Brake dragging

[CountryB]

Originally Posted by RonK

A Resolution...

So, how can we ever be sure we’re getting what we pay for??

Ron, you rarely get what you pay for.

That's why many of us do the work ourselves. At least if we screw up - we got what we paid for.

If you can't do it yourself, the best choice, IMO, is to go to dealership or a large truck repair facility that has enough work volume (revenue) that they can "afford to make a screw up right again" - and where they care about their reputation.

[twinboat]

This is what you need to show the guy, who is greasing it.

Greasing and Seals

When greasing brakes, it’s important to grease the brake to capacity. Putting in less grease than is needed to fill all interior gaps can lead to condensation forming inside the brake components, which may cause rust and corrosion. Seals inside the cam tube are engineered to let excess grease out of the area, meaning new grease should be added until any dirty grease or condensation is visibly purged out of the end cam tube near the slack adjuster.

Some will disagree, but they didn't experience what you did, yet.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by RonK

A Resolution...
Took the motor home to Fosters truck service on the west side of Columbus to have them investigate the problem. Don’t even ask me how I drove it the 40 miles without hitting the brakes and possibly locking up the front wheel.
Upon investigation they found what I would call a 3 part situation with the brake. The took the slack adjuster and brake apart and basically found that there were many “voids” in the shaft and slack adjuster parts that did not have adequate lub. This resulted in moisture and with our below 0 temps the entire unit “freezing up”. What bothers me more than anything else is that I have utilized more than one place for oil, filters and lube jobs.
So, how can we ever be sure we’re getting what we pay for??
The slack adjuster fittings are more toward the top of the frame and I can’t see how they can be lubed from the pit which is probably why the lack of lube. You can be sure I’m going to address this on the next oil change
Thanks for all the suggestions
Ron K.

Ron,
Really glad you got this ironed out. The pitfalls of paying someone or a shop to do work for anyone are of course, the fact that, the results are in some cases, blind. That is, unless there's a direct correction of a previous problem or a broken part, which us obvious if it's been fixed, "maintenance" i.e. lube jobs etc. or, possibly the lack of them, in some cases, don't have direct results or evidence.

Another words, put simply, it's hard to tell if someone's lubed where they're supposed to or not. It takes quite a while to show signs of wear or, make noises, or binding, etc. in an unlubed component. So, with all that being said, the lube zerks of the slack adjusters are really not all that hard to get to. I've done it for years on our fire trucks and, our coach now. Most of which has been done while laying on the ground or on a creeper.

One has to be a bit careful though. Over lubing can be also an issue on those. I've done all my own work/maintenance forever so, I know what's done and what isn't. But, not all of us can do that. Even at 65, I'm still kind-a thinking it as a hobby. Again, glad it's fixed and your worries are over.
Scott

[Dtwallace]

Originally Posted by twinboat

This is what you need to show the guy, who is greasing it.

Greasing and Seals

When greasing brakes, it’s important to grease the brake to capacity. Putting in less grease than is needed to fill all interior gaps can lead to condensation forming inside the brake components, which may cause rust and corrosion. Seals inside the cam tube are engineered to let excess grease out of the area, meaning new grease should be added until any dirty grease or condensation is visibly purged out of the end cam tube near the slack adjuster.

Some will disagree, but they didn't experience what you did, yet.

No one should disagree with this information, and all lube techs should know this.

Its the guys that short cut the proper lube process that cause us this grief in the end, and when the proper method of lubricating these components are critical, especially in cold weather.

So glade you got the coach to a competent repair facility that cared enough to guide you in the right direction.

My suggestion would be, get yourself an air powered hand held grease gun, and periodically lube your own slack adjusters.

You will never know how much you're extending the life of the slack adjuster by doing this, because you will never have another problem with them.

Wipe off the excess purged grease with paper towels, and dispose as appropriate.

Be sure to also keep the (S) cam bushings lubed, one shot every service at the hub, purge at the (S) cam attachment.

The next time you have you brake shoes replaced, have your drums measured for service diameter limits. Cam overs only happen when the limits of drum diameters are exceeded.




DTW