We decided to adjust the brakes on the 05 Eagle with spring brakes. They all went well except one. The drive axle on the curb side. That slack adjuster looks like it has been on there forever. It will only turn one turn each way and then locks up. We suspect it has been that way for a while since the head of the bolt is all rounded off. The throw is 2 1/2 inches with application.
The big problem now is it's location. It is about one inch from the universal. Is there a way to get it off without pulling the wheels and hub?
The previous owner paid a fortune for a full brake job. We have the receipts. Obviously, the well known shop didn't replace this adjuster. If we had paid for it we would post the shop. Always check a shops work.
Don and Cary
1973 05 Eagle
GM 4107
Neoplan AN340
When all else fails the flame wrench will get it off but make sure the guy holding it knows what he is doing. And have a fire extinguisher on standby.
Don, do you have any photos unless somebody did some weird mods for the spring brakes and I don't why that would happen there is plenty of room to remove a adjuster on a model 5 with springs or the DD-3
Pepole do werid stuff when installing spring brakes and a automatic tranny in Eagles lol
Are your brakes mounted on the rear of the axle or have they been moved to front like the later models ?
Photos:
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1011.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faf239%2Fcsmmc123%2FEagle%2Fslack1.jpg&hash=a549b49666e6900736d7a09c00d54ba292506449)
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1011.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faf239%2Fcsmmc123%2FEagle%2Fslack2.jpg&hash=da48045301d3c7f00710bbf2020e35f77bb09cea)
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1011.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faf239%2Fcsmmc123%2FEagle%2Fslack3.jpg&hash=9fbfa5307c16ca714920c0c116085e41534deedc)
Don and Cary
1973 05 Eagle
GM 4107
Neoplan AN 340
Is there a way to change out that adjusting screw without taking it off? Will that even help?
Don and Cary
1973 05 Eagle
GM 4107
Neoplan AN340
Looks to me like you are going to have to pull the wheel. If you are going that far I would purchase automatic adjusting slack adjusters and do both sides. . Cheers Gerry
I looked at the Bendix and Haldex-Midland websites and/or catalogs and neither seem to offer repair kits. Manual slacks are so cheap I can see why they don't offer repair kits.
I agree with automatic slack adjusters, but I know some don't like them. Automatic slacks have been required for about 20 years now and by all reports they work very well.
I'd pump some diesel fuel into that grease tit and keep trying to loosen up the slack. If that doesn't work then you've got a really big project ahead of you.
Bummer Don you will need to pull the wheel and hub remove the snap ring on the end of the S cam then remove the S cam to replace that one some you need to remove the whole assembley to remove the adjuster,they changed that in 75 or 76 .
The adjustment bolt is install from the inside of the adjuster it will have to come off
good luck
So, the lazy you know whats, pulled the hubs, rebuilt all the brakes, changed the chambers and didn't change the slack adjuster on this side? They rebuilt the whole rear suspension and new torsilastics, index it, had both rear hubs off, rebuilt the front end all to the tune of $26K and left this little monster on there? You wouldn't believe how loose all the air fittings were. We blamed it on lack of use. This thing blew air out of most of the fittings. It wasn't like money was a problem. This owner knows nothing and took it to them and said "fix everything". Thank you Jefferson. This is why we try to do everything ourselves. We have been had by mechanics and thought it was just our bad luck. I doubt they have put 5000 miles on it since the work was done.
I guess we will jack the wheel up and see if the brake will set and release as it is. If not then, hope we can find somebody in the Sacramento area that can do this for us.
Don and Cary
1973 05 Eagle
GM 4107
Neoplan AN340
GM 4107
If the S cam is bad they are not to be had for that side it will need to go to a machine shop and built back to spec, me I would get ready to replace the bushings and redoing the S Cam.
I don't think you can buy a automatic adjuster that will match the splines on that S cam unless things have changed in the automatic adusters market over the years
Not knowing when or what year the work was I would be willing to bet a cold one if Roy was still alive when the work was done that slack adjuster was replaced at the time he would have never let that slide he replaced all the adjusters on a brake job even if they were good
When it left the shop and his care it would have all new adjusters and not 1 air leak after he passed all bets off
good luck
If you are getting 2 1/2" of travel you are not getting very much braking on that wheel. Cheers Gerry
Somewhere there was something about checking the clearance with a sheet of paper. It barely slides between the drum and the shoe with the brakes released. Brake application grabs the paper. The park brake seems to be setting now also. I guess the next step is to take it for a drive and check the drums for excessive heat. It would also be nice if it actually stopped.
When checking the park brake we came across something that seems odd to us. It takes a count of about 5 for the park brakes to set or release completely.
Don and Cary
1973 05 Eagle
GM 4107
Neoplan AN340
The correct travel for a rear slack adjuster is 1" to 2" anything over 2" is an out of service condition according the commercial vehicle inspection manual. It is measured at the slack adjuster clevis pin. If you have 2 1/2" you are not getting very much braking if any. Cheers Gerry
If the chamber is a spring brake, it's possible to have long stroke chambers with more stroke potential than 2" but that would be unlikely, I think, in this case. I would do as Clifford suggests, get it off the bus, check the S-cam, etc. If an emergency, then just trying to free up the adjuster gear on the slack is what I would try, too, but you definitely want that adjuster to be adjusting AND locking in place with the lock ring. The lock ring fits around the head of the adjusting bolt head - if that bolt head is rounded off and horrible, how will the locking ring work correctly?
Brian
Is the adjusting bolt really rounded off below the locking ring?
That one looks like it might be supposed to be round on the end of the bolt.
As long as the adjuster bolt is not ruined below the ring, there is less work in trying to get the adjuster internals loosened up via the advice earlier in the thread, than replacing it.
After using the thinner fluid, be sure to follow with lots of grease.
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Reading the original post again (always a good idea to read what the problem actually is before offering advice, saves on later edits to avoid looking foolish on my part I find...) "it (the adjuster) will only turn one turn each way and then locks up." So the locking ring moves out of the way and unlocks, a wrench is on the bolt head, and it turns two full turns, one way then the other. The inside of that bolt is a worm gear, the other half of the worm gear is the outside part of the splined bit the S-cam slides into and that big ring is what is most likely seized. Copious amounts of solvent (I like to use Marvel Mystery Oil for some reason) pumped through along with judicious wrenching on the adjuster may indeed free up the ring/worm gear/splined thingy. Spraying brake clean spray all around the ring where the S-cam protrudes through the slack adjuster would also be indicated. There's nothing else in there with a manual slack adjuster, just the two parts...
Brian
Ahoy, Don & Cary,
I've just been there with the brakes on my -01 Eagle drive axle. I did have to remove the wheels and drums, in order to slide the 'S' cams out so that the slack adjusters could be removed. My -01 looks just like your pix, except that mine was very greasy. I could not entirely remove the 'S' cams without removing the hubs. Mine had a snap ring inboard of the slack adjuster, and a second snap ring out by the outboard bearing. My bearings were OK, so I didn't bother to replace them.
My slack adjusters were 'difficult // draggy'. Lottsa grease and solvent, and an air wrench to run them back and forth did the job. I tried to install proper new ones, but could not get the splines to mate. Must have been a tolerance problem.
Good luck /s/ Bob
Careful use of heat in conjunction with your favorite brand of weasel piss may help free up the mechanism. But as Clifford has already pointed out there may be so much wear in the bushings as to render all that work moot - if the bushings are that bad though you should be able to see/feel the movement when you pull on the slacks.
We finally got the adjusting screw soaked and turning. The part of the nut in the sleeve part is ok. It just looks like they twisted the top part of the bolt off. We finally could turn it and see the shoes move. The shoe closes down so the paper will not slide out with application. It took three complete turns to get the shoes tight and then a half turn off. We need to do a test drive and see what happens.
Don and Cary
1973 05 Eagle
GM 4107
Neoplan AN340
measure the stroke now that you have functionality.
Worn bushings will allow excessive stroke, even with the linings snugged up.
If you can get an inch or so, and the linings are indeed clear when released, you have no worries in the mechanical department.
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Don, the reason your parking brakes take 5 or so seconds to release or apply is the 05 does not have a Bendix QR valve install one it's not that big of a job then it will be instant
good luck
Luvrbus,
Look at the pics on the Eagle sight. It has a quick release on the park brake, which we have changed out. Maybe it isn't in the right place. The air exhausts in a blast and then kind of trickles at the end. It seems like the slack adjusters move slow after the air exhausts. The application brake is plumbed into the park brake through a two way check valve. We figured this was for anti compounding. This kind of makes setting the park brake on a slope a little difficult.
Don and Cary
1973 05 Eagle
GM 4107
Neoplan AN340
About good busnuts
At the Palmetto Cove rally my good friend,Dave Bullock came up with a box. He said you need these. It was a box of 4 brand new slack adjusters for a 4104.
Sure do miss him. He was a walking book of knowledge on gm buses.
uncle ned