to work on the brakes. I only work on one axel at a time. :thumbup:

"Caliber"? They're talking brakes here, not guns.

StansCustoms · 05-03-2015, 06:00 AM

Good morning everyone..

Man ...sure is good to be home, with the coach "in tact"...I didn't sleep well (worry) the last couple of days ...and was "bone tired "by the time I got everything safely back to home base.

Thanks Dave...good idea on the wood ramps. I'll try that. I notice that some of the heavy jacks don't have much of a contact pad. I'll have to figure out where to lift from too...hopefully there is a decent contact point on the axle that will be adequate to avoid the jack trying to slip off.

I noticed that you found parts for the 4 piston calipers...but I don't know if the two piston calipers will be as easily located? ( ...it's a early 2001 coach and must have been built with calipers left over from the previous production year.)

...and thanks for the spelling correction Mr_D, evidently sleep deprivation affects my spelling too. I know I wasn't thinking too clearly when my head finally hit the pillow last night.

Old Scout · 05-03-2015, 06:30 AM

Unless you have lots of other uses for a 1" air wrench--hope you have the compressor and 3/4" air line to drive it--many folk have use a torque multiplier to get the "umph" they need. Personally, I "invested" in a 3/4" manual set-up [eg drive handle, 10" extension, and a 1 5/16" deep-well socket]. I then used a 4 ft cheater bar [pipe] for leverage--works great. You will need the deep-well socket for the back lugs. The cheater bar can be marked and graduated to achieve your torque specs [eg 200lbs [me] at 2.5ft=500ft/lbs]. However, a 20 ton bottle jack and 12 ton jack stand[s] [one side at a time] are a must for me. Yes--you can lift either the front or back axle with the leveling jacks but at some point you are using the shocks to lift the axle [swing arm suspension]--not a good idea, in my opinion.
PS--the large bolts on the calipers [4-piston anyway] are a bugger too...also need to research the pre-load set procedures for bearings if you remove the hubs to get at the discs--time to put on your "big-boy pants" for this one [smile]....

StansCustoms · 05-03-2015, 07:06 AM

I've got an industrial compressor and a well equipped shop...but not for big rigs. It's too tall to get it in the shop but have plenty of concrete outside.

The lugs on this coach are too tight for me to break loose even with a cheater by myself. It has almost new tires and the truck tire shop that installed them used a big impact...too tight for sure. I fought the lugs away from my big compressor all week...I'm not straining on them any more. A impact is a must for me. I would hire the work done...but half the time when I hire something done I wind up doing it over again myself. The equipment is cheaper than the repair, so I'm ahead to buy the equipment since I have most of what I'll need..(air, concrete, big sockets etc.)...it will pay for itself on this repair alone, And I'll be able to check the wheels and brakes on a regular basis.

wolfe10 · 05-03-2015, 07:32 AM

Stan,

Like Old Scout, I have a 3/4" breaker bar and use a 6' pipe extension.

So, even if you only weigh 150 pounds, at the end of a 6' bar, you are generating 900 lb-ft of torque. Sure hope they are not tighter than that!

Here is the extension pipe I built-- have used them for many years. It turns a 1/2" torque wrench in to a pretty accurate one for torquing wheel lug nuts:

www.specialpatrolgroup.co.uk/spooky/torque/torque.html

StansCustoms · 05-03-2015, 05:54 PM

I wish it was that simple..I weigh 200 LBS...and can't break them loose with a 5 foot cheater. Three of us took turns one holding the extension and socket while another stood on the cheater. Finally got the one wheel that was getting hot off...

I owned a garage busines many years, worked in the oil filed to get a grub stake before that...and these are tight! I even bought a 3/4 " impact at the swap meet with 140 lbs. of air and couldn't budge them.

I'm done fighting them...I'm going to get some tools. Proper equipment will make taking all the wheels off a snap...and something I won't mind doing every couple of years. To many years making my living as a mechanic...I'm spoiled...and my back has seen to much punishment to work it this hard at this stage in life. Takes 2 minutes to remove a wheel with a good impact...heck who knows, I may want to start doing Motorhome brakes for gas money when I get the right equipment...LOL!

Dave Fernandez · 05-04-2015, 06:01 PM

Stan here are a couple of pictures of the Ramps I made for the motorhome. I made four of them so I could use them on all of the rear tires, or just two for the front. I get about 6” of lift when I drive up on them.

I use a 3/4" Impact wrench with 33mm socket to remove the wheel and tires.

I only use the Jacks on the motorhome for support not for lifting. That way when I place the jack stand under the axel it is only supporting the weight of the axel and tires. Although the jacks stands I, use will support the coach.

StansCustoms · 05-05-2015, 06:30 PM

Ok guys here's what I started with today...just in case I'm on the road or like I was last week at a swap meet... and need to get a wheel off without lots of air or a big impact wrench.

It's a Torque Multiplier lug nut remover, which comes with lug nut sockets and a case. They can be had cheaper for a 1:68 or a 1:58 gear ratio which probably would work...but my lugs were SUPER tight and I bought the highest torque Heavy Duty Torque Multiplier 1:78 gear ratio lug remover I could find.

Check out the video at the bottom of the e-bay link page to see how it works if you haven't seen one before.

Here's the link:

Torque Multiplier Heavy Duty Lug Wrench Replaces 1" Air Impact Warranty | eBay?