we noted that the right front wheel got very hot and was burning something up as noted by crackling noise and foul odor when we drove the vehicle for the first time. Paul suspected that the brake fluid hd geled and couldn't return to the master cylinder but we don'y have the tools with us to repair anything like that. (Paul has Multiple Myeloma and doesn't have any business under the motorhome but I couldn;t do anything without a lift and plenty of other tools not readily available.) Because we had to have the fill hose (when we went to fill the tank, we discovered that the fill hose had multiple leaks)replaced prior to getting on the road to home, we asked the technicians at Camping World to diagnose the problem with the the wheel too. We dropped off the motorhome on Thursday morning and late Friday they reported that all four pads were shot. Carl Flack reports that he had the front pads replaced, right rotor turned, and bearings replce in 2011 and has put less than 1,000 miles on the vehicle since that time. Maybe the wrong brake fluid was added in 2011. Needless to say we did not plan to move to Ft. Myers and need to get home.

Does anyone know where I can get the shoes resurfaced in the Ft. Myers area?

Does anyone know where I could purchase the shoes?

Does anyone know the part numbers for the brake shoes?

It appears that we are going to be forced to leave our sweet behemoth in the hands of the Camping World service department and go home so Paul doesn't miss his m.d. appointments.

If anyone has any info that can assist us ........please contact us at annsdreams1@gmail.com or call us at 251=401=4497.

Thanks!

If all the "technicians" told you was the pads were shot - run away! The pads (not sure what you mean as you didn't say what kind of brakes or the chassis) are the least expensive part and are not the problem. Either the calipers (disc brakes), or the wheel cylinders (drum brakes), or the air actuators (air brakes) are locking up! There is a heavy duty truck repair center that relines drum shoes in Ocala called Palm Truck Centers. Discs are not worth fooling with you just get new ones from NAPA. You can disconnect the lines to the front wheel and limp, not drive, to a service center, but far better to have it towed. If you have towing coverage they will cover the cost to the nearest "capable" service center. You will have to negotiate with them to have them approve a long tow. If it is really serious then large real heavy duty service centers will provide the tow. Another idea is to call the engine service center for whatever engine is in the coach. Cat, Cummins and Detroit Diesel shops are in Tampa.

I have hydraulic over hydraulic (Hydroboost) and disks all around. Without knowing what The Toy has, I can't even guess...but that symptom is more common with disks than drums, which have retract springs.

My right rear did hang up despite the amount of use my coach gets.

Members Carl and Betsy Feren got the sister coach to yours. 92 Breakaway 30'. He had a similar problem with his air over hydralic a couple years ago. Emailed you his email but he has not been to active on Barthmobile lately. He is very knowledgable about Spartan Chassis and Breakways. He fixed his own fuel pump etc! Great couple.

thanks so very much for all the feedback. the motorhome(#3745) is 1992 breakaway with a spartan chassis (ec-2000), cummins 5.9L 160hp engine, air over hydraulic(air cylinders rebuilt in 2012, per carl flack's description of vehicle), disc brakes in front and unknown brakes in rear. we have two towing insurers, good sam and state farm. what would you do if you were the new owners of this barth? like i stated in original plea, i have to get home and it looks as though we will have to return to get our barth when it's finally ready to roll. i am just thankful that you guys are willing to help us and that we found this problem before we got out on the road. any insights into solving this dilemma are more than welcome.

I cannot post the link, but you can find Carl Ferens post from 2011 under "a tip how to avoid overheating brakes". He sprayed his calipers with silicone, they stuck after long sitting, I think.

I use Super Lube Multi-Purpose grease - apply sparingly.

Greases don't have a "melt point"; they have a "dropping point", or "drop point". Super Lube Multi-purpose has an ASTM D2265 drop point of ">500°F" and a temp range of 450°F continuous, 500°F intermittent. Lithium soap based greases have drop points of 450°F or less, but the reason they should never be used on brake parts is separation, where the base stock separates from the thickener.

Trying to catch up with the forum now that my racing duties are done.

Calipers on the front and rear of most Breakaways with air/hydraulic are the same size and models. The pads are also the same front and rear.

I went 75K miles on the front pads and 85K miles on the rear. YES, calipers do stick, or get stuck. These are single sided calipers ie: pistons (2) are on one side. The pistons can get draggy or the caliper slide gets draggy. Either way it will accelerate pad wear and cause rotor over heating.

I use disk brake grease made for single sided calipers and very sparingly! DO NOT spray any lubricant around the calipers or rotors. You can not control where it goes when spraying and the last thing you want is to lubricate the rotors.

The pads are the same as used on Ford F600 I think the year is 1990. Not sure so check that. I had the box that I got mine in but that was not in the coach this trip.

Thanks for the guidance! We had the calipers overhauled (new seals, honed, derusted and dedirted, etc.) and new pads put on yesterday. According to Carl Flack, this is the third set of pads and he replaced the calipers twice in four years and less than 3,500 miles. The fill hose was shot and the shop messed up the fuel sensing unit, hit the passenger side of the motor home with something (bent awning support rod, broke off channel and lost hook for left side, dent exhaust vent cover and broke off cover for electrical plug box. They emptied
the fuel to accomplish repair and neglected to return it to us (3/4 tank). Mr. Flack had battery problems in the past and thought he had cured the problem but both barely used and still in warranty house batteries are bulging. We discovered that the headlamps flash/blink when on bright. The lights are so dim on regular setting that it is dangerous when dark. We were told that the tires were new in 2009 but in fact the tires were manufactured in 2003. They only have about 3,200 miles on them but we are hesitant to drive 850 miles on these tires. There are so many little things that need to be addressed that we are just worried about getting on the road with a motorhome that we are not familiar with, that has already given us a few surprises in just two days of possession, that the wife is very frightened. The reality of this purchase is/has been entirely different than the idea we had of buying it, having it checked out, fixing some little problems and driving it home. Believe me, I am very aware that there is a good (great) deal of pm and replacement costs for a old gal like this but we weren't expecting all of this. We have an1986 Gulfstream Sun Stream 30' with a 454 Chevy engine that we are restoring and 'MaggieMae had never been maintained when we brought her home but I never thought that this vehicle would surprise me. Wife keeps reminding me that it's like eating an elephant, one bite at a time. Would you drive this vehicle 800 miles on 9 year old tires. Seems to be argument about correct tire pressure. What is the recommended psi for this motorhome do you know? We put 100 psi.

quote:

Originally posted by kaabass1:
Would you drive this vehicle 800 miles on 9 year old tires?

Only if the coach was driven every couple of weeks. MH tires seldom wear out, but can die from sitting. I rub my sidewalls with BFG age master, and rub my hands over the sidewalls before each trip. Any bulging or waviness is a sign of incipient failure. Many large tire chains will not even check the pressure in a tire that is over ten years old.

quote:

What is the recommended psi for this motorhome do you know? We put 100 psi.

The rec pressure for a MH might not be correct for your tires or load. the only safe recommendation is from the tire and wheel manufacturer. The max pressure for the wheel is usually on the inside.

The tire manufacturer usually publishes a chart. If you can't fine one, Tire Guide will have one. You need to know each wheel weight to follow it. I believe the Michelin site has a good procedure.

quote:

What is the recommended psi for this motorhome do you know? We put 100 psi.

There should be a notation on the data tag (on the wall behind the driver's seat); mine says 90 all around. Bridgestone recommends 100 psi rear, 90, front (scroll down to p.95). I do 105/95 headed north, as pressure will drop as the temp drops.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin:
Tire pressure should be written on the tire.

The pressure on the tire is the pressure for the stated max weight on the tire. This should coincide with the manufacturer's published chart. This max pressure could also be higher than the max stamped on the wheel.

quote:

Higher pressure is better than under-inflation In My Outspoken Opinion. (IMOO) Under-inflation will cause excessive sidewall flex and will eventually blow out the side walls.

+1 on that.