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92landyacht · 04-20-2014, 10:49 AM

For as long as I've owned my 1992 36' LY its had weak brakes. Enough to stop it but little to no grab. The front brake rotors are pretty rusty and no amount of block sanding can get this rust off to bare metal. My guess is that this is a strong contributor to the weak brakes. Peddle is firm and I can feel the power braking with no power steering issues. I'm thinking of pulling the rotors and either replacing them or having them turned. Anyone every do their own from brake work on the P30 chassis? Does the rotor attach to a custom AS hub? I see what looks like a long aluminum hub between the rotor and the wheel studs. Does this hub separate from the rotor? Just looking for any tips or concerns from someone that's done this in the past.

Once I get the rotor figured out I'll also be replacing the calipers. A couple years ago I picked up a complete set of 4 Wagner rotors pre loaded with Thermal Quiet pads from RockAuto.

r carl · 04-20-2014, 12:27 PM

You will need high performance rotors, pads, and calipers.

92landyacht · 04-20-2014, 01:56 PM

The calipers I have are heavy duty P32 calipers and the Wagner pads are up to the task. I haven't purchased the rotors yet. Any info on what is going to be needed to remove the rotors from the spindles and prepare them for turning?

92landyacht · 04-22-2014, 11:11 AM

Ok, so either nobody on here works on their own brakes or those that do are not available for response. I need to get this project done so I picked up a pair of these today:

They were ordered from RockAuto.com and were listed as a "Wholesaler Closeout". They still have 3 in stock after my purchase of two. I figured for $31.79 each it would be a good investment even if the ones on there now are turnable. Shipped to my door with an additional 5% off coupon code they came in at just over $90. New front rotors, calipers and Wagner ThermoQuite pads should make for a good combination and add a little additional "bite" to the brakes.

The rotors are Heavy Duty AC Delco Noise Dampening Iron rotors. I'll try to post pictures of the process if I have time since there doesn't seem to be a good detailed writeup on it.

mprokop87 · 04-22-2014, 11:27 AM

I do my own brake work and wish I would have seen this post earlier. Just went through my Argosy and replaced almost everything. A good contributor to weak brakes is the rubber hoses that connect the front calipers and the brake lines as well as the rubber hose the goes from the frame to the rear axle. Over time the rubber shrinks on the inside which creates a smaller opening for the fluid to go through, replace them. Not sure how handy you are but presoak the metal fittings in PB Blaster or some other penetrating oil so help loosen them. Depending on their condition, the lines could crack off and you would need to get the ends put back on (not hard to do, you just need to know how).

I replaced my rubber lines and noticed a big difference.

The front rotors can be a bear to pull off but with the deal you got I would do it! Good luck and let me know if you need any more advice.

mprokop87 · 04-22-2014, 11:35 AM

As far as removing the rotors go, I have never done them on the motorhome because mine are still in really good shape. I did have to do them on my truck, which has a similar front end, and its not doing them on a car.

The easy parts is removing whole rotor assembly, just loosen the retaining nuts and slide it off the spindle. Now comes the fun, you will have to drive the studs out so the rotor can be separated from the rest of the assembly. Obviously you will have to drive them back in to get it back together but thats easier. You can just use an impact wrench to tighten the lug nuts and it will pull it back together, a little pounding might be needed. Be sure to look up the torque spec on the front bearings so you don't over tighten the nut and burn out your bearing.

Like I said, I never did the P30 chasis but thats how I did my dodge truck. Simple to get it off the spindle but can be a bear to separate. Best of luck!

92landyacht · 04-22-2014, 12:54 PM

Actually I replaced all of the rubber lines a few years ago when I first purchased the MH, so at least that part is finished. When I bought the MH it had a front wheel locked up. That was due to the rubber line being internally deteriorated and acting like a check valve.

I think the rotor/hub arrangement is a little different on the P30 then you described for your Dodge. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but the on the P30, with dually rear wheels, you have a hub where the rotor bolts to the back side of it using 8 rather large bolts. The wheel studs are on the front side of the hub and there are only 5 wheel studs that don't have to be removed. Something like this:

It's not a picture of mine (I wish) but seems to be representative of the way mine is from memory.

It's getting those large bolts out that concerns me. I figure I'll need to use some PB blaster before hand and maybe some heat to break them loose using an impact gun. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

mprokop87 · 04-22-2014, 02:04 PM

Yea that is a bit different than my truck. As long as you soak those 8 bolts for a day or two then you should be fine. I would just use a good pneumatic impact wrench to break them loose.

I forgot what my rotor assembly looks like until you showed me that. Mine actually has 8 rotor bolts and 8 lugs with a slightly different look. Hope it all works out for ya!