Wheel cylinders, change one, or all? I say ALL

[rlwm211]

Hey everyone;
I just finished changing the last two of my wheel cylinders on my deuce. I wanted to post this simply to point out that if you find one that is either leaking or is in tough shape, I would suggest you change them all. Let me tell you what i found.

On all of my wheel cylinders at least one piston was stuck and on two both were stuck so they would not retract fully when the pedal was released so the brakes were dragging slightly as a result.

On my wheel cylinders all of the boots were torn and although not all were leaking, they were showing corrosion due to a lack of proper protection for the inner parts.

Lastly, I also did a major adjustment on all the brakes and also replaced any seals that were bad. I packed the wheel bearings and set the proper preload on the bearings as I did each hiub.

I guess when you buy a truck that has been sitting for a few years you know that you will have to do some of the deferred maintanence. All I am pointing out is this, that if one Wheel CYlinder is bad, I would suspect all of them probably should be replaced. This all started with my desire to pack the wheel bearings and ended up being a brake service as well. For the sake of safety, don't be cheap in this department.

For the amount of work I did, it is reassuring to know that the brakes and the bearings are good to go for a long time.

Just my two cents.....
RL

 

[tiger422]

 

[Heavysteven]

agreed, did the front axle. Makes me feel good. Just 2 more to go.

 

[gimpyrobb]

It also doesn't hurt to mention, if a wheel bearing breaks, it is possible for that hub to leave the truck. If that happens you can lose all breaks as the wheel cyl has nothing to press against with the drum gone. That means no brakes on a 13,000lb truck going however fast you are traveling. Not preaching to the OP, just want some of the newer guys to think about maint of their trucks.

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

In every case....

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

(I think Ben Franklin gets credit for that quote.)

 

[cattlerepairman]

I add to that:

You have the wheels and hubs off at this time and opened up the brake system. Given the price of DOT5 (and even DOT3) you may want, at this time

- check the flexible brake lines; replace if brittle, chafed or rock hard

- check the rigid brake lines for crushed areas, kinks, corrosion

- check the brake shoes for signs of oiling up (axle seal leak)