Sunday, April 9, 2017

Give Me a Brake!

Actually, give me two brakes, and new ones at that! For the past week I have been wrestling with my rear end -- not mine, the truck's! It is getting new rear axle seals and brake assemblies. The bill is horrendous, and that's just for parts. I'm doing the labor.

So this could have hit us during our much anticipated trip back east. It would have been a catastrophic disaster for us, costing a couple of grand. I estimate the total cost will be about 1/4 that of having it done on the road somewhere. I hate breaking down away from home.

The first pic shows the axle with the hub and brakes removed. Rust coats any surfaces that were not being rubbed by the rear seal. I will wire brush, emery paper and paint it.


The second pic is of the rear dust shield. It is rusted through in several spots. This would have led to a brake failure on the road. Not a pleasant outcome.


The third is the new parking brake assembly on the bench. That's the best way to put it together, on the bench.


The last pic is everything put back on the truck. All that is left is bleeding the brakes and adding new lube to the differential. Oh, and finishing the other side! If you do one side, you gotta do the other, or so I'm told. I guess that's why they only sell stuff in pairs (mostly). Turns out both sides were rusting out.

This type of work I detest. But I hate paying someone else to do it poorly even more. Knowing it was done correctly is peace of mind. Hurts my back though. Karren was there today to help. I got more done with her in five hours than I had the whole previous week. But then I like to take my time if I have a garage to work in.

Tune in next time and we might actually have some camping to talk about instead of truck repair...

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Springs Everywhere!

Yes, spring has sprung! The yard is already demanding attention and the grass is so green it almost feels like Virginia. Just the time to get started cleaning up the place and getting it ship shape for the outside season.

The camper had been covered with a custom tarp all winter to keep the snow from infiltrating the vents and A/C. When I removed it I discovered a pretty bad six inch tear at a corner where a large icicle had formed one week. I did not notice it when I broke the offending ice off, but it's going to have to be sewn.

When Karren and I got back from a dump run we were about to load up some old fence when we smelled burning oil. The right rear wheel was smoking! Into the garage the truck went pronto, and I began to look up repairs on the internet. after deciding to put off until tomorrow what I could do today, we ended up taking a trip to get haircuts and had a nice dinner at a local eatery.

Fast forward to today. I went out to the garage rather late in the day to despair over yet another unanticipated truck repair. One thing led to another and the right rear brake assembly is now in pieces and I have determined that I need rear axle hub seals. I have yet to remove the hub to verify but all the signs point to new seals. Here's a few pics;


The above is the top of the parking brake apparatus. That's right, inside the disc brake rotor there is a drum brake that acts independently for parking brakes. Note the spring!


Another shutoff the same including more of the hub.


This is the inside of the rotor. Note the gooey stuff on the lower half. That is gear oil from the axle. It was all over everything inside and outside the rotor. I have cleaned much of it off already.


This is the rear of the hub/brake assembly and it shows how oil has been collecting there and attracting dirt.

I now have to wait until I can get parts for both sides (always do both sides when brakes or tires are involved) and I need a couple of special tools to get the hub off the axle housing. By the time I'm done working on this something else will break.

By the way, we are planning to make a cross-country trip with the camper to Virginia in late May. Stand by for a trip report!