BCM Community

Ok, bus is MC-8, and I'm messing with the tag axles trying to remove drums for bearing/brake work. I broke the cheap little plastic end piece that goes on the hubcap assembly (part 15R-2-13 for those of you following along in 'da book) while trying to remove the filler plug (15C-2-34).
I'm looking on page 15.0501 of the parts manual and I don't see any such plastic part that the plug goes into, well, I see the cone but no part number.
Do I have to replace the whole hub cap assy just for that little plastic? Is that cheapo little plastic cone part integral to the assembly?

By the way, having a heck of a time removing the drum and I found that the left side grinds and growls and barely turns with manual effort so I guess it's a good thing that I'm doing these things. Can't wait to see what else I find.

-Dave

We got ours for really cheap at a truck store.

FWIW

God bless,

John

Buy a new hub cap and gasket from a truck parts place or from NAPA. Not very expensive. The plastic cone is there to let you see the
oil level without removing the plug every time.

Back off the brakes to remove the drum. Then you may need some heat on the drum near the studs, and a big hammer on the back side. Sometimes you can wedge a sharp chisel in between the drum and hub, but be careful as you might bend the hub flange.

Since your doing the job,  you may want to consider going to greased bearings instead of oil.  Since our buses can sit and form condensate on the part that is out of the oil and may form rust which can lead to bearing issues.  Grease type will keep it covered.  I'm not sure what is involved but may be worth it now that your doing it.

If I'm off here maybe someone more experienced will chime in with their take.

Depending on your time line, you can leave the drums attached to the hubs and pull the whole thing.

Re-schedule the fight with the drum/hub interface to a later date.

happy coaching!
buswarrior