Truck Shop
Senior Member
Well better yet-everyone quit buying big nosed diesel and gas hungry pickups and rv's.
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Air Disc verses Drum-brakes
- Thread starter Truck Shop
- Start date
Well better yet-everyone quit buying big nosed diesel and gas hungry pickups and rv's.
JPV
Senior Member
A friend of mine ordered those on his new log truck and bragged them up for the first 6 months or so. I then had to rescue him when his right front steer tire locked up because the caliper jammed the pad into the rotor because it over adjusted I guess. After replacing it and the new Michelin steer tire that was destroyed I didn't hear much about them. He went to drums on the drive axles when he swapped axles, then ordered drums on the next new truck he bought. Said they worked good going down long hills but didn't pencil out. He figured they would probably be fine on highway trucks but it sounds like he was wrong.
Nige
Senior Member
But only if you sneak up behind him with a couple of bricks and smartly clap them together with his nuts in between them. The resulting sharp intake of breath usually triggers the drinking reflex...........
Truck Shop
Senior Member
DMiller
Senior Member
Much as the Bendix juice disc brakes
Godsend to medium duty, NOT
Caliper slides debris and rust damage froze, anti seize only lasted so long
Brakes got really hot fully loaded would smoke the piston boots then the same issue with corrosion
A line is still a hydraulic hose where blister internally would not let brakes off cook one and is a tow regardless.
Old truck drive axles had seals on the stub with grease packed wheel bearings
Have seen them oil infused but seldom failed from lack of lube as a hub seal failed. Had a couple owners demanded the old Fords and Corn Queens be returned to the OE set up as newer trucks had burnt out bearings these had not.
Godsend to medium duty, NOT
Caliper slides debris and rust damage froze, anti seize only lasted so long
Brakes got really hot fully loaded would smoke the piston boots then the same issue with corrosion
A line is still a hydraulic hose where blister internally would not let brakes off cook one and is a tow regardless.
Old truck drive axles had seals on the stub with grease packed wheel bearings
Have seen them oil infused but seldom failed from lack of lube as a hub seal failed. Had a couple owners demanded the old Fords and Corn Queens be returned to the OE set up as newer trucks had burnt out bearings these had not.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
Two tools that are a must have for Freightliner air ride suspension with Wabco Air Disc. The early design
uses 4 allen head bolts 2019 and down, the late design uses 6 bolts. A 3/4 drive socket won't get the job
done, one turn and your out of room.
Snap On #LAWM17E early hex socket
Snap On #HX380A 1 3/16" Slug Wrench for late design.
The calipers and rotors also have been updated so bear that in mind.
One other problem is the adjuster bolt head it is only 8mm and will snap off, only use a 1/4" drive ratchet
to back them off. Plus there is a red rubber cover that goes over the adjuster. Road moisture can collect
under it and the road salt de-icing fluid will/can eat the six points off of it, which if a 7mm six point socket
can be tapped over it you might be able to back the pads off and adjust them up. If not the only other
alternative is a new caliper $500.00.
uses 4 allen head bolts 2019 and down, the late design uses 6 bolts. A 3/4 drive socket won't get the job
done, one turn and your out of room.
Snap On #LAWM17E early hex socket
Snap On #HX380A 1 3/16" Slug Wrench for late design.
The calipers and rotors also have been updated so bear that in mind.
One other problem is the adjuster bolt head it is only 8mm and will snap off, only use a 1/4" drive ratchet
to back them off. Plus there is a red rubber cover that goes over the adjuster. Road moisture can collect
under it and the road salt de-icing fluid will/can eat the six points off of it, which if a 7mm six point socket
can be tapped over it you might be able to back the pads off and adjust them up. If not the only other
alternative is a new caliper $500.00.
Coaldust
Senior Member
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Thanks for bumping this thread, Truck Shop. Lots of great discussion.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
Here's a PFD on Wabco Maxxus 22 air disc caliper.
https://doc.wabco-auto.com/ProductFiles/anteros/Document/8152202013.pdf
https://doc.wabco-auto.com/ProductFiles/anteros/Document/8152202013.pdf
skyking1
Senior Member
Nice thread and thank you. I'll likely never see them and glad for that. I have been learning myself to stay in a noisier gear most times, so the jake is effective. That and keeping my eyes way down the road is easy on the drum brakes.
crane operator
Senior Member
Interesting reading. How nice that you need a set of special tools just to do general work, great design team work.....
That little hex with the beveled top for the adjuster will be great in 2040 when I get around to owning one.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
Didn't you hear all trucks with drum brakes are to be pulled off the road by 2025. Better get honed up on your air disc skills now---but wait there's more.
crane operator
Senior Member
That's only in oregon. I'm not fully in the s cam era yet. They first will have to pry my wedges from my cold dead hands. I have spoons and I'm not afraid to use them.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
Nation wide. I was thinking you just used a anchor to stop.
crane operator
Senior Member
All the dirt on my equipment gives me extra aerodynamic drag, I don't have to have that hot rod stopping equipment.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
Ah Ha--Mister DOT needs to catch you moving dirty equipment.
Remember why I started this thread? I'm the only one on here that's living in this century.
Remember why I started this thread? I'm the only one on here that's living in this century.
DMiller
Senior Member
By WABCOs sheets of service literature I can now see that the K.I.S.S. principle is completely abandoned. Anything requiring that many steps to refurbish or adjust or just replacing pieces is insane. Going to be a lot of these seated in Dealer lots awaiting work and nobody willing to do it. I can see book time being NOWHERE near to what is actually required to overhaul this set up, very sad.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
I changed out I believe my 16th wheel seal today, because it's all inboard I can't get the time down any lower than 1 1/2 hours. 2 hours to change rotor. The heat is taking out the seals, no
air can get in to keep it cool. A caliper is 489 bucks my cost, everyone else pays 540. Rotor 200.
air can get in to keep it cool. A caliper is 489 bucks my cost, everyone else pays 540. Rotor 200.
DMiller
Senior Member
The pricing will either price them out of business or drive their customers out of business trying to pay for this mess.
Pony
Senior Member
Now upfront, I'm no mechanic or truck driver, but my Iveco has air disks on both axles and I actually liked them. I respected everyone's opinion of them being bad but thought every situation is different maybe I'm just lucky, who knows.
Went to back the truck out of the shed a couple of days ago, passenger side front tyre locked up. Pulled the rim, somehow the auto adjusters have over adjusted and taken out the inside pad as well as the rotor. No noise, no grinding, didn't know anything was wrong. Getting parts tomorrow, not looking forward to paying the bill.
I apologise TruckShop, you were right I was wrong, air disks suck.
Went to back the truck out of the shed a couple of days ago, passenger side front tyre locked up. Pulled the rim, somehow the auto adjusters have over adjusted and taken out the inside pad as well as the rotor. No noise, no grinding, didn't know anything was wrong. Getting parts tomorrow, not looking forward to paying the bill.
I apologise TruckShop, you were right I was wrong, air disks suck.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
In many cases you won't hear anything. Better check the floating pins those have probably stuck.