Broken disk brake rotor

Topic: Broken disk brake rotor (Read 2577 times) previous topic - next topic

Broken disk brake rotor

August 04, 2017, 04:54:45 pm

Hi everyone. So much for my proactive maintenance, had picked up a loud noise in the left year near st Anthony dunes on our way to visit mr metzger.

Tap brakes and noise went away. Came back. Like sheet metal banging. Loud.

Pulled into a small shop and he crawled under but could find nothing readily wrong and too busy to pull things down.

Ok drove ok at highway speeds. Minimal parking brake.

Bang. Scraping noises. Coach slowed quickly.

Crawled underneath and a broke part of the rotor was stuck between the housing and rear wheel. Grinding off a sliver of aluminum.

Jammed. Backed up coach a foot. Clunk. Crawled underneath and picked up the rotor in three pieces.

Coach drives ok at low speeds. Limped into Idaho falls.

They are pulling the left rear tires now.

If driveable may go straight home, 1000 miles. Three wheel brakes and a retarder.

Then the cell rings and my 90 year old maw in Vegas may have fallen and paramedics dispatched.

Will report back

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #1 – August 04, 2017, 05:06:46 pm

Yikes. Good luck. I broke a rotor in an suv.. easy fix with $300. But stopping an rv is a little more important. And probably 3 times as expensive...

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #2 – August 04, 2017, 05:11:40 pm

Yup... Take care of Mother then worry about the brakes....
When we bought our coach the auction lot dummies and the "flipper" we bought from both just mashed the throttle and drove it with seized calipers and took out the wheel seals,rotors and the caliper & pads were toast as well.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #3 – August 04, 2017, 05:16:01 pm

There is a fairly good big truck garage on us-20 about half way between St Anthony and Great Falls . Do you need help ---I can and will come ---- Brad Metzger

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #4 – August 04, 2017, 05:31:46 pm

Brad you are a saint. Naturally one stuck inner lug. Will let you know. I called the places between here and Saint Anthony and all were either busy or like fleetpride did not work on coaches

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #5 – August 04, 2017, 05:52:05 pm

I am wondering if you cage that wheel will it help you out in any way to prevent more damage.
John M

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #6 – August 04, 2017, 07:46:04 pm

Look at the air chamber can on that wheel. You will see a T bolt that has a nut holding it across the aluminum part of the chamber. Take the nut off and pull the t bolt off of the brake chamber. remove the rubber plug that is in the center of the can. put the t bolt into the can and turn it 1/4 turn to engage it into the slot put the washer and nut on and tighten it all the way down. this will cage the spring and that brake will not be moving anymore. That should get you home where you can fix it under better circumstances.
Note If you chock your wheels and release brakes the air will move the spring back and it will be way easier to cage that spring.
Also after spring is caged when you park only one wheel will be engaged when parking brake is set. once brake is caged it will no longer do anything.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2fK5ofJQ4c

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #7 – August 04, 2017, 07:55:26 pm

You may want to see if the brake pads can slide out of the bracket with no rotor in the middle. Would not be nice to get part way some where and have the pad fall out and jam on the wheel.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #8 – August 04, 2017, 08:04:44 pm

Something similar happened to mine but the brake and the caliper welded together and sheared around the axle.

I was able to drive but could not stop very good.. I would not drive very far or in high traffic. Find a shop and have it fixed ASAP!

Good luck and if you need anything.. we are home and in town so I can check on your mom if needed

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #9 – August 04, 2017, 08:06:23 pm

Keep it coming as the shop here is not used to these.

I like the caged brake idea. I think the coach is driveable subject to getting the inner wheel off.

Can the brake be caged with the inner on? And the pad removed?

1000 miles to home on I15. Hot

Drove it here about 15 miles at 30-40. Coach stopped ok.

If the rotors outer edge is gone clean then the inner "hat" is just a spacer between the inner rim and hub. Correct.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #10 – August 04, 2017, 08:08:17 pm

Yes review the YouTube video above. You can do it.
John M.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #11 – August 04, 2017, 08:13:03 pm

Can the pad be removed with the inner tire on?

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #12 – August 04, 2017, 08:41:27 pm

I don't think you need to worry about the pads falling out. You should be able to get pads out with the wheel on. Cage the parking brake, and cap the service brake line. I drove mine 1000 miles home no problem. Keep in mind only one wheel will be holding when the parking brake is engaged.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #13 – August 04, 2017, 10:01:03 pm

You don't need to cap the service line with the brake caged nothing happens nothing will move in this situation. Cage it clean debris and shoot for the moon. By the picture you have nothing left of the disc.If you have helper springs they are pushing the discs away anyhow.
Edit : I am wrong cap service line, My Bad.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #14 – August 05, 2017, 09:22:22 am

With the brake caged everything still moves with the service side. Air still moves the slack which still turns the shaft and strokes the caliper. I do not know if the caliper can over stroke and run the piston off of the helix cut gear. You can leave the hub part of the rotor on. If it is mounted between the rim and the hub you should leave it on to allow correct depth for the inner stud to hold the inner wheel. If the rotor in bolted onboard of the hub then it will make no difference and you can do it when you get somewhere you trust.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #15 – August 05, 2017, 09:45:38 am

Like Toby said, the service side will still operate possibly damaging the slack adjuster/ caliper. FWIW I would cap off both lines that way you know their are no issues.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #16 – August 05, 2017, 11:17:09 am

Your guys help is greatly appreciated. I finally crawled under there this morning and other than a medium gounged inside rim surface and the shiny silver disk brake remaining hub mount every "looks" good. No cracks.

The shop is not having the best luck getting the last inner wheel stud off. They are gone till Monday morning.

Can the operating air lines be removed from the brake system and capped with the wheel on?

If you cap off the 2(?) brake lines then the brake does not need caging I assume?

Amazingly strong assembly to spit out a rotor in three pieces and not destroy everything IMO.

As long as the hub end of the axle is not damaged then the wheels ability to roll and power the wheels should be unaffected?

Weird failure.

So cap the lines and remount the parts and drive off carefully?

Why the rotor broke is of some interest. One side of the rotor is fairly heavily gouged from that sides pad. The other a bit better. Rotor is not rusty and the broken off remainder of the rotors "hat" is shiny silver all the way around its edge. No old dark area from any previous cracking.

The broken rotor pieces all look the same on the broken edges. Nice grain structure visible. No flaws visible.

I would almost think it would take a side load. Pins were serviced 10-15k Miles ago and I did not see their condition personally the exposed ends appear clean.

No heavy use just prior to the failure. Post mortem will have to wait till home I think.

So what's everyone's opinion? Cap the brake lines and drive it? Inner rims square edge is ground down.

Do I need pictures here?

I will need to maintain interstate speed as I 15 is a busy freeway.

No idea if the caliper itself is damaged as it's not visible yet.

Capping the lines I would think takes the brake assembly out of use and now it's just a dumb wheel assembly spinning on the hub correct?

What fun....

Thanks for everyone's info. Seems a lot of us have been there, done that.

Probably going to take our toad and drive over and visit brad today.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #17 – August 05, 2017, 11:26:31 am

Just cage the brake. To get side load the axle bearings would have to be pretty loose. Why the problem with the inner stud? Is the square rounded off. Big pipe wrench with cheater pipe, the inner nuts are readily available. Probably a "righty tighty lefty loosy" mistake previously. The left being left hand threads on your year coach. Is there any sign of the rotor getting hot?

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #18 – August 05, 2017, 11:33:13 am

Let's re-think that.

Sure, capping the service brake line would keep the service brakes from applying the brakes.

BUT, the emergency/parking brake is spring applied AIR RELEASED. So it WILL have to be caged to release it. And, I don't see a gain from capping that line. The caging will keep it from applying when the emergency brake is set. Air AND caging will keep it from applying when driving (emergency brake off).

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #19 – August 05, 2017, 11:36:19 am

If there is no rotor why worry about caging?

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #20 – August 05, 2017, 11:37:25 am

Quote from: craneman – August 05, 2017, 11:36:19 am

If there is no rotor why worry about caging?

The pistons can "over-extend" since no pads and no rotor.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #21 – August 05, 2017, 11:39:56 am

Makes sense. I corrected my reply.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #22 – August 05, 2017, 11:43:16 am

Yes you can cap the lines and as the rotor is completely gone it would not be necessary to cage the parking brake. However you are under there it doesn't take 5 minutes to cage it. Be it me I would see if I could find a Napa open today get a couple of plugs, they should know what size for an air brake line. Crawl under cage the brake plug the lines. Monday have the shop put the wheel back on and get on with what you need to do.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #23 – August 05, 2017, 11:52:14 am

Bruce,

This is all theory for me, since I have never worked on a brake with missing rotor and pads (that is the GOOD NEWS).

But, could not the spring applied emergency/parking brake over-extend the pistons if no pads/rotors. Guess I am perhaps being over-conservative to make sure no over-extension could happen.

Re: Broken disk brake rotor

Reply #24 – August 05, 2017, 11:54:41 am

At this point the piston has extended as far as it can go. No rotor and spring brake on.

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