live and learn AGAIN (Brakes)

[olnick]

I'll try and keep it short! Feb 2019 I replaced the gearset in my rearend! I went from 2:73 to 3:73 gears. All went well with that change. At the same time I said self change out the brakes while you have it all apart. So I did, removed the backing plates sand blasted them primer and paint installed back onto RR axle tubes. got new "Wagner" wheel cyl from Rock auto got new shoes local (S&H would have eaten any savings) along with new drums/ hardware/hoses and hard lines! install and done for at least 5 years!! Wrong answer.. After the install the brakes were perfect! I then decided to remove the bed and remove all the rust from 40 years of being on the road. Yeah the rebuild was slow over winter 4-5 months total time truck was not used during that time. When I got the bed back on it was great to have my truck back! I then noticed the brakes would shudder after a 20 mile ride. Then I noticed "the smell" of hot shoes/drums. Damn, I checked all the "normal" things, emergency cables nice and loose, had all new lines loosened a bleeder no excessive flow/pressure. Go out for another ride in light rain just touch the brake pedal and the Left rear locks right up??? IR temp gauge says 135F LH 165F Rh. both way too hot for not having used the brakes hard at all. I jacked up the Right rear and pulled the wheel and drum off, drum came right off with NO drag at all! I then went and pressed the brake pedal with my hand just hard enough to "set" the brakes. I went and looked at the shoes and the primary (front) shoe was out 1/4 inch from the anchor pin!!!??? I could not push the shoe back into place. I used my dead blow hammer to seat it. Again I pressed on the pedal, again the primary shoe was out a 1/4 inch from the anchor!! I removed the shoes then the wheel cylinder to check the operation. I needed to hammer the pistons and cups out of the bore! Totally gummed up! I was able to clean the bores up and re use the original parts! All is well again!!
The fix?? My mistake when I installed them by NOT taking them apart to check and lube properly??
The application stated: Wagner wheel cylinder made in USA.! That was also stated on the boxes! (My main reason for going with that brand) Well guess what? when I open the boxes the sealed plastic bags have "made in China" printed on them! The bottom line is that the quality control in China is NON existent!! Might just be the tolerances were toooo tight and did not provide the needed space for the parts to move?

I kept the old wheel cylinders that I removed and I will try to locate some made in USA rebuild kits and use those in the long run.

Olnick

 

[Goldie Driver]

Sad part is that you cannot get away from Chinesium.

Professional mechanic across the street says he has seen reworks 3 times from crap ass parts that you cannot escape !!

 

[eskimomann209]

Gummed up and bad tolerance are two totally different issues.
If it was a bad tolerance a little cleaning isn’t going to fix anything. my guess is your lines were dirty and you sent some **** into the cylinder. Rubber line at the T breaks down sometimes and brake line rust is notorious in these old trucks.

 

[olnick]

new rubber and hard lines a year ago!!

Olnick

 

[broketiredugly]

when was last time you flushed the fluid? you can replace the hoses, but that doesnt cure chunks of gunk up at the proportioning valve, o even at the master cylinder return hole.

 

[olnick]

I cleaned and flushed from masterd down (including Master)prior to installing new parts!

 

[MikeB]

Have a post here somewhere about my left rear brakes dragging and prematurely locking up. And like what you saw, IR temp was SIGNIFICANTLY higher on that drum. Swapped drums from side to side, and the problem followed the drum. I have a new Raybestos drum on order, but if the problem returns I'll check to make sure the springs can pull the shoes back to the anchor pin. More than likely my new wheel cylinders are made in Communist China by the folks who brought us COVID-19.

 

[olnick]

No doubt about it!!!!

Olnick