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[GMCnet] Half a trans Canada rolling rally, final report [message #182740] Sat, 01 September 2012 10:10 Go to previous message
glwgmc is currently offline  glwgmc   United States
Messages: 1014
Registered: June 2004
Karma:
Senior Member
We ended our wonderful "half trans Canada" rolling rally last week. We were with the group over to the Rockies when we headed south to meet up with family members. As I indicated earlier, the roads were some of the most intense we have encountered in our ten years with the GMC. 13% grades up and down, lots of 11% to 6% grades, some as long as 20km. One of the really harry drives was from Lewistown, ID, across the Clearwater river and down to Joseph, OR. Many have heard all about the "Lewiston Grade", but the road to the south is far steeper, more tight 15 to 20 mph curves right ahead of really steep climbs, etc. Great fun and a bit unnerving at times.

A tad over 3,000 miles all told. Used one quart of oil and lots of fuel. The old girl really liked the 94 octane stuff in Canada with no alcohol in it. By the time we hit the passes in southern Oregon on our way home we were using crap gas again and it would ping on the hills if I really put my foot in it. Guess I will have to retard the distributor even a bit more.

By the time we got back to Spokane and then down the Columbia River gorge towards Portland, OR, our brakes felt a bit odd. At one point it felt like the vac. booster had failed or the proportioning valve had stuck not allowing enough fluid to flow to the front disks. A bit of poking around discovered a very loose adjuster on the rear drivers side drum. It had backed off which required pumping to get the shoes to expand enough to pass fluid to the other drums and then to the disks. I adjusted it at a camp site and we continued on. The brakes continued to behave the same way. Push once and it felt like no vac. boost, pump and they became firm. By the time we did what we needed to in Portland and headed south on the I-5, Sharon said she heard a scraping sound. I looked all around and couldn't see anything. The brakes had the same odd behavior but always became firm with a couple of pumps.

When we got home I put the coach up on jack stands. When I spun that DS rear wheel it sounded like a bucket of rocks tumbling around in there. Pulled the drum and found the adjuster mechanism had backed all the way in, came off and what was left of the adjusting mechanism was loose in the bottom of the drum. The bits and pieces looked like they had been through a rock tumbler. Fortunately they did not jam between the shoe and hub and that brake did not come further apart. Amazing that the brakes could work that well when one was completely non-functional!

I pulled the matching brake on the PS, had both drums turned so they would be the same thickness (hence will dissipate heat the same way) and will replace the pads on both sides. I will also replace all the springs and such on the bad side as they may have become overly hot through all this.

Alls well that ends well and we could not have asked more of this nearly 40 year old lady. She performed like the true champ she is.

Jerry
Jerry Work
Fine furniture designed and hand crafted in the 1907 former Masonic Temple building in historic Kerby, OR
glwork@mac.com
http://jerrywork.com
541-592-5360





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Jerry & Sharon Work
78 Royale
Kerby, OR

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