> Recently I've noticed that the rear brakes have had a habit of
> binding up,
> particularly the left rear. This seems most evident when little
> pressure is
> applied, like when rolling slowly to a stop. In this case it will
> literally lock
> up.
> I've tried backing off the adjustment, but no success. So I
> assume that the
> cylider needs repair or replacement.
Ed, IMO it's unlikely that the slave cylinder is your problem. Instead, I
would start by replacing the soft line from the chassis to the rear axle,
and then inspect the drums for cracks or being out of round. Check the
shoes, springs, etc. while you've got the drums off.
> I've also read that this was a drawback to the 10" design and the
> reason why
> it was reverted back to 9".
The factory was adjusting the front/rear balance, because the rear brakes
tended to lock up too early under hard braking. But that wouldn't cause the
problem you're describing.
> Igf I go to the larger bore (.75") wouldn't there be a greater
> tendency to bind?
There would be more of a tendency to lock under a panic stop, yes. The
force applied to the shoes goes up with the square of the slave cylinder
bore, so going from 5/8 to 3/4 would increase force on the shoe by almost
45%.
> So, plan of attack ...do I replace the cylinders (both sides),
> replace the
> adjusters, or rebuild with "repair kit".
The adjusters are entirely separate from the slave cylinders, check that the
wedges move in the bores and the adjusting screw turns. They can usually be
freed up, and a very light coating of anti-seize or brake grease will help
keep them that way.
The slave cylinders should be inspected for pitting in the bores. Although
IMO very small visible pits are tolerable if you can't catch them with a
dental pick, the best course is to just have them resleeved if you can see
any pits at all. Lots of people (including myself) try to clean up the
bores with a hone, but I'm not convinced that's such a good idea. The hone
leaves a rough surface in the soft aluminum that will wear the seals
relatively quickly.
There are several companies that do the resleeving, check the Monster List
for contact info.
Randall
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