I read somewhere that when there is a little oil on a brake shoe you can burn?

zubzub · November 05, 2007, 03:50:05 PM

burn it off (if it hasn't been there too long. i think I read that here, but checking tharchives i came up blank. So, I know there are naysayers on the this but I would like to hear from those who have done it/know how it's done. is it with methyl hydrate??? How long? etc...? tahnks as always, Patrick.

Busted Knuckle · November 05, 2007, 04:44:00 PM

Patrick,

I ain't never burnt no oil off no brakes (except maybe by using them!). But yes I have cleaned them up if not heavily saturated for a long period with "Brake Parts Cleaner" available at any parts store! simply spray the heck out of the oily spot and use a rag or brush to remove stubborn parts and then let AIR dry, then respray with the cleaner again and AIR dry again! I have done this many times over the yrs and never seen any negative results! Now if they have been heavily saturated for any length of time (or unknown how long) I would not take the chance! After all it's not just your life, but each and every person out there sharing the road with you that you are taking a chance on if your brakes should fail anytime wether it be a normal stop or an emergency stop for something totally unexpected & unavoidable! Just use good common sense and decide which way to go! And remember you have to live with it if something happens by saving a few bucks! FWIW

BK

Hi yo silver · November 05, 2007, 04:53:07 PM

Seems like a likely time to ask a dumb question. If my memory serves me correctly, it seems that one Sunday morning as Mom and I were leaving church, the front wheel on our '55 Ford was locked up. Mom called Dad, who came over, jacked up the right front wheel, and cleaned off the brake drum and lining with "Ajax". Seems the leaking seal had allowed the grease to coat the drum and brake linings, and cleaning it off did the trick.

My question is; is that possible, or is there more to the story?
Dennis

gus · November 05, 2007, 06:15:57 PM

In my 50+ years of being a shade tree mechanic I always thought that any oil on a brake lining meant the trash barrel. If this works for you please let us know. I'm not sure I would ever try it on a heavy vehicle but am curious to know how it works for you.

One funny thing about oil on brake linings is that it causes that brake to grab, not slip, as would seem logical?

Ajax is very absorbent so it probably soaked up the oil. Seems logical to me.

TomC · November 05, 2007, 06:22:19 PM

Considering the cost of a set of brake linings, you would be best set by replacing them rather than trying to clean the linings. When it comes to brakes, the drum brakes are marginal at best, through in some grease and dirt, and you risk more than a few bucks saved. PLEASE- replace oily linings. Good Luck, TomC

DrivingMissLazy · November 05, 2007, 06:29:36 PM

Quote from: TomC on November 05, 2007, 06:22:19 PM
Considering the cost of a set of brake linings, you would be best set by replacing them rather than trying to clean the linings. When it comes to brakes, the drum brakes are marginal at best, through in some grease and dirt, and you risk more than a few bucks saved. PLEASE- replace oily linings. Good Luck, TomC

Back in the 40's and 50's it was not uncommon to saturate an oil soaked brake lining with gasoline and set it on fire to burn off the oil. Linings were riveted on, so there was no danger of breaking an adhesive seal.

Sorry, but I really do not remember how well this worked.
Richard

JohnEd · November 05, 2007, 09:50:49 PM

Richard,

Back in the day those brakelinings were made of "asbestos" and burning them was not possible. I guess only the grease was consumed. Not true with todays Non asbestos lining.

Hey BK,

If my lining has been saturated with brake fluid do I still have to trash it? My stuff was really soaked for many months before I discovered where the fluid was going. My master weeped a little and I thought it was going there but it was the rears it turned out. Now I drove that S&S 500 miles and had no break problems and nothing grabbed. Complicating this is that I discovered that my adjusters were frozen and I might not have been getting "any" rear brakes. The front discs were really good and might have masked a lot of the problem unless I didn't have one.
I did replace all the shoes, rebuilt the wheel cylinders and turned the drums and packed the bearings so don't think me lackadaisical.

Thanks,

John

Lee Bradley · November 06, 2007, 08:55:23 AM

Quote from: JohnEd on November 05, 2007, 09:50:49 PM
Richard,

Back in the day those brakelinings were made of "asbestos" and burning them was not possible. I guess only the grease was consumed. Not true with todays Non asbestos lining.

Hey BK,

If my lining has been saturated with brake fluid do I still have to trash it? My stuff was really soaked for many months before I discovered where the fluid was going. My master weeped a little and I thought it was going there but it was the rears it turned out. Now I drove that S&S 500 miles and had no break problems and nothing grabbed. Complicating this is that I discovered that my adjusters were frozen and I might not have been getting "any" rear brakes. The front discs were really good and might have masked a lot of the problem unless I didn't have one.
I did replace all the shoes, rebuilt the wheel cylinders and turned the drums and packed the bearings so don't think me lackadaisical.

Thanks,

John

Generally brake fluid is worse than oil because it makes the surface sticky and will cause the brakes to grab. Back when I was logging and logs had to move, we would clean friction (brake) material of oil with the acetylene torch but that keeping a crew working and they were replaced as soon as new ones were obtained

Separated posts. Richard

JohnEd · November 06, 2007, 10:24:00 AM

BK,

That is so very interesting.....really. It was my very good fortune to understand the enormous value of the "Old Salt" chiefs and their "lifetime" of experience very earloy on in my career. They really made my day and enabled me to succeed when my skills and knowledge were not anywhere enuff. Eventually I became one bvut self made? Hardly.

I learned somthing from your post, also. My rear brakes must have been so far out of adj as to not be contacting the drum. They had absorbed quarts of fluid but never grabbed and yes, they were stickey.

Thanks

John

buswarrior · November 06, 2007, 02:41:23 PM

Hello oily linings.

The issue is whether a contaminated lining will generate the proper friction after it has been "cleaned"

Very difficult to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

It is well documented that axle lube on the linings renders the brake ineffective on a brake dynometer.

How deep into the lining's porous surface the lubricant has migrated, what happens if after re-install it leeches back to the surface, or when the lining wears down to the depth the lube still resides...

New linings are not very expensive, and then you don't have to think about it.

The litigation lawyer acting against you certainly will...

happy coaching!
buswarrior

gomer · November 06, 2007, 04:00:18 PM

I was replacing a u-joint and noticed a wheel was kinda dripping a little oil, so I removed the wheel and discovered the seal was shot. I cleaned a little with some old gas and finally a pressure washer was in order. I cleaned with a putty knife and got about a med size pizza box full of the slickest slimest $$$$ I have ever seen. Now after finding the linings I discovered they were flaking and so off to order seals and linings. A 185.69 later complete with new pancakes on BOTH wheels I got er to stop again, Now I found it was cheaper to replace than see 1-800 lawer. End of story
Gomer