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Sun Nov 22, 2009 7:16 am

Sawsalesman wrote: I'm confused here. Why does everyone expect the rear breaks to be giving him his pulsating at the brake pedal. .

I don't think anyone was expecting the rear BRAKES to be causing his pulsating. The OP had the rear drums off before there was any discussion here. But it was wisely suggested he have them checked for out of roundness while he had them off. But the OP never mentioned the results of any runout measurements but instead he just jumped on the bandwagen of having them machined.
And then the topic turned to a new right rear clatter and leaking wheel cylinder. So he does now need to get the rears straightened out.
And if he still has the pulsating pedal, which he very well might, he can change the topic to "front brakes". Remember, his topic here was "rear brakes" not "what's causing the pulsating pedal". :wink:

Sawsalesman wrote: Replace the front rotors or have them turned, He determined they were not machinable. So when he gets back to the front end he might find he needs to get new ones. I'd think they are a little harder for him to get than they are for us.

Sun Nov 22, 2009 10:39 am

As i've just bought the bus I am quite happy looking at both front and rear brakes, and everything else that could need fixing (i have quite a list now), so I know exactly where the bus is at.

We don't need to discuss the front brakes here, other than to say I probably could have taken the rotors in to at least check if they are warped - I might still do that. In any case I have will be picking up a pair of new rotors, along with a heap of other parts when I visit the UK in a couple of weeks.

I have a '79 bus, a camper converted by Devon. It has a 1600 DP T1 engine. I mention the engine as '79 buses exported to US and Australia would almost always have a T4 engine, I am new to the T1 engine, and I also don't know if there is anything else "different" about the '79 european bus (eg brakes?) as I've only owned buses in the US and Aus before now.

I am still unsure what to do about the rear brakes other than replacing the cylinders (which won't do anything to fix the clatter or the pulsating pedal):
- How do can i determine if my rear brake shoes should or should not have the anti-rattle pins?
- Why would I be checking the gap between the shoe and drum from the rear if they have just been machined? Could the drum still be suspect?
- Any other ideas on what could cause the clatter?

Thanks for all the comments so far, I have learnt a lot from them.

Sun Nov 22, 2009 3:35 pm

OP"s first 4 words were "My brake peddle pulsates". It's nice that he posted pictures and questions regarding the rear but my point was if his real problem is to fix the pulsating he may want to look in the front. Being that he mentioned a slight language barrier I was responding to the first 4 words. I didn't want to lead him to the rear breaks if his real problem is the pulsating. I agree though, he does need to take care of the rears as well.

By the way, all the other posts were correct regarding the rear brakes and their condition.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 7:55 am

I'm still not sure if my rear brake shoes need the anti-rattle pins. Is there a way to determine this?

Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:14 am

made_in_nz wrote: I'm still not sure if my rear brake shoes need the anti-rattle pins. Is there a way to determine this?

'74-up do not have the pins. there should not even be holes for them.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 9:32 am

On the brake adjusters, it appeared that the Left side rear adjuster wouldn't budge, and the Right side front wouldn't either. Both stuck. Or, were the ones that appear to be stuck, not stuck, and just not adjusted? Looking at the teeth on the star adjusters, I would get a set of new ones, and install with proper lube, etc. Improper brake shoe adjustment (or brake shoes that wont adjust properly) causes all kinds of problems, it appears that the cylinders (and drums?) have suffered as a result. Clean everything up with brake cleaner (don't get any spray into the bearing assembly), put on some new cylinders and replace the star adjusters. New brake hoses would be recommended. And find you some new rubber plugs that seal off the adjustment holes on the backing plates. Without them, driving around in the rain lets all kinds of moisture/water in there that can lead to another source of brake failure, which can be either immediate or long term.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 10:00 am

germansupplyscott wrote: made_in_nz wrote: I'm still not sure if my rear brake shoes need the anti-rattle pins. Is there a way to determine this?

'74-up do not have the pins. there should not even be holes for them.

I've often wondered about that myself. I've never seen them on a late bay but the last spring kit I got for my '79 had them. They were a bitch going on so they ended up in the garbage. :lol:

The shoes you sell have the holes though:

http://www.germansupply.com/home/customer/product.php?productid=16191&cat=438&page=1

:-k

Tue Nov 24, 2009 11:18 pm

Quote: On the brake adjusters, it appeared that the Left side rear adjuster wouldn't budge, and the Right side front wouldn't either. Both stuck. Or, were the ones that appear to be stuck, not stuck, and just not adjusted? Looking at the teeth on the star adjusters, I would get a set of new ones, and install with proper lube, etc. Improper brake shoe adjustment (or brake shoes that wont adjust properly) causes all kinds of problems, it appears that the cylinders (and drums?) have suffered as a result. Clean everything up with brake cleaner (don't get any spray into the bearing assembly), put on some new cylinders and replace the star adjusters. New brake hoses would be recommended. And find you some new rubber plugs that seal off the adjustment holes on the backing plates. Without them, driving around in the rain lets all kinds of moisture/water in there that can lead to another source of brake failure, which can be either immediate or long term.

I never mentioned any problem adjusting. The pictures show how the brakes had been incorrectly adjusted by PO. The adjusters turn fine and the brakes are now cleaned, drums machined, and pads adjusted evenly, yet I have the clatter. I will replace out the cylinders in a couple of weeks when I get the parts. I already have the rubber plugs in the back, and the rubber hoses look to be in very good condition.

The shoes have holes for the pins, and i have clatter. The most obvious deduction to me was the pins, but clearly i'm wrong, which puts me back to square one.

I haven't had a chance to take a look at the brakes since my last couple of posts and probably won't until the weekend so i'll post an update later... just a thought, if the drums were quite out of round, could the mismatch in shape between drum and pad cause the pads to clatter?