MeeganOldani Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 So our 2005 Monaco Knight has been in the shop now for nearly two weeks because they cant find front brakes that fit/work. We are currently stuck in the Phoenix area now because of this. The back brakes have been replaced and work fine, but every time they put new drums and shoes on the front brakes (5 times now) and they test drive it, it begins pulling to the right when the brakes are applied. So they had the drums modified at another shop, still same problem. Our shop is frustrated with it and I perceive that they may be ready to give up. It was never pulling to the right before the brakes were replaced. The brakes were just old and ready to be replaced. Have any of you ever heard of or encountered a similar problem? They had to break the whole thing down to get part numbers for replacement is what we were told but evidently still cant get a match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo84 Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 Sounds like the left brake may not be applying or is out of adjustment. Do you have disc brakes or drums up front. Truck usually pulls to the side that is working. If it tracks normal without brakes applied then it probably is a left front brake issue. What kind of shop? Truck shop? They would know if the slacks are out of adjustment or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96 EVO Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 Have they replaced the air lines going to the brake cans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeeganOldani Posted February 24, 2022 Author Share Posted February 24, 2022 On 2/23/2022 at 8:35 AM, Romeo84 said: Sounds like the left brake may not be applying or is out of adjustment. Do you have disc brakes or drums up front. Truck usually pulls to the side that is working. If it tracks normal without brakes applied then it probably is a left front brake issue. What kind of shop? Truck shop? They would know if the slacks are out of adjustment or not. So its drums on all four brakes. They did say when they brought it back from one of the test drives that the left front drum was very hot and difficult to take back off because it almost welded itself on, whereas the right side was cool. It is a shop that specializes in class A RV's but they said they've never run into this issue before. It tracked perfectly straight prior to the fronts being replaced. They told me the slacks should automatically adjust. Today they said they are putting the old drums back on with new shoes to see if the same issue presents. If it doesnt then they are going to have the drums turned if they arent too thin and call it good. The only other option was to order an American made set up drums and they are $1500 each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo84 Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 Woa seems like your going to be into it for a lot. Dont know why putting the old ones back on would ever be an option. Slack adjusters are self adjusting after a certain year. My 2000 does not have self adjusting slacks. Occasionally the roll pin will fall put of the self adjuster and then once they back out they that's it. Pretty rare but can happen. Only thing I can say is don't settle. If the brakes are hot that means there stuck or rusted to it. A simple tap with a hammer would fix that. Really have me questioning thus shop to put a decade old drums back on the truck. Not that you can but they had em off already Let us know the results Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan K Posted February 24, 2022 Share Posted February 24, 2022 The only sense I can make of it is that the left drum was already tight from the get go, got hot and lost some braking ability so when brakes got applied, the right hand brake would engage as expected and cause the pull. However that should cause a pull to the left as the coach starts initially moving. I would also question the adjuster if the shoe springs and s-cam rod are free to move and return. All that should be able to be inspected from inside of the wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96 EVO Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 1 hour ago, Romeo84 said: Slack adjusters are self adjusting after a certain year. My 2000 does not have self adjusting slacks. Quick Google search shows your '2000 coach certainly should have automatic slack adjusters. Vehicles made after 1994 have automatic slack adjusters that adjust themselves during full brake applications and should only require manual adjustments during installation. However, all brake systems, whether manual or automatic slack adjusters, should receive regular maintenance checkups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo84 Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 I think you're actually correct.. Especially in the year but I feel like that may pertain more to commercial motor vehicles whereas Recreational vehicles probably got a good discount on the older versions.. My signature Has disk brakes on the steer Drum brakes on the Drive and tag axle all 4 slack Adjusters Are older models that do not have the adjustment arm/spline 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan K Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 6 hours ago, Romeo84 said: I think you're actually correct.. Especially in the year but I feel like that may pertain more to commercial motor vehicles whereas Recreational vehicles probably got a good discount on the older versions.. My signature Has disk brakes on the steer Drum brakes on the Drive and tag axle all 4 slack Adjusters Are older models that do not have the adjustment arm/spline Interesting, I would have thought that ours is identical to your 00 Sig Admiral but our Rockwell axles came with 4 disks and all automatic adjusters. 1999 production date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDStew Posted February 26, 2022 Share Posted February 26, 2022 (edited) Our drum brakes failed on a mountain in 2021. After Pulling over and letting the only working drum brake cool down and stop sending smoke signals, I called a truck mobile mechanic. He works on semis and RVs. He checked all four drums and adjusted the automatic adjusters on each with his socket wrench. This let me get down the last 3000 ft of mountain to our park. Later on he came out and replaced the worst two shoes and drums (driver side). The mechanic adjusted the automatic slack adjusters in and out after putting the new shoes on. I learned a lot as they patiently answered my questions. He shared that the automatic slack adjusters need adjusting when overheating a drum and when not applying correctly. He made is seem easy. Our Camelot brakes worked great after this! Edited February 26, 2022 by JDStew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dl_racing427 Posted February 27, 2022 Share Posted February 27, 2022 On 2/26/2022 at 10:46 AM, JDStew said: Our drum brakes failed on a mountain in 2021. After Pulling over and letting the only working drum brake cool down and stop sending smoke signals, I called a truck mobile mechanic. He works on semis and RVs. He checked all four drums and adjusted the automatic adjusters on each with his socket wrench. This let me get down the last 3000 ft of mountain to our park. Later on he came out and replaced the worst two shoes and drums (driver side). The mechanic adjusted the automatic slack adjusters in and out after putting the new shoes on. I learned a lot as they patiently answered my questions. He shared that the automatic slack adjusters need adjusting when overheating a drum and when not applying correctly. He made is seem easy. Our Camelot brakes worked great after this! Glad you got it stopped, that could've been bad. The trouble with auto-adjusters is that people tend to neglect maintenance. They still need to be checked and greased periodically or they'll freeze up and not adjust. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Blackmon Posted February 27, 2022 Share Posted February 27, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 12:24 AM, Romeo84 said: I think you're actually correct.. Especially in the year but I feel like that may pertain more to commercial motor vehicles whereas Recreational vehicles probably got a good discount on the older versions.. My signature Has disk brakes on the steer Drum brakes on the Drive and tag axle all 4 slack Adjusters Are older models that do not have the adjustment arm/spline There are 2 types of auto slack adjusters and by 2000 you had them. The Bendix type has the rod you mention. The Wabco type does not. If you don't have a spring collar holding a 9/16 hex head you have automatics. If you do, someone changed them out. To the OP, automatics have to be backed off then manually adjusted when installing new brakes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Petersen Posted February 28, 2022 Share Posted February 28, 2022 For a knowledgabe opinion: You may want to find a specialty Brake and Alignment shop, for commercial trucks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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