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allan5oh
Joined: 26 Aug 2005
Posts: 2213
Location: jackassville (winnipeg, mb)
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 8:35 am Post subject: Neat little trick I learned about meritor slacks... |
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| Instead of taking out the adjusting pawl, use a flat screwdriver and "pull" on that round disk. This disengages the pawl. Adjust the brake, release the disk, and "wiggle" the 5/16 wrench to ensure the pawl is set properly. Done! |
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Uturn2001
Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 4652
Location: East Central IL between the corn and the beans
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:09 am Post subject: |
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| You just have to pay close attention to make sure it does not pop back in on you or you can do some serious damage to your adjusters. |
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allan5oh
Joined: 26 Aug 2005
Posts: 2213
Location: jackassville (winnipeg, mb)
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:10 am Post subject: |
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| Yup, use the right size screwdriver! |
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yoopr
Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 12865
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| Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:27 am Post subject: |
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| a Flat screw driver or a teeny tiny little crowbar to fit underneath the Button :P |
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Porchclimber
Joined: 28 Oct 2006
Posts: 65
Location: British Columbia
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| Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2006 1:41 pm Post subject: |
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They actually make a little insert for that.
It's shaped like the claw on a claw hammer with a flat lip at the top.
They hand them out to mechanics.
A HD mechanic friend of mine gave me a couple but the screwdriver works just as good. |
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Birken Vogt
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 102
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| Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:49 pm Post subject: Re: Neat little trick I learned about meritor slacks... |
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allan5oh wrote: Instead of taking out the adjusting pawl, use a flat screwdriver and "pull" on that round disk. This disengages the pawl. Adjust the brake, release the disk, and "wiggle" the 5/16 wrench to ensure the pawl is set properly. Done!
Taking out the pawl was for the early ones, they did not have the lift disc. The disc came out later (not much later because taking out the pawl was a PITA)
Birken |
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bob h
Joined: 15 Oct 2006
Posts: 668
Location: Nb
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| Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:10 am Post subject: Re: Neat little trick I learned about meritor slacks... |
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allan5oh wrote: Instead of taking out the adjusting pawl, use a flat screwdriver and "pull" on that round disk. This disengages the pawl. Adjust the brake, release the disk, and "wiggle" the 5/16 wrench to ensure the pawl is set properly. Done!
It is an auto adjusting slack and should not require regular adjustment.
Anybody still have manual slacks?
Has anybody replaced their auto slacks with manuals? |
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bob h
Joined: 15 Oct 2006
Posts: 668
Location: Nb
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| Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:14 am Post subject: |
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Uturn2001 wrote: You just have to pay close attention to make sure it does not pop back in on you or you can do some serious damage to your adjusters.
yeah, if you're using an impact wrench ;0)
use an open end wrench... it should not require much force to turn. |
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Birken Vogt
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 102
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| Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 8:40 am Post subject: Re: Neat little trick I learned about meritor slacks... |
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bob h wrote: allan5oh wrote: Instead of taking out the adjusting pawl, use a flat screwdriver and "pull" on that round disk. This disengages the pawl. Adjust the brake, release the disk, and "wiggle" the 5/16 wrench to ensure the pawl is set properly. Done!
It is an auto adjusting slack and should not require regular adjustment.
Anybody still have manual slacks?
Has anybody replaced their auto slacks with manuals?
Have not replaced auto slacks with manuals but have replaced a whole bunch of manuals with autos, used Meritor, Haldex and Bendix autos.
I bet a DOT inspector would catch it if you did, all new trucks since some time in the mid 90s have had to have them.
Birken |
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special k
Joined: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 250
Location: Ontario Canada
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| Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 3:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Any thing built arter Oct. of 96 is supposed to have auto's on it. I have a 96 trailer with manual's on it and they've given me a little lip a couple of times at the scale. I've never gotten a ticket though. |
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TRKMechanic
Joined: 14 Oct 2005
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 7:50 am Post subject: Re: Neat little trick I learned about meritor slacks... |
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Birken Vogt wrote: bob h wrote: allan5oh wrote: Instead of taking out the adjusting pawl, use a flat screwdriver and "pull" on that round disk. This disengages the pawl. Adjust the brake, release the disk, and "wiggle" the 5/16 wrench to ensure the pawl is set properly. Done!
It is an auto adjusting slack and should not require regular adjustment.
Anybody still have manual slacks?
Has anybody replaced their auto slacks with manuals?
Have not replaced auto slacks with manuals but have replaced a whole bunch of manuals with autos, used Meritor, Haldex and Bendix autos. I bet a DOT inspector would catch it if you did, all new trucks since some time in the mid 90s have had to have them.
Birken
Using an open end wrench is not going to work that well in the real world. You would be much better off with a 5/16" 8 point socket. Also...even on the newer trucks in our fleet that are well maintained will require a brake adjust on 1 to 2 slacks per truck that are automatics. On older trucks with a lot of miles on them usually 4 or 5 will need adjustment, and really should be replaced(especially the haldex...those do not last all that long). |
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bob h
Joined: 15 Oct 2006
Posts: 668
Location: Nb
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| Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 10:55 am Post subject: Re: Neat little trick I learned about meritor slacks... |
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TRKMechanic wrote: Birken Vogt wrote: bob h wrote: allan5oh wrote: Instead of taking out the adjusting pawl, use a flat screwdriver and "pull" on that round disk. This disengages the pawl. Adjust the brake, release the disk, and "wiggle" the 5/16 wrench to ensure the pawl is set properly. Done!
It is an auto adjusting slack and should not require regular adjustment.
Anybody still have manual slacks?
Has anybody replaced their auto slacks with manuals?
Have not replaced auto slacks with manuals but have replaced a whole bunch of manuals with autos, used Meritor, Haldex and Bendix autos. I bet a DOT inspector would catch it if you did, all new trucks since some time in the mid 90s have had to have them.
Birken
Using an open end wrench is not going to work that well in the real world. You would be much better off with a 5/16" 8 point socket. Also...even on the newer trucks in our fleet that are well maintained will require a brake adjust on 1 to 2 slacks per truck that are automatics. On older trucks with a lot of miles on them usually 4 or 5 will need adjustment, and really should be replaced(especially the haldex...those do not last all that long).
on tractor drive axles, the socket/ratchet assembly often will not fit... the point was the fact that it requires a great deal of torque to damage a meritor slack while trying to adjust the brake. |
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Birken Vogt
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 102
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| Posted: Tue Dec 12, 2006 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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Right, it turns easy in the tightening direction but will not turn in the loosening direction unless the pawl is lifted. The trouble is the other slacks (Haldex, Bendix, etc.) have no pawl and simply require brute force to turn backwards so some of the grease monkeys don't know the difference and will break a Meritor slack that way.
Birken |
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bob h
Joined: 15 Oct 2006
Posts: 668
Location: Nb
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| Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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Birken Vogt wrote: Right, it turns easy in the tightening direction but will not turn in the loosening direction unless the pawl is lifted. The trouble is the other slacks (Haldex, Bendix, etc.) have no pawl and simply require brute force to turn backwards so some of the grease monkeys don't know the difference and will break a Meritor slack that way.
Birken
ahhhh, it's all come clear to me now!
never even thought of the fact that many guys may have only worked with slacks that use one-way clutch mechanisms!
oh, don't forget that backing these slacks off regularly destroys the clutches... one of the selling features of the A-M slacks.
i was weened on the A-M slacks as i worked in a navistar shop, so i just always compared everyone else's slack to theirs... excuse my ignorance. |
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Birken Vogt
Joined: 29 Nov 2006
Posts: 102
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| Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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bob h wrote: [oh, don't forget that backing these slacks off regularly destroys the clutches... one of the selling features of the A-M slacks.
Good information to know.
The selling feature of the other slacks is the fact that they use one way clutches instead of teeth, hence they have infinite adjustments and will adjust a little bit each time rather than waiting until they click over a tooth like a Meritor one. Whether it makes any practical difference is unknown to me....
I tend to prefer the Meritor ones but I have found that in retrofitting strange and ancient trucks for automatics that Haldex has a much, much broader selection for different applications, as does Bendix but not as much....
Birken |
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