Over the five years we've been full-timing I've posted several times about the parking brake issues we've had with our 2000 PT. The most recent problems began a couple of weeks ago when the parking brake actuator could no longer release the brake. I'll skip the details of how we limped our way to Elkhart IN, but an absolutely first-rate shop in Mishawaka (next door to Elkhart) has now finally figured out why we've been having so many problems with the brake, problems which I've gathered have not been shared by other Beaver owners.
It now is clear that my parking brake caliper had a broken internal part that may well have been been that way since it was manufactured. That defect then prevented the caliper from adjusting itself properly which, in turn, resulted in a perpetually dragging brake pad. My two failed air actuators resulted from excessive force being needed to operate the caliper which, itself, was another aspect of the problem.
Although this will be an expensive repair (parts are now being shipped in from BCS), I am now very pleased that we have gotten to the root cause of the problem once and for all. Credit for figuring all this out belongs to Mike and Allen at Zolman Fleet Services in Mishawaka. What totally impressed me was that they weren't satisfied to deduce that the caliper was the cause of the problem. Once I had ordered the new one they proceeded to open up the old one which is how they discovered there was an internal defect that, most likely, has been that way since the assembly had been manufactured.
I have simply not seen this level of attention to understanding failure mechanisms in any shop I have worked with. They really wanted to understand what had gone wrong rather than just to have replaced a broken part. That's a level of interest you just don't see at most repair shops. I, for one, will definitely be coming back to this place for future repairs and maintenance. They are a truck shop that doesn't mind doing motorhome work, which, itself, makes them somewhat unusual but their technical expertise is what will really bring me back.
Anyway, we're sitting in Elkhart/Mishawaka until the caliper and our new muffler arrive. Our muffler configuration didn't permit easy installation of a common muffler, like the Aero, so ours, of course, is coming from Utah, of all places! Next week, we're also going to replace all the rubber brake lines with new ones; the old ones are hard and brittle and the shop agrees that they probably caused the brake locking we experienced last summer (as Gerald had speculated). After that has all been completed we'll be able to get on our way (minus a few thousand $$)!
