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axle/brake/etc guys...need help

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84gmcjimmy

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My mom and I were transporting the Jimmy from our old house to the new house which is around 5 km away. After a few minutes of driving my mom notices a burning smell. I ignore it for a while thinking its the exhuast or something. After a while my mom says it smells worst...so we pull over and I look in the engine bay thinking the q-jet i just rebuilt pooped out. nope, everything fine...keep looking and notice my front axle, on the right side is spewing smoke from the wheel. I peek my head around and the axle is smoking. I don't know much about axles so i am stumped on what is wrong. Its at the end, close to where the rim is.
We limped it home (only choice...it doesn't have insurance) and when we got home it was really smoking. We get the hose with water to spray it so nothing starts on fire. Once I hit the spot that was smoking, a bunch of steam came up. Simular to when you put a hot piece of welded metal into water... So whatever it is was really hot.

Anyone know why this would be? Like I said I know hardly anything about axles or the pieces on it. so I am stumped. Where it was smoking is around where the brake pieces are.

Anyone know? :confused:
 
wheel bearings

Sounds like wheel bearings to me. pull the hub and I bet you'll find the bearings are shot.
 
yep the bearings sound like they went bye bye. Might get lucky and just need new bearingfs but more then likely the spindal is messed up also.
 
84gmcjimmy said:
My mom and I were transporting the Jimmy from our old house to the new house which is around 5 km away. After a few minutes of driving my mom notices a burning smell. I ignore it for a while thinking its the exhuast or something. After a while my mom says it smells worst...so we pull over and I look in the engine bay thinking the q-jet i just rebuilt pooped out. nope, everything fine...keep looking and notice my front axle, on the right side is spewing smoke from the wheel. I peek my head around and the axle is smoking. I don't know much about axles so i am stumped on what is wrong. Its at the end, close to where the rim is.
We limped it home (only choice...it doesn't have insurance) and when we got home it was really smoking. We get the hose with water to spray it so nothing starts on fire. Once I hit the spot that was smoking, a bunch of steam came up. Simular to when you put a hot piece of welded metal into water... So whatever it is was really hot.

Anyone know why this would be? Like I said I know hardly anything about axles or the pieces on it. so I am stumped. Where it was smoking is around where the brake pieces are.

Anyone know? :confused:
Click to expand...

Did we recently replace the hubs or something, where we yanked the magic Big Nut on the spindle, and maybe overtightened it?

If not, you will soon know the magic of the Big Nut as you replace wheel bearings. Karnak The Invincible sees some serious grease in your future :haha:

-- A
 
dremu, what the heck! haha whos is karnack the invicinible?

I haven't touched anything on the axle for a long time, only the locking hubs. changed it from lock to free, and back to lock.

So it's the wheel bearings? are they hard to change? I pull pull out my haynes manual tomorrow and search.
 
JEBSR said:
Sounds like wheel bearings to me. pull the hub and I bet you'll find the bearings are shot.
Click to expand...

How do I know if the bearings are shot? I've never messed with them before,...
 
To me it's just a glass......... :crazy:

If the bearing makes a crunching sound when u turn the wheel that's a good sign their toasted....you're gonna need some serious tools for this one....
inside circlip pliers, spindle nut socket...etc etc
 
I disagree. I doubt it was your wheel bearings. I bet it was your brake caliper that locked up. When you jack the tire up, can you spin it freely? Or does it drag? If it drags, you need to check a couple things.

First check the wheel bearings. This is easy.

1. Jack up the wheel
2. Grab it at the 12 and 6 o'clock postitions
3. Try to rock it up and down

If your bearings are that shot, the whole wheel should flop around like it's falling off. If the wheel doesn't move, chances are your bearings are fine.

Second, check your brakes.
1. Pull the wheel off the axle.
2. Check for scoring or burnt marks on the rotor
3. Have someone pump the pedal and look for movement of the brake pads against the rotor. Try to turn the rotor and while they pump the brakes. If nothing happens while they are pumping the brakes, your caliper is toast.
4. To make sure the caliper is shot, pull the caliper and then pump the brakes SLOWLY! If you aren't careful, you will push the piston right out of the caliper housing. If it moves, it may have gotten stuck. It happens once in awhile. If it doesn't move, your caliper is shot.
5. Next, check the pads. If they over heated, the pads will show it. They will look all cracked and flake. They will also smell burnt. You'll know it if you smell it.

Look at everything before you start replacing parts. Make SURE you know what is wrong before you start throwing parts at it. Just my $0.02
 
Shane,
thanks, I will try those 2 things tomorrow morning, I will report back later if I find the problem.
Thanks.
 
Well more than half of you were wrong. :haha: :doah: :laugh: I rocked the wheel up and down, and it was nice and tight, didn't wobble at all. So the bearings are fine.

So I proceeded to try to move the tires...I was laying on the ground and with 2 arms I couldn't move it. I got up and kneeled and then spun it. The calipers must be dragging a lot.
I'm heading out shortly, but tomorrow I will take the wheel right off and check to see how it is, on the rotor and the calipers.

Thanks..
shane74 said:
I disagree. I doubt it was your wheel bearings. I bet it was your brake caliper that locked up. When you jack the tire up, can you spin it freely? Or does it drag? If it drags, you need to check a couple things.

First check the wheel bearings. This is easy.

1. Jack up the wheel
2. Grab it at the 12 and 6 o'clock postitions
3. Try to rock it up and down

If your bearings are that shot, the whole wheel should flop around like it's falling off. If the wheel doesn't move, chances are your bearings are fine.

Second, check your brakes.
1. Pull the wheel off the axle.
2. Check for scoring or burnt marks on the rotor
3. Have someone pump the pedal and look for movement of the brake pads against the rotor. Try to turn the rotor and while they pump the brakes. If nothing happens while they are pumping the brakes, your caliper is toast.
4. To make sure the caliper is shot, pull the caliper and then pump the brakes SLOWLY! If you aren't careful, you will push the piston right out of the caliper housing. If it moves, it may have gotten stuck. It happens once in awhile. If it doesn't move, your caliper is shot.
5. Next, check the pads. If they over heated, the pads will show it. They will look all cracked and flake. They will also smell burnt. You'll know it if you smell it.

Look at everything before you start replacing parts. Make SURE you know what is wrong before you start throwing parts at it. Just my $0.02
Click to expand...
 
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If it is the brakes and Im betting it is then do yourself a favor and spring for new sliders for the caliper and make sure you grease them with a high temp lube.
 
Not too hard

Doing brakes and/or wheel bearings is usually pretty simple, depending on if you have a 2 wheel drive or a 4 wheel drive makes a difference on how complicated this may be, especially if it's your first time.jack the truck up (don't forget yur jack stands lol,usually when a poor guy gets squished under a vehicle it's pretty noisy (don't want to disturb the neighbors) and pretty messy (somebodys gotta clean it up) take off your wheel,the caliper, and spindle nut.if it's 2 wheel drive the rotor bearings and all SHOULD slide right out.The bearings should be inside the rotor or in a hub assembly that the rotor mounts on.I usually replace it all (brake pads and rotor if it needs it) while I have it off.It saves having to take it all off again 2 weeks later and pads and rotors usually run pretty cheap depending on what you got.Check your spindle for wear or grooves and discoloration from the heat.Either one of these are not good. don't forget to keep any dirt or water away from any part that will need to be greased even the finest particles of dirt will eat the bearings alive.Installation is pretty simple too pack the new bearings real well and make sure the grease is coming all the way through the bearings.
​
 
One of my moms friends husband said he can help me, he gets good deal on parts, so I can get them cheap.

Besides the new parts (how do I know what I need to fix it?) what tools do I need? I think my dads worked on the brakes on other trucks, so I should have the tools. But just in case, can someone list them out? I will check in my manual tomorrow to see if it lists the tools (just remembered it-doh)

thanks
 
On the front brakes it depends on if it is a 4 wheel or 2 wheel drive,if it is a 2 wheel drive you will need a C clamp,either an Allen or a Torxbit to take off the mounting bolts and a Socket for the axlenut probably a 30mm,and a standard socket for the brake line going into the caliper and If it's a 4 wheel you will also need some snap ring pliers and another specialty socket for the hub nutI think thats it but check with others to make sure.It's been a while.hope this helps.:D
 
Good advise
It could also be a brake hose. If when you jack it up the wheel spins freely pump the brake pedal and release. If it is tight after this the hose likely is colapsed or has a flapper on the inside. It is sometimes hard to tell if its a hose or a calliper.
 
Ditto on the hoses...

I replaced calipers on my van for nothing--turned out to be the old rubber brake hoses were acting like one way check valves!..I have to see if thats the problem on my 79 C10--its right front wheel has dragging brakes once in a while,and it pulls to one side when I step on the brakes..

I'll have to check like you said by applying the brakes,and see if the wheel it hard to turn--you can tell if its the brake hose by opening the bleeder screw-(If it WILL open without snapping off :doah: )--if the wheel spins free after opening the bleeder,its the hose thats at fault,not the caliper--

You can usually pry the caliper with a pry bar gently and see how easy the piston retacts too--most times if I have to use a "C" clamp to put the piston back in all the way when doing pads,and it goes in hard,it will give problems shortly thereafter..I'm saving up for both new hoses AND calipers,since I dont even want to do it once!..
Calipers are 11.99 exchanged at Auto Zone here IF you dont snap the bleeders(no core value if they break)--thats why I'm just going to buy everything,I suspect my calipers are probably half seized,and the bleeders will likely snap,so I'm just going to trade them in.. :doah: :crazy: All I need is the money! :(
 
It's never a bad idea to replace the hoses, callipers and pads if you can afford it when the brake over heat to the point of visible smoke. I figure you have probably damaged everything at that end. The rotors are probably OK but they could be heat checked. I'd try machining them if they're with in specs. Not a bad idea to flush the brake system and get all fresh fluid in and not just bleed it untill the air's gone.
 
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