| Author | Message | ||
| Larry Nelson (Larryn4106)
Registered Member Username: Larryn4106 Post Number: 84 Registered: 8-2008 Posted From: 173.30.255.210 Rating: N/A |
I just returned from a 1550 mile round tripper from Lower MO to Canon City, CO and back. I experienced the sensation, leaving a stoplight, that my brakes were not releasing. I blamed the Brake Buddy and pulled over and pretty much took it out of service. Finally, I figured that at least one shoe was dragging or hanging up. I even had a UPS driver pull up alongside (my curbside) and point to my right rear. I pulled over and she ground to a halt even after I had lifted my foot from the pedal. At this full stop, I tromped hard on the pedal and the bus rolled on her own. So I soldiered on and made it home, not without some pucker factor at each subsequent light. What am I going to find when I have that rear drum pulled? Also, and trust me it is damned hot out....my clutch pedal does not want to come up. At the beginning of the trips, no problem, but with this heat, that engine room must be 240 degrees at least. The clutch return spring I bought at the hardware store seems to loose it's strength with the heat. Luke does not have these springs. Nothing fancy about them but I guess I need to keep looking. | ||
| Ralph Peters (Ralph7)
Registered Member Username: Ralph7 Post Number: 197 Registered: 3-2004 Posted From: 75.195.170.127 Rating: N/A |
Is the spring real strong, what does it look like. Sometimes you may need to look at springs used on big trucks , or consider a second spring located at different location. If you you do try a second spring, test leg pressure needed to hold it. | ||
| Larry Nelson (Larryn4106)
Registered Member Username: Larryn4106 Post Number: 85 Registered: 8-2008 Posted From: 173.30.255.210 Rating: N/A |
Ralph, thanks for the info on the spring. I have added bungee cords, etc. I do not recall what my OEM spring looked like and I have only owned this bus for 10 years, ha ha. I am way more concerned about my sticking brake(s). | ||
| marvin pack (Gomer)
Registered Member Username: Gomer Post Number: 1469 Registered: 3-2007 Posted From: 76.4.118.153  Rating: N/A |
Larry, Check all the operating pieces. You may have a cam sticking or the brake chamber not operating just right too. I have had to dissasemble the cam and followers and clean them up and found they weren't getting grease into the bushings and were sticking. Just another thought while you are in there gettin dirty LOL Gomer | ||
| Buswarrior (Buswarrior)
Registered Member Username: Buswarrior Post Number: 2099 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 174.91.143.120  Rating: N/A |
Hello Larry. If others were pointing at your wheels, you were smoking, which means those linings will be found to be burned. They will be crumbling in places, easily picked at with your finger nails. If so, they need to be replaced, not a big expense, relatively speaking. You also want to think hard about the wheel bearings at that location having been exposed to high heat. Inspect, clean, fresh lube and seals. You may be lucky with the drum, but they can also be damaged by the high heat of a dragging brake. You want an experienced person to have a look at the inside of your drum once you have it apart. As to why they were dragging, you want to do a full tear down of the brake components, cams out and everything cleaned and lubricated according to Hoyle. May be a long time since those cams were out? Do not lubricate things that shouldn't be. Old lube from long ago can cause trouble and needs to be cleaned out, especially for a busnut, as we let them sit around to get more stuck. I repeat, lubed according to conventional methods, and no lube where it doesn't belong, the roller faces being an important one to not lube, amongst other places you might think you want to put it. Which parking brake system do you have? You also need to rule out that the dragging was not chamber/air system related instead of mechanical. Let us know, we'll keep throwing advise your way! happy coaching! buswarrior | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 2099 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.71.157  Rating: N/A |
you maybe over stretching the spring when depressing clutch pedal. We had one on our 4104 forever and never had that problem. We had our spring attached halfway down the lever, so it wasn't required to stretch as much. |