Good news...Bad news.

[chazwood]

First the good news....After having ripped out the steering wheel, drivers seat, shift tower with parking brake support, the whole front steps and finally the flooring......I managed to piece everything back together and start the bus. However, not until I figured out that if your step/chime light ain't happy....ain't nobody happy. (I disconnected this little jewel when I took out the steps ...... Don't think you're accomplishing anything by ignoring the light and merely twisting those two wires back together. ......No sir.... Sure, the bus will now start, but every 3 minuets your control panel will make some strange blip-squack noise that sounds like someone stepping on a duck.) And don't forget that harmless looking rectangle box screwed to the bottom of the panel down by your left heel....If you don't satisfy that little beast ....all you get is a click, way back there in the dark recesses of the bus somewhere.

Anyway, now the bad news.... I made the mistake of taking a toothbrush and trying to clean around the parking break release valve and discovered that the dirt was acting like a gasket. When it started hissing on the top I took the whole thing off, cleaned it, put it back  and it started hissing from both ends. I then took it to a parts house and ordered a new one (no, they didn't have a rebuild kit) and on the way home decided to take it apart and see what made it tick.....I discovered that all it was, was a couple of o-rings....I then visited the hardware store, bought what I needed and fixed the leak.  You may be thinking that the bad news is that I have two perfectly good release valves, but that ain't it. The bad news is that ever since I tore up the floor and pressure washed everything...  my parking brakes won't release. They make a sound like they want to.... but they just won't let go. When you put it in gear, it bares down like it wants to go...... but it can't.  (my wife will suggest prune juice  )

What should I check?

Thanks.

Chazwood

[lesrMC9]

Hi Chazwood ; I'll give u the usual thing first--make sure the air is 120 psi push release valve then give a full brake application! may have to bring it up to 120 psi 2 or 3 times to release, these are not a typical spring brake system these are a different animal called DD3
good luck
Les R

[chazwood]

I tried that.

Will try again.

Nope, Just came back in...tried that three more times.... still locked up tighter than hung chow at a chinese buffet.

Next?

[HighTechRedneck]

Is your parking brake indictor light staying on or turning off at some point after releasing the park brake?  If it turns off, then first guess is moisture got in during pressure washing and there is a stuck shoe.  If that is the case do a forum search on the keywords brake won't release.  That should bring up some threads with good advise on getting them unstuck.

If the indicator stays on and you're sure the release valve is working (listen carefully for the air), then maybe there was a brake system interlock with another system that got disconnected during your cleaning work.  For example on my RTS, there is an interlock with the door controls.

[chazwood]

light goes out, and he belches, moans and farts like he's trying to let go ....but alas....nothing. (door lock still works) come to think of it there is a stray yellow plastic air hose that looks like it was part of the windshield wiper motors that is just dangling...(thought it was like a pressure release for the wiper motor.)

[chazwood]

I guess I could turn it into a storage shed. Anyone want to buy a motor?

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Chazwood,

It's a faulty SPITZOR VALVE, yea, it's always the problem..... or, you lost all the brake fluid when you disassembeled the valve....

just kidding....I think!

Hummmm..... It sounds like maybe one can is hanging up.

Nick-

[ArtGill]

Try reaching down and pull up on the brake pedal.  Don't ask how I know this!
Art

[Sojourner]

Chazwood...after air up 120 psi with the park button in...push brake pedal down to release the locking cam ring within the DD3 can. If it still doesn't move after release brake pedal...then retry again but push brake pedal harder until it release the locking ring.

FWIW

Sojourn for Christ, Jerry

[chazwood]

I have been tromping and stomping .......with no luck

One thing I do remember...... as I passed down the side of the bus with the pressure washer (the one I rented would blast like old faithful if you pulled the trigger , but would choke down if you went to long without releasing pressure, so you were always looking for something to hit) I stuck the nozzle around the back axles and wiggled it around some. I couldn't really see much so I passed on to the engine compartment. Since the parking brake only grips the back axles, maybe I shot something back there and it ain't happy about it?

[HighTechRedneck]

Is your parking brake indictor light staying on or turning off at some point after releasing the park brake?  If it turns off, then first guess is moisture got in during pressure washing and there is a stuck shoe.  If that is the case do a forum search on the keywords brake won't release.  That should bring up some threads with good advise on getting them unstuck.

If the indicator stays on and you're sure the release valve is working (listen carefully for the air), then maybe there was a brake system interlock with another system that got disconnected during your cleaning work.  For example on my RTS, there is an interlock with the door controls.

Well, those keywords didn't get it but the keywords stuck brakes did:

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=4020.msg36437#msg36437

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=6672.msg64275#msg64275

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=4442.msg40573#msg40573


hth

[DavidInWilmNC]

This probably won't apply to you, but I thought I had a stuck brake last summer.  I 'tried' to release the brakes, put it in gear, and let the clutch out.  The bus strained like it wanted to go (where's that prune juice?), but didn't.  For me, the answers are almost always the simple things.  Here's a hint to my problem: we have sandy soil here (close to the beach).  The friend who was going to be directing me out the drive way walked around back and then came up to the driver's window and asked 'why are you spinning your tires like that'.  Yep, I had sunk down just a bit into the ground.  It wasn't really noticeable visually, but it turned out to be about 1.5-2".  I did the old boards under the tires trick and got it moving.  My brakes were never stuck, but my tires sure were!  Good luck with it.

David

[chazwood]

Ding!!Ding!!Ding!! ....We have a winner! And the winner of the "what has Chazwood done now" Contest is......Art!  (the prize is, you have to call the guy I sold the engine to and tell him that I moved  ) Just pulled up on the brake, like Art told me to, and the bus jumped like a scalded cat. Kinda scared me, because I was standing up (haven't put my seat back in.) So then I stomped the brake and almost went through the windshield. (Well, you can't go through the windshield at 2 mph... but you can scare yourself.)

Now here is the strange part. I noticed that when I put the brake/gas pedal assembly back down the brake part that goes through the floor was rubbing on the metal plate that the plywood rests on. When I put down the new plywood I cut out the round hole and had to make my hole bigger than the hole in the metal and the brake still rubbed. This was strange because the two mounting bolt holes in the metal plate forced you to go back with the assembly exactly like it was before, which leads me to believe that it was rubbing and hanging up slightly before I replaced the floor. It did seem reluctant to release the brake before But I just thought that was par for the course. Just reaching down, grabbing the lever and pulling up a little overcomes the friction and releases the brake ( Now I'm going to have to learn to drive all over again)


The sad part is maybe I've been driving around with my brakes slightly engaged and that's why this bus feels like a basset hound instead of a greyhound. I will report back.

[Busted Knuckle]

Yeaaaa!

OK now Chaz, in my past experiences when ya gotta pull up on the brake pedal it means that the brake valve below the floor is getting worn out/weak and needs to be replaced or rebuilt! Um seems to me I saw in a recent thread that someone else just had to replace one! I don't remeber who it was, but I do think I remeber Nick's name being mentioned. Maybe he can remember the valve "name or number".  FWIW   BK 
I got a kick outta the standing up part by the way! Sounds like something I would do! LOL! 

[chazwood]

Part of the brake pedal was rubbing against the metal hole in the floor kinda like this was an after market pedal and  didn't quite fit . When I took a metal file and ground away a 1/16 inch so the pedal no longer touches and it works fine. Looking at the metal tells me that it has been rubbing since it was put in. In fact, I took the dog out for a quick round the block and it feels like a different bus....more like a greyhound than a basset hound. It could very well be that until now the parking breaks or regular brakes weren't completely disengaging and so it was making the bus sluggish. (maybe that explains the 2 mpg  )