Community Forums

GeoffnJules · 06-06-2023, 11:36 PM

Greetings to all!
Actually a followup to a thread that I can no longer post to, but I can't ignore this without warning my fellow RVers with older rigs (15-20 years old).
In 2021, I was moving my rig (2004 Kountry Star) a short distance and my brake pedal went to the floor, and I found fluid leaking from a rear caliper. Feared the usual - overly worn pads, now a bad caliper and rotor, etc.
In short, (and credit to n2zon & bluemoontwd), it was a simpler, but very dangerous situation! Here is a clip of my response to the thread:

Our dang brake hose between the hard line and caliper collapsed internally, and would only open up a little under the extreme pressure of the master cylinder, but would NOT allow return flow!
It looked totally normal on the outside for an older hose - no excessive cracking, etc.
I'm very surprised that I didn't feel any dragging or lag, as I'm pretty sensitive to my vehicle, but ugh...
The caliper pistons came out in charred pieces, and the caliper itself was terribly discolored. The pads? Take a look at the pictures😖
This is a very dangerous condition for older units - I'm not sure why ours didn't start a fire in the wheel well from the extreme heat. Needless to say, I changed all four lines (along with the other parts from THIS wheel), and would recommend the same to owners of rigs that are 15-20 years of age. A pretty inexpensive PM item compared to your rig catching fire on the road from overheated brakes!
Please spread the word on the potential for collapsed brake lines - a true invisible danger with horrible potential consequences!
All the best!

GeoffnJules · 06-06-2023, 11:44 PM

And thanks to Edgray for his help at the time as well - I checked into the 2010 caliper recalls, and in fact the prior owner had them addressed before we bought the rig. Hope all is well with you!

PanJH · 06-07-2023, 05:51 AM

yes-- I've had that happen on older vehicles..... I also had a steel brake line rust thru, but it was as I was leaving my driveway, so no bad consequences.

cadillac_al · 06-07-2023, 06:40 AM

In every vehicle I drive I always test out neutral at least once a day. If I am in a parking lot I will put it in neutral and let it roll a few feet before putting it in drive. I like to know that my vehicle rolls easily and doesn't have a brake dragging.

Country Road · 06-07-2023, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PanJH

yes-- I've had that happen on older vehicles..... I also had a steel brake line rust thru, but it was as I was leaving my driveway, so no bad consequences.

I had that problem of a flaking brake line on a Suburban years ago. Right front wheel froze up on a trip. I removed that line from that wheel and plugged it to make it home.

Isaac-1 · 06-08-2023, 05:58 AM

I had much the same thing happen on my coach the first time it was driven more than about 15-20 miles after the pandemic. (we did not go far in 2020 between covid, and hurricane Laura going over our house)

Dutch Star Don · 06-08-2023, 06:47 PM

You don't say what chassis you have, but around 2004 Workhorse had several years of issues with Bosch brakes. Collapsing hoses were one of the issues, along with calipers.

GeoffnJules · 06-08-2023, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

You don't say what chassis you have, but around 2004 Workhorse had several years of issues with Bosch brakes. Collapsing hoses were one of the issues, along with calipers.

I have the W22 chassis. The caliper recall was done along with new pads 2-3 years or so prior by the prior owner, but they never addressed the hoses apparently. I sure learned a lesson. Just don't want others to be blind to otherwise decent- looking hoses, and either spending bucko-bucks replacing unnecessary parts or in a much worse situation🥺

GypsyR · 06-09-2023, 08:37 AM

It's a common enough problem that there is a term for it: "check-valving". When the internal rubber of the hose degrades in some fashion to cause it to act like a check valve. Tips to help avoid it are to take care to not kink the hose when doing brake service or to let the weight of a caliper hang by the hose. Also you should NOT clamp off a brake hose with vice grips or some such when changing calipers of something. Let the brake fluid run out or cap the end of the line. I've seen "pro" mechanics do all of the above at one point or another, never mind DIY folks.