Hey Gang...

Once again I'm looking for some help with my truck. Lately my rear brakes have been binding up and dragging. I clean the rails the shoes ride on and the shoes themselves. Externally mostly lost of mud and dirt. Well I popped out a piston to check the bores for problems and found that sand and very small stones under the weather boots. (I can't figure out how they got there...)

But found that the sand and debris has worked its way under the O-rings in the calipers. Now my problem is that everything is fine except the O-rings which has taken some damage. (Deformed, nicks, etc.)

Now I went to the local NAPA store and they don't list any rebuild kits for the 2002 Dodge Cummins at all... Only $120 buck per caliper (new assemblies!) I would need 2 of them...

But the very same day I was ordering rebuild kits for a 1961 GMC 4000 Firetruck and they had 2 on stock for a total of $45 bucks...

Why is it that you can get parts for a 47 year old firetruck but can't buy a simple rebuild kit for a 6 year old truck???

Well enough ranting... I need to know if there is a alternate part number or something... I just don't see $120 per axle... It only a cheap $5 to $10 buck seal...

Take notice to the chunk missing on the right...

Ahhh!!! But I just got off the phone with my local parts guy in Council, ID he got in contact with Hometown Motors (Dodge Dealer) in Weiser, ID and found seals and 1 piston (Brand New!) $22.20 Piston$1.45 SealsThat is much cheaper than $120 bucks per caliper... :thumbsup

Sweet! you got em in there yet?

Not quite yet... I got to go pick them up at Jeery's Auto Part (NAPA) in Council, ID Wednesday... If the weather is good enough I might take a cool ride on the Gold Wing to pick them up... LOL

Well I got the parts I needed installed...

It rather quite easy to rebuild you own calipers on your truck. I think the biggest part is getting the housing cleanup and all the crud offf it. After that its a matter of reasembly. But I did learn that the pistons are of a compsite material of some sort. But what has happen is the piston got crud and brake fluid built up on them. Since I've got a exhaust brake I tend to use it quite a bit and not a lot of my service brake. So Back to the rebuild. But I found if you take some 100 grid sandpaper and lightly sand the pistons again you remove the crud and you can retune the piston to fit the bore again. So Installed new seal for $2 bucks a piece...

Here is some pics...

The recommended stuff for cleaning crud on hydraulics is croucus cloth ( much like buffing compound ), being in a hurry most times I get by with 400 or 600 grit wet sandpaper. You will want to look for any fluid sign with the coarse gritAnother way for steel or most plastics is oven cleaner - USE GLOVES !. It will eat most oil base and aluminum transfer ( galling ) without damaging the steel or most plastic. Seems hard on some nylon.The grit in the rear wheel cylinder rode the posh rod movement in all probability because of dry assembly. Brake fluid holds the stuff out while holding it in place the same way oil collects dust.The contact points on the backing plate need a smear of grease so the shoes will slide back with just the springs.You might consider a wash out nozzle to wash the inside of the brake drum from the garden hose. A 1/4 in hose with a fitting taped or bulkhead fitted on the backing plate so it hits the drum and splashes the mud off the inside of the brake. They use them to wash out the brakes dipped in salt water at the boat ramp.The Rock Auto parts web site has the dimensions for a lot of the parts with pictures of some so that if you know that the seal ring is 75mm you can cruse for other apps with a 75mm seal ring as long as the dust cover is not tornI generally clean up with a pressure washer - 2500-3000# - then there is much less cleaning to do when the parts are in hand and you don't breath the wet brake dust. Don't use stuff that smells like solvent to wash the parts and rinse them in alcohol before wetting the inside with fresh brake fluid.One of the current maint recommends is to replace brake fluid every other year to prevent corrosion and settling out of wear sludge. If it is dark colored change it even if you just suck it out with a baster and pour new in. Doing that at every oil change will exchange the system volume on a partial basis.Good pics.keydl

The recommended stuff for cleaning crud on hydraulics is croucus cloth ( much like buffing compound ), being in a hurry most times I get by with 400 or 600 grit wet sandpaper. You will want to look for any fluid sign with the coarse grit

I did mine with 200 grit and light force... :confused

Another way for steel or most plastics is oven cleaner - USE GLOVES !. It will eat most oil base and aluminum transfer ( galling ) without damaging the steel or most plastic. Seems hard on some nylon.

Very true... I've used oven clean on a few nasty looking engines with some good results... It will attack old paints, aluminum will darken, and might leave a residue...

The grit in the rear wheel cylinder rode the posh rod movement in all probability because of dry assembly. Brake fluid holds the stuff out while holding it in place the same way oil collects dust.

The contact points on the backing plate need a smear of grease so the shoes will slide back with just the springs.

Commonly forgotten by most people... This needs to be done to aid the return of the rear brake shoes (Drum style).

You might consider a wash out nozzle to wash the inside of the brake drum from the garden hose. A 1/4 in hose with a fitting taped or bulkhead fitted on the backing plate so it hits the drum and splashes the mud off the inside of the brake. They use them to wash out the brakes dipped in salt water at the boat ramp.

Interresting...

The Rock Auto parts web site has the dimensions for a lot of the parts with pictures of some so that if you know that the seal ring is 75mm you can cruse for other apps with a 75mm seal ring as long as the dust cover is not torn

Don't have a Rock Auto close to me... But NAPA didn't have any listing for caliper seals. It a dealer only item as far as I know... :wow

I generally clean up with a pressure washer - 2500-3000# - then there is much less cleaning to do when the parts are in hand and you don't breath the wet brake dust. Don't use stuff that smells like solvent to wash the parts and rinse them in alcohol before wetting the inside with fresh brake fluid.

Since my 2002 has no drums brake it rather easy to pull a caliper off and wash the whole assembly is a bucket of soapy water and scrub brush. Then used compressed air to dry the parts. (Prevent rusting).

One of the current maint recommends is to replace brake fluid every other year to prevent corrosion and settling out of wear sludge. If it is dark colored change it even if you just suck it out with a baster and pour new in. Doing that at every oil change will exchange the system volume on a partial basis.

Dodge dealer have it set for 30K miles or every 3 years roughly... Which I do... I changed my brake fuild now every 30K miles...

Bleding setup...

Old Brake fluid that was removed from the rear brakes!

What it should look like when your done...

Good pics.

Thanks Keydl...

keydl