Squeaky Drum Brakes & A Terrible Mechanic.

[Spool]

Regarding Bearing Seal:

Thank you, BD.
In an optimistic sense, the seal is only 4 months old when the mechanic replaced my axle bearings.

In a pessimistic sense, that mechanic is awful and I should replace the seal.

In a realistic sense, I'd love to have it perfect, but I may be taking on too many new tasks I've never experienced at once while under a time restraint.

With all of that, I'd like to say the seal appears to be okay. It's not a work of art when I investigate it, but it also didn't catch my eye as a red flag in the last couple days. I looked at it a few times, and then more closely when Mike pointed out I should inspect it. The seal seems newish, with a thin black ring around it. No knicks, but not 100% even either. What does bother me is I can tell whoever placed it hammered it in without using a flat piece of wood to avoid little indents here and there. Overall, it seems okay, and I'm going to go with it for now. However, I can be a bit of a perfectionist at the wrong times- so it's probably good to use it now but add it to my list of things to replace.

Question: When/if the seal/bearings did start to go, what would I feel? How would I know?

[Spool]

Learning so many new things at once, I need to remind myself that I'm not losing time on a specific task, but I'm actually learning how to do it.

Regarding Bleeding Brakes. Much harder than I thought it'd be.
I think my biggest problem is ensuring my clear hose is air tight on the bleed valve.

With the help of three or four YouTube videos, I took a shot at it, but I'm not comfortable and need to try again in the morning.

I started with the furthest brake line first, that being the right rear brake line.
1. Attached my wrench and then my hose.
2. Checked the brake fluid reservoir... my brake fluid is as dark as night 
3. I took an empty and dry plastic bottle, fed the other end of the tube into it through a hole in the cap while also drilling a second little air hole in the cap as well.
4. I submerged the end of the hose in a bit of clean brake fluid into the plastic bottle and placed it beside the wheel.
5. The hose is about 1.5ft long. The bottle is lower than the cylinder, but the hose arcs upwards from the cylinder before heading down to the bottle.
6. I opened the bleed valve and wedge a piece of wood between my seat and the brake pedal.
7. I closed the bleed valve and removed the wood.
8. I opened the bleed valve and wedged a piece of wood between my seat and the brake pedal.
9. I close the bleed valve and removed the wood.
10. This was repeated while checking my reservoir brake fluid levels.

11. My goal was to flush the dark and dirty brake fluid through, which was a success, and now I have clean brake fluid in this brake line.
12. My second goal was to pump the brake fluid all the way into the bottle to ensure 100% there was no air, which was a failure.
13. The air in the tube will sit at its highest point in the hose, which makes me think my hose at the bleed valve is not air-tight.
14. Is this necessary though? Do I need the brake fluid to clear the entire hose and into the bottle?

I struggled with this for three hours. (excuse me, I learned what I was doing was working for three hours.)

Questions:
Why do I have two brake fluid reservoirs?
Why is only the reservoir nearest the radiator 'taking' the brake fluid?
What am I doing wrong?

There was one scenario where I gave up on the bottle. I pulled the hose from the bottle and held the hose straight up above the cylinder.
With the bleed valve open, I just let the brake fluid rise to the top and spill out to the ground- thus having a hose with no air. - does this work as well?

Photo attached is clean brake fluid versus my murky brake fluid. (I wish the mechanic said, 'hey, you need new brake fluid.'

[Spool]

Regarding my entire journey.

-I'm happy with how I assembled the new shoes/hardware on both sides. (Unless anyone sees any red flags.)

-I'm struggling to bleed the brakes, but this is the goal for tomorrow.

-Once the brakes are bled. I intend to mount my drums and begin adjusting my shoes for clearance. I understand the drum needs to just touch the shoes before adjusting the star adjuster a notch or two to ensure the drum can then spin completely free of the shoes to be at the proper 'setting.' After this, the brakes will set themselves when I brake in reverse later. (I'm sure this can be worded better, but this is the idea, correct?)

-After the drum and hub, (with the current seal,) I will place my inner lock nut, 'tab lock', outer lock nut.
-Question: Vile mentioned the lock nut torque specs were 120ft/lbs, is this for both inner and outer?
-Question: If I don't have the spacer on the passenger side, perhaps I should only snug the inner lock nut and torque the outer lock nut?

-I will then place my axel rods back in.
-Question: Is there a gasket needed here?

-I will snug down the axel bolts and lug nuts.
-Lower the truck and torque as follows:
---Lug nuts: 90ft/lb
---Axel bolts: 90ft/lb

From here, I will lower the truck and then take the journey of changing my differential oil.
(I know some may say, keep the truck lifted while you swap the diff, but I'm pretty comfortable with the hydraulic lift where it is on the pumpkin and just for my own inexperience, I'd feel more comfortable getting this truck back on the ground for now.)
-The filler bolt for my differential is not a T-55 like I thought. It actually looks like 1/2 socket fits right in there. Is this the right filler bolt?
-I noticed there's a hose coming off the top of the pumpkin and looks like it 'grounds' to the chassis- what is that about?

Guys... I said it before, but it's the utmost truth and worth repeating - You're all amazing. Thanks for your time. Appreciate you teaching me what you know and having patience with me as I learn.

[Spool]

Mike! Thank you for checking into this for me. I'm gonna bookmark this part number for now, will most likely see if I can get one from the forum in a different thread later on or message someone on ebay in efforts of having them send just two as opposed to a bag.

The GM part number for the washer is 3663658. It is discontinued. There are plenty of dealers that still have it but unfortunately, there are none in your area. If you put the # on ebay there are some on there. But looks like you have to buy a bag. Maybe a member has an extra from a junk axle.

[bd]

Both drums should be mounted with bearings and brakes adjusted before bleeding.  The drums cage the shoes.  Otherwise, hydraulic pressure from depressing the pedal may blow the pistons out of the ends of one or both wheel cylinders.  You don't want that to happen, so adjust the brakes properly by hand.  DO NOT rely on the self-adjusters.  Self-adjusters are intended to maintain brake adjustment as the shoes and drums gradually wear.  They are not engineered or intended to adjust shoe clearance when there are excessive gaps between the shoes and drums.  The fact is if you don't achieve a suitable brake adjustment initially, you may not be able to stop when you depress the pedal.

Unless you are performing a gravity bleed, bleeding brakes involves two people, one to depress the brake pedal while the other opens and closes the bleeder valves in sequence.  The dual reservoir is a safety feature.  One reservoir supplies fluid to the front brakes while the other reservoir supplies fluid to the rear brakes.  Dual reservoir master cylinders decrease the risk of complete brake failure if a leak develops either in the front or the rear.

It is fairly common for a 1/2" drive breaker bar (or ratchet if there is room) to fit the fill plug.  Taper pipe plugs have a tendency to lock in place over time.  When installing the plug after filling the axle with lubricant, snug the plug back into the hole but avoid cranking down on it too hard or you may not be able to remove it the next time you need to check the fluid level. 

The hose attached to the top of the axle housing is a vent to the atmosphere for relieving housing pressure as the axle temperature fluctuates.  Venting the housing prevents pressure buildup from pushing lubricant past the seals.  In addition, the vent hose routes upward toward the bed to prevent water from being drawn into the housing and contaminating the lubricant in the event that the axle is submerged.

You are making good progress.  Soon you'll be finished and filled with the satisfaction of new skills demonstrated by a job well done.   

[Spool]

Thank you for all of that BD.
Thankfully I didn’t disrupt my brakes when attempting to bleed without the drums.

I’ll replace the order of my process today after I finish my job in a few hours.
I am a one man show at the moment- any idea why I can’t get my brake fluid past the highest point in the hose to press the fluid into and past the fluid I have in my capture bottle?

So, if I have two reservoirs, than I have “two brake systems” which is to say, I don’t need to bleed the front brakes at this moment?

Also, can I use a thin layer of white lithium grease on the bearing seal before carefully replacing the drum?

I know overloaded a few questions above, but if I can also confirm, the torque specs of locking rings, lug nuts, Axel bolts and if I need to place a gasket to the Axel tube against my hub?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk in

[bd]

...I am a one-man show at the moment- any idea why I can’t get my brake fluid past the highest point in the hose to press the fluid into and past the fluid I have in my capture bottle?  Without an image of the configuration, I surmise that the bleed hose is looped in the shape of an upsidedown U.  There may be an insufficient flow of fluid to displace the trapped air.

So, if I have two reservoirs, then I have “two brake systems” which is to say, I don’t need to bleed the front brakes at this moment?  Correct.  However, now would be a great time to flush the front brakes with fresh fluid, no?  Bleed the front after the rear is completed.

Also, can I use a thin layer of white lithium grease on the bearing seal before carefully replacing the drum?  Yes.

I know overloaded a few questions above, but if I can also confirm, the torque specs of locking rings, lug nuts, axle bolts, and if I need to place a gasket to the axle tube against my hub?  Though I prefer gaskets, the gasket is optional.  With careful preparation, you can substitute a silicone sealant for the gasket if you wish.

Excerpts from the 1973 Factory Service Manual:

BEARING ADJUSTMENT

Before checking bearing adjustment, make sure brakes
are fully released and do not drag.

Check bearing play by grasping the tire at the top and pulling
back and forth, or by using a pry bar under the tire.  If
bearings are properly adjusted, movement of the brake drum
in relation to the brake flange plate will be barely noticeable
and the wheel will turn freely.  If movement is excessive,
adjust the bearing as follows:

1. Remove the axle shaft and raise the vehicle until the
wheel is free to rotate.

2. Disengage the tang of retainer from the locknut and
remove both the locknut and retainer from the axle
housing tube.

3. Use the appropriate nut tool as listed for the specified
axle.

4. Tighten inner adjusting nut to the specified torque at
the same time rotating hub to make sure all bearing
surfaces are in contact.  Then back off the inner nut
to the specified amount of turn-back.*

5. Install tanged retainer against the inner adjusting
nut.  Align inner adjusting nut so short tang of the
retainer will engage the nearest slot on inner adjusting
nut.

6. Install outer locknut and tighten to correct specified
torque.  Then bend long tang of the retainer into a slot of
the outer nut.  This method of adjustment will result in
the proper bearing adjustment.


REAR DRIVE AXLE WHEEL BEARING ADJUSTMENT SPECIFICATIONS

Type of Bearing:  tapered roller

Ring Gear Size:  10-1/2”

* Bearing Inner Adjusting Nut Torque with Wheel Rotating and Zero Brake Drag:  50 Ft-Lbs, then back off nut and retighten to 35 Ft-Lbs, then back off nut 1/4 turn.  Install the retainer ring and outer locknut.

Outer Locknut Torque:  65 Ft-Lbs

Resulting Bearing Adjustment End-Play:  0.001 to 0.010"


MISCELLANEOUS TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS

Axle Flange Bolt Torque:  90 Ft-Lbs

Wheel Lug Nut Bolt Torque:  90-120 Ft-Lbs (9/16" studs)


APPROXIMATE FLUID CAPACITY

10-1/2" Ring Gear:  5.4 pints

[Spool]

Thanks BD. Really appreciate your time and elaborate description for me.

And yes, I agree, now is a great time to bleed the front brakes- but I'll finish the back end first before I add more to my list. Great to learn they are separate systems though.

Regarding the bearing adjustment.
When I shake the tire to check for bearing play, the tire is sitting freely with no bolts, or do I roughly assemble the axel tube, lug nuts and axel bolts when checking for bearing play?

[bd]

The wheel lugs must be sufficiently tight (not necessarily torqued to spec) to eliminate any relative movement between the wheel and the hub assembly.  The tire must be off of the ground such that the drum can rotate freely.  The axles do not need to be installed to check bearing play.

[Spool]

Perfect. Thanks again, BD.

I'll do this right after I figure out how to bleed my brakes properly.
Question regarding bleeding the brakes... If I can't get this gravity situation to work out, what of holding the tube vertically above the cylinder, leaving the bleeder open, and allowing the brake fluid to spill out the top with no air bubbles? Sufficient or misleading?

(I'm nearly done with my work, so I'll be heading out to the truck with all this new information in about an hour or so.)

[bd]

Are you gravity bleeding or pressure bleeding?

[Spool]

I'm not sure of the terminology.
I watched several youtube videos and went this method here from Chris Fix:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1NvtUwfRJc&t=318s

His 1 min process happens at 6:40 in the video.

I just noticed something though in his video, his brake fluid also stops at the highest point, and doesn't fill the entire tube from bleeder to bottle- yet he's still pushing the air clean through the hose. Perhaps, I was doing it correctly, but thought I needed the entire tube to be full of brake fluid from end to end to ensure success.

[bd]

...[I thought] I needed the entire tube to be full of brake fluid from end to end to ensure success.

Although not intuitive, that concept is not true.  Static air in the drain tube is irrelevant.  It is not part of the closed hydraulic system.

[Spool]

Copy.
Thus, I proceed as in the video, and have no air from the bleeder to highest point in the tube, I’ve successfully bled the brakes?

What if the situation I had earlier, where I scrapped the bottle and held the tube vertically with the bleeder open until the tube was full of brake fluid and 100% no air? Also successful or mid leading?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bd]

You are overcomplicating the process.  "No air" means "No air".