Possible rear brake sticking?

[Jpjlauer]

My 2006 Gulfstream BTCruiser has been in storage here at home for almost a year now. It's a 30' on a Ford E450.

Taking advantage of the recent warm spell here in Northern Indiana I took it to the car wash this past weekend to clean it as well as "exercise" the engine, tires, brakes, etc. Been doing this about every 3 months.

However, this time, when I got out of the RV at the wash I smelled something that made me think "overheating" but everything looked fine so I went ahead and washed the rig. On the trip back home I took a longer route that would allow me to get the RV up to highway speed for a short distance. As I got close to home I noticed the smell again this time while still inside the RV. Then I noticed that as I let up on the accelerator when approaching stop lights the RV slowed down like I was braking - when I was just trying to coast to a stop.

I parked in the driveway at home and did a walk around. I immediately noticed some smoke coming from the driver side rear wheel well and excessive heat. The passenger side was fine - no smoke, no excessive heat.

What could be the cause of this?

[Jpjlauer]

CloudDriver wrote:
If anyone is interested in doing E450 rear brakes as a DIY project, here is my post with pictures.

BTW, when not on a trip, our Class C gets "exercised" monthly with a 40-50 mile drive to bring everything up to temperature and to reduce the risk of stuck calipers. IMO it's good preventive maintenance.

This has been the first time in 10 years that the RV has not been used. I should have been more attentive to preventive maintenance as you suggest knowing that we would not be traveling for an extended period.

[j-d]

CloudDriver wrote:
If anyone is interested in doing E450 rear brakes as a DIY project, here is my post with pictures.

This is THE definitive treatise on rear brakes. I only wish I could document a project like CD did on this one.

Even if you don't plan on actually doing one of these brake jobs, it's a good idea to know what's involved.

Also, the way the rear calipers is mounted on these E-450's is the same way the fronts were mounted on the pre-1992 E-350's. If you have one of those and want to see how that hardware works, look there. CD takes the mystery out of it.

[BruceMc]

The front left caliper did this on our trip last summer on our 2000 FW/E350. It was pulling hard to the left, until the brakes were applied, then it would jerk to the right. It took a lot of power to pull short hills too. When I stopped to check it out, yowsa was it hot.
We limped it to a Ford dealer 2 miles back, where they promptly told they didn't work on motorhomes. I stated it was juts a van... then I suggested the Chevy dealer just down the street would probably help me. At that point, he went in & chatted with the service manager. Yep, they would do it.
As it was 3:30 in the afternoon, they pulled a guy off another job & had him evaluate ours. Brake caliper frozen. Both need replaced. $475. I stated go do it. They ordered parts, got us a $20 rental car so we could run back home for the night, as we were on 20 miles from home.
It was done the next day by noon. It still pulled until the new pads broke in, but got better the further we went, the better it got.

That unit has been sold.... Replaced with a new Chevy 4500 Sunseeker. We are anxious to get on the road with it.

[CloudDriver]

If anyone is interested in doing E450 rear brakes as a DIY project, here is my post with pictures.

BTW, when not on a trip, our Class C gets "exercised" monthly with a 40-50 mile drive to bring everything up to temperature and to reduce the risk of stuck calipers. IMO it's good preventive maintenance.

[j-d]

romore wrote:
Also check the parking brake cable, it could be frozen. The individual wheel cables are not difficult to replace but you will need to remove the wheel and drum. If the rotor is damaged it is complete tear down time.

Not on E450. The 2006 year has a transmission-mounted parking brake that works on the driveshaft. The rear brakes are disc, and don't incorporate a parking brake. In 2008, Ford went to "Drum In Hat" parking brakes. There's a drum built into the rear discs, so the rear brakes now have Calipers and Pads for Service Brakes PLUS little cable-operated Parking Brakes.

For the OP - Lack of use is the culprit here. As delivery trucks, rental trucks, airport limousines etc. these brakes do fine. Standing a month or more between runs, things get sticky.

[romore]

Also check the parking brake cable, it could be frozen. The individual wheel cables are not difficult to replace but you will need to remove the wheel and drum. If the rotor is damaged it is complete tear down time.

[Jpjlauer]

I appreciate the reply's. I thought this to be the problem. But sometimes a simple "fix" is all that is needed and hoped that someone might have it in their bag of tricks.

I had extensive brake work done two years ago and did not expect a major problem like this so soon. Hoped I could just bang the brake with a hammer or something and be done. Guess I'll be heading back to the Ford dealer to do it all over again.

Thank you.

[j-d]

Oh, addressing brake fluid... Take what you can out of the master cylinder before you start the project. Then fill it to the brim. Cap or plug the lines at the calipers/hoses and DO NOT let the master run dry. Fill the new calipers with a little funnel. Then purge what you can from the lines, connect to the new calipers and bleed the system. Do all four corners. Again DO NOT let the master go dry. Get air in the Antilock Brake Module and you'll have to have the system bled by a pro with a special scanner. This way you're getting new fluid with your new calipers.

[j-d]

This is VERY common. If the brake rotor isn't cooked too badly, replace Calipers with rebuilts (or new) and new pads. Both sides. Good idea to replace the hoses too. Not as critical as the fronts but change'em once in awhile. The calipers mount on slides and what I call "Keys." Those keys are stainless steel, but the slides and the calipers are iron. They rust and contribute to drag. Clean and lubricate with High Temp Lube for Ceramic Pads. The Keys are a little tricky to remove and install. An OP here, Cloud Driver, has a thread about E-450 brake job that can be a tutorial if you want to fix it yourself. It isn't a difficult job but there's jacking, blocking, wheels off/on and beyond that the Keys are the only tricky part.

[darsben]

calliper is most likely culprit.
Have the brake fluid changed at same time. Brake fluid deteriorates and the boiling point lowers over time and moisture also gets in.
SEE
http://mercedes-benz.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/45/~/how-often-should-the-brake-fluid-in-my-mercedes-benz-be-changed%3F

[midnightsadie]

brake hung up, this a common problem, it has to be changed, a and the pads too, on both sides is best. one way to catch this early is touch the rims at each gas stop.