m35 a3 questions about brakes etc

[ken326@yahoo.com]

I just bought an m35 a3 and im a newbie. the brakes are very hard to push down the pedal goes down and te brakes stop well but its hard to press, is that the way its supposed to be. and how about the ctis anybody know anything about it. mine keeps saying I have a flat and I dont.
thanks for the advise
Ken

 

[6x6junkie]

Hello ken welcome to the site the brakes are not like air on a truck you really need to push them hard. you whould now if they werent working it woldnt stop and the ctis unhook it they are always frezzing up and causing trouble

 

[rwonsala]

Ken,

Everyone says unhook he CTIS, I disagree, it is probalby something easy. I had the same message and found that the epoxy was cracked in the rear spindle and i reglued it and it was fine.

My pedal is the same just get use to it.

If you have any other questions call me 732-558-0990

 

[DanMartin]

I have the same split-brake system in my 1988 M35A2. The brakes should not be super-hard to depress...something is wrong. I would go through them and make sure that something isn't "wonked" up. I can't give you specifics without (much) more information, but I would go through the entire system looking for problems. It could be that one of the air assist canisters is frozen or full of water/brake fluid on the wrong end of the seal.

Seriously, do some investigations....brakes are very important on these trucks. Remember that you are pushing 7.5 tons down the road (empty).

Keep us posted on your investigation...we may be able to get to the bottom of this as a group with more information.

 

[saddamsnightmare]

January 3rd, 2010.

ken326@yahoo.com: (What a handle)

You may want to go over your trucks brake system with a fine tooth comb as regards inspecting it for damage. The Air over Hydraulic system on a standard deuce isn't all that hard to operate when its set up right, and the split system on your truck is the one the rest of us would dream about having, and it should not be overly hard to apply. BUT its not like stopping a civillian car or truck, the brakes do work different. Have fun with your CTIS, as long as the "O" rings are good, you're good to go, when they act up you will have 6 flats.
Another great idea from transcom, but the Russians have a better CTIS on their large trucks, it takes a licking and keeps on ticking....(I couldn't resist....).

Be sure to inspect your truck daily and stay safe....

Cheers,

Kyle F. McGrogan

 

[ken326@yahoo.com]

thanks everyone I fixed the ctis it was a simple valve stem leaking i replaced it and its working fine. as far as the brakes i checked everything and it seems to be ok. They do work if i step on it hard i can lock the wheels up and i here the air valve working it just seems like a lot of force to get the pedal to go down. it seems I get mixed emotions some say thats how it is others say should be easier. I think I need to drive another one to compare..
but thanks to everyone this place is great getting the info.
thanks again

 

[sandcobra164]

The brakes on these trucks do take a bit of force to work. That you can lock a tire is pretty good. When I first got my truck the pedal was very hard. I drained the tanks and left the primary open. It took about 20 minutes for it to quit misting water and when I first opened it, it flooded nothing but water. I fogged some oil into the compressor intake as well, kept pumping the brakes and hopefully displaced the water in the air boost pack. They work great now but still require more effort than any of my civilian vehicles. Just part of the experience I suppose.

 

[Skycop]

I can say the brakes on our -A3 are definately not like a car, but a helluva lot better than the -A2's set up. Sounds like yours are working fine. They can be a bit touchy as well when they finally do grab, but alot of it is just getting used to the truck.

 

[Monkeyboyarmy]

I think that I know what you are talking about with the brakes Ken.My A3 has a very hard peddle compared to the A2's. The air assist is working but it still takes allot of pressure.I have not checked anything out yet but would guess master cylinders are sticky?