quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
My Breakaway has a driveshaft parking brake. It's also blessed with the GM Hydroboost system. Lose braking and power steering together if a belt breaks........

Does yours have just one belt driving the PS pump?

One serpentine belt. I've had it break once on the road when the A/C compressor locked up...I now replace it every 18 months.

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
One serpentine belt. I've had it break once on the road when the A/C compressor locked up...I now replace it every 18 months.

Oh, yeah. Yours is a 94. Wasn't thinking.

Our 95 truck ate a belt while Susan was driving, and she took it to the closest place. They put on a NAPA belt. A couple of weeks later, it started squealing. It turns out that NAPA sells two grades of serpantine belts, the cheaper being made in Mexico. Since they charged her the US belt price and number, but stuck on a Mexican belt, I took it to the Bureau of Automotive Repair, where it got lost in the process. They did offer to give me a new proper belt, but wanted $85 for installation. 5 minutes on a pickup. If anybody has read this far, just be sure when you buy at NAPA. They also sell Chinese axle bearings at a very low price.

I get only the Goodyear Gatorback belts (available locally only at AutoZone) - about $32 vs $17 for the NAPA Gold. I keep the latter as a spare. Belt installation is less than 10 minute job. But then, I've gotten pretty good at it.

quote:

Does yours have just one belt driving the PS pump?

Bill H!!!!

Yes. And two grooves in the pump pulley, and two grooves in the crankshaft pulley.

You may have saved a rather unpleasant situation with your post.

Anyone know the correct Hydroboost belt number for an '86 chassis P30/P32/P37 with a 454?

thanks,
Matt

quote:

Originally posted by BarthBluesmobile:


Bill H!!!!


You may have saved a rather unpleasant situation with your post.

Anyone know the correct Hydroboost belt number for an '86 chassis P30/P32/P37 with a 454?

thanks,
Matt

These PS belts are very important on Hydroboost Pees. They should be replaced at the same time, so they more or less break in together, and adjusted exactly the same using a belt tension gauge, so they share the load equally. As they are different lengths, they will stretch slightly differently, so should be checked periodically. NAPA sells a nice little gauge that is easy to use.

I will check my manuals and see what I can find on an 86. PM me with your eMail and I will send you a scan or two. BTW, do you have one or two AIR pumps?

check this out, the crash prompted an investigation by a TV station near the crash site. they don't have nice things to say about poor construction methods of some RVs.

http://www.kirotv.com/fatalflaws/index.html

happy motoring,
Matt

While this event was tragic, it points out the flimsy construction of most motorhomes.

But unmentioned is the lack of qualifications of most motorhome drivers. Any of us who've driven tractor-trailers (I was schooled by Shell as a local cartage driver, but still had to satisfy its line-haul requirements). If brake fade was the actual culprit in the crash, then the standard technique probably would've allowed brake effectiveness to remain.

And then there's this. I was near Suffern, NY for the North East Astronomy Forum; most of the RVs park in one semi-remote parking lot. There was a 31-foot Class C (Ford E450) there (I don't remember the brand) with 16" wheels...they've got to be kidding....

Hi Rusty,

How was NEAF. Did you bring home somegoodies?
Jim

I completely lost all braking power in West Virginia coming down into the Shenandoah Valley in my 64 GMC Schoolie years ago. After the fact; I determined it was a defective brake booster that would make the brake pedal go hard as a rock, but with no braking effect.

What saved me and my family? I stayed in first gear the entire way down (probably 20 miles with switchbacks!) and I used my CB to radio to call to truckers ahead. One trucker waived traffic beyond him until he could see me behind him and stayed with me on the entire ride down. Our plan was for me to stuff my nose into his trailer if I lost control. Didn't need to, but he may have saved our lives that day!

The GMC had a prop shaft EBrake too. This made me ever so aware that my drive-shaft was the only thing between me and the gravity trying to kill me. I purposely didn't try to use it for fear it would cause shaft failure and knowing it would have little effect in that situation.

This event made me bone up on braking systems and I'm a firm believer in air brakes now. Hydro brakes can boil off, leak out, become contaminated, have booster issues and in all cases you lose the ability to brake - often at the time you need them most. With air brakes the brakes are engaged at all wheels unless there is air pressure, the relaxed state is brakes fully engaged...big difference. This is the reason all big rigs, busses, trains, etc. use air brakes. I even have an "emergency" plan if I lost pedal brake control where I would use the dash mounted air brake engagement to slowly dump the air out. I practice using it to dump air before using my jacks, just to get used to it if needed in an emergency.

Driving a class A RV should be more like flying an airplane than jumping in your commuter car. Practice pre-flight checks, understand the mechanics, and have emergency routines.

The RV manufacturers, aside from often building junk, want people to think it's all easy, fun and stress free - Barth owners are probably a little different in demographics - I hope!
Corey

quote:

Originally posted by noble97monarch:
With air brakes the brakes are engaged at all wheels unless there is air pressure, the relaxed state is brakes fully engaged...big difference. This is the reason all big rigs, busses, trains, etc. use air brakes.

The only wheels that "DO NOT" have parking brakes are the front wheels. With an air system, if you have a leak, and it's bad enough, the brakes will apply with no effort on your part. It will just happen.

Bill,

With air brakes the leak would need to be greater than the air compressor's ability to keep up. Most air systems leak a little, but the compressor & storage tanks keep the system pumped up.

You are right that the brakes would apply if there was inadequate pressure. The question is; in a catastrophic brake failure would you rather have ALL brakes or NO brakes? You know what I pick.
Corey

quote:

Originally posted by noble97monarch:
The question is; in a catastrophic brake failure would you rather have ALL brakes or NO brakes?

I was just making sure that no one thought that their steering brakes might lock up too.

BTW: I don't have it in my signature profile anymore, so some of you might not know, but this is what I do for a living. I have been self employed since 1987 and have 3 service trucks on the road.

N I C E T R U C K

Bill,

If I conk out near Newburgh, your my man!

Guess I wasn't teaching you anything about air brakes, but lots of people don't know anything beyond pushing the pedal. Again, pretty sure you know that in your line of work.

Cheers,
Corey