parking brake wont release

ronnie32567 · December 21, 2011, 12:22:32 PM

1972 eagle 05, the drivers side rear axle brake wont release, the other side is ok. I think the drivers side is the parking brake because it has three air lines and the passengers side only has two. Air pressure goes up to 120 psi fairly quickly I don't hear any leaks. I read a technical bulletin that the dd3 parking brake had a toggle on the brake arm that you hit with a hammer if the brake would'nt release. Is the brake arm the slack adjuster, I'm not sure where to look for this toggle or even what it is supposed to look like. Any help would be greatly appreciated. When I bought this bus a few weeks ago the air pressure would only go to 65 psi,I heard air spewing but thought it was a holding tank filling up, turns out the tr2 valve on the rear axle had corroded and the top section had came off. I replaced that and now the air works fine. I have an eafle 05 maintenance manual with a section on the dd3 parking brake system, but is does not say anything about how to release it when its stuck. The brake shoe is not stuck to the drum, been sitting for several years, because I soaked the drum/shoes with oil so the wheel would turn enough to limp home from where I bought the bus.

luvrbus · December 21, 2011, 12:54:56 PM

Both brake cans should be the same seems like some Eagle owner installed a spring brake on one side the DD3 should release with 120 lbs of air push the pedal to the floor and hold and see if your pressure drop it could be spring side is not getting air to release also push the parking brake in and listen for air going into the spring side.

Some owners get creative to say the least

good luck

ronnie32567 · December 21, 2011, 01:03:29 PM

I've tried pushing park button and applying brake and holding for a few seconds and applying brake and releasing rappidly many times to no avail. The other side is releasing, I crawled under the bus to confirm.

Utahclaimjumper · December 21, 2011, 03:03:19 PM

The beauty of this pastime,,,, you get to figure it out,,,,,,,,makes you a better informed busnut.>>>Dan (Just about anyone can be an "owner driver")

wg4t50 · December 21, 2011, 05:32:20 PM

I replaced both DD3 chambers on my MCI, that solved my problems, would use the spring brake, but they just do not fit well.

buswarrior · December 21, 2011, 08:08:10 PM

You have a problem.

It is in the chapter entitled, "The crazy things my previous owner did to the coach"

Your brake chambers should be the same on both ends of an axle.

If you have one with 3 hoses, and one with 2... the sky is the limit on what other irregular or downright unsafe things may be hiding in the coach.

These is not the signs of a knowledgeable previous owner, quite the opposite.

And, by oiling the brake linings...yes, I realize you needed to get it moved under trying circumstances... but .... how are you going to get that oil out of the porous linings so that they won't slide easily when you really want them to grip hard when trying to stop later on?

You are in the right place for help, but you have a lot of reading ahead of you.

Use the search function, and there is the Eagles board as well as Busnut Online to add to your collection of internet reading.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

Dreamscape · December 21, 2011, 10:35:27 PM

I would let the pressure build to 120, apply brakes and release the park valve. Change the DD3 to a spring to match the other side as soon as you can. I'm not sure how it was plumbed to have one spring and one DD3 and make it work properly. As been said, both sides need to be the same type.

There is a thread on the Eagles International forum that shows how spring brakes should be plumbed.

www.eaglesinternational.net

buswarrior · December 22, 2011, 05:53:52 AM

I think he needs to understand what he's got before he picks up a wrench.

All bets are off.

I could rig a coach to have one each DD3 and spring brake, but I know enough to not do it.

So, there's no telling how the previous owner has done it and the fact that the PO DID do it, suggests to me that the coach needs to be regarded as dangerous until proven otherwise.

And in the hands of a newbie busnut, doubly so.

There's a lot of reading, and looking and some more reading and some drawings and testing to do to determine what functionality is present, and which direction to go from where it as at.

Anyone near this new busnut?

A post Arcadia visit perhaps?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

Joe Camper · December 22, 2011, 06:02:02 AM

You better darn well make sure if you go under there with a hammer to release the stuck one that youve got the wheels chocked before you do.

It is a fairly good guess when it does "pop" and you do free it that bus is going to possibly roll.

bobofthenorth · December 22, 2011, 07:49:42 AM

Two words for the OP - DOT Inspection.

Who knows what else it will turn up but it will be money well spent.

qayqayt · December 22, 2011, 10:07:11 AM

The DD3 brake actuator has a grease fitting that most people miss when they're doing maintenance on their coaches. If that fitting is dry, the brake won't release. It takes a lithium grease because of the proximity to rubber. Worth a try.

Bryan

ronnie32567 · December 22, 2011, 01:34:13 PM

I have some good news and some not so good news, first, the not so good news,I'M A DUMB@@#. Now the good news Both air chambers are dd3's The 3rd hose was hiding on the off side of the chamber that I thought only had two, I changed out an air line on the chamber that was stuck and now it works fine, the old line looked to be an original and in bad shape and it was too short, kinda kinked at the fitting. Parking brakes are engaging and releasing fine every time.

Utahclaimjumper · December 22, 2011, 01:46:05 PM

As I said,,, a more informed "busnut",,, it comes in stages.>>>Dan

ronnie32567 · December 22, 2011, 01:53:47 PM

Will it ever end!!! After fixing the parking brake, I decided to take her out for a little spin bout 5 miles or so, found a place to turn around and started back. I started noticing that the engine was revving pretty good but I wasn't going very fast. By the time I got back home it was at a crawl, when I stopped I could barely take off again even with the engine wound up. The clutch has to be slipping but the wierd thing is I can still change gears just fine, even from nuetral goes in gear perfect. Every clutch I've ever seen that was slipping you could'nt change gears without grinding the teeth off the gears. I work on all my own equipment, trucks, farm tractors, bulldozers ect. but this bus has just about got me whipped. Any suggestions on the clutch problem?

ronnie32567 · December 22, 2011, 01:57:37 PM

Hey Dan are you a prospector?