Replacing a Rear Wheel Cylinder
In order to get Artemisia on the road I needed to bleed the brakes. A common occurance when one tries to bleed a brake system is that the bleeder valve breaks off in the cylinder. To fix it you must remove the broken off piece or in the case that that isn't possible you must replace the wheel cylinder(since getting it removed costs more than a new cylinder) you are supposed to replace these in pairs but I simply dont have the money or inspiration to do both sides but eventually I will need to replace the pads and so I will replace everything then but for now getting on the road is the priority. So, first thing is first; the rear axle nut must be removed. The torque spec on these is something like 220ft/lbs but after a few years the amount required to remove it is immense. So I bought a 46mm socket and a cheap Taiwan made 3/4" breaker bar. With this of course I bought 10 ft of metal conduit cut in half for cheater bars. So I go to it and all that happens is the breaker bar bends and breaks. I write it off to cheap tools and decide to spend the money for a fancy Craftsman tool. So I get a Craftsman T-handle and go to it. The T- handle bends and I get pissed! I go back to Sears and buy a heavy hammer and chisle. I go to work on it for a couple days and then get tired of everything and decide to screw protecting the stub axle and drum and pull out the angle grinder with a cut off disc. 15 minutes later the nut is off! Now on to replacing the cylinder!
  First, the bus needs to be jacked and on stands for safety. NEVER put yourself underneath a vehicle held by a jack alone. Jacks are not built to support weight they are designed to lift it temporarily. Anyways, so the bus is in the air(make sure the front wheels are choked so the bus doesn't go anywhere) and the parking brake is off(a good idea is to put the bus in gear since you dont need to spin the wheel just remove it. With a cheap low lift jack I suggest my method for removing the rear wheel. Jack the bus at the frame where the spring plate seats and set the bus on a jack stand under the frame. Now use the jack to compress the spring plate and remove the wheel. You will note that the wheel doesn't have space to come out of the well. Angle the wheel and lower the jack to release the spring plate and now just remove the wheel when there is space. Now after the wheel is off the drum comes off. Well not as easily as I would have hoped. It required a lot of hammering around the edge of the drum to move it off the stub axle. Then you are looking at the brakes and at the top, the wheel cylinder. First the brakes come out. Take off the springs, in this case the top spring is broken, and remove the brake shoes. Now, disconnect the metal brake line carefully(11mm) and remove the bolt under the cylinder(13mm) the cylinder should come right out. Now just install the new cylinder, start the brake line before bolting the cylinder in so that the threads seat right. Next, re-install the shoes and springs(don't forget the parking brake) and then put the drum back on. Voila!
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