Broke Down in Billings Montana - Need to find a shop that can replace wheel cylinders

[Commander5993]

I'm only a little familiar with Billings.... But have experience with your problem. Of course its Saturday (at least its not the Holidays), and probably your not going to get somebody too interested till Monday. So at least your not on the side of the road in a blizzard. I would take a deep breathe and: find a place to camp/or Motel. Then drop the trailer, and find a car wash, and clean up the leaked oil. That will be a 1st - a shop will want to do it too, or should do it. There are heavy truck shops around there. They will be good on the oil leak, but maybe the lighter 4x4 Guys will be better all around on a Deuce, because of the brakes. Anyway, you will get some help through SS on the leak, and all around too.

So it boils down to a Grand Adventure, your on. It might take a little while/a few days to get things fixed, but you can do it. Just take things "systematically", and you might be able to do more of your stuff there too, then you think. So find a good Camp, and wash that engine down, and like you already said, fix the problems, before you leave there. You don't have anything that isn't "doable".

Good Luck and keep us posted.

Thanks for the reply rosco! And you're right, its doable, just might take a few days.
We are now all parked at the walmart parking lot, and have permission from the managers to stay here for a few days. So we're in no big rush, as we sure don't want to get any further into the mountains with any kind of problems, let alone brake problems .

We've (my Dad [who and driving the deuce] and I) have decided to just sit and wait until monday and find a shop. #1 we would much rather go ahead and replace all 6 wheel cylinders instead of just the 2, so that we reduce a re-run event just a few hundred miles down the road. #2 We need to get this oil leak fixed. We are going to clean the engine as you suggested, and see what we can find, or if nothing else it'll help the shop.

Thanks for the post

 

[Commander5993]

Concerning the oil leak, if your running some wmo, a fuel leak can appear to be a oil leak.
If not, check the front of the front head head gasket, I've seen them blow out there and spew oil like crazy, this could potentially starve the valve train of lubricant. Good luck.

Just running diesel, have never run wmo or anything, but the oil looks pure. Doesn't appear to be thinned or mixed, nor does it smell like diesel.
I sure hope its not a head gasket.... good to know that if it was it could starve the valve train of oil. Appreciate the info Rayzer

 

[Commander5993]

This just in: A guy stopped by here in the walmart parking lot, and gave us a number to call. We did and we Might have a shop who will do the work.
Will update when I can.
Thanks All

 

[R0E0D]

Maybe you know this trick: Get a piece of cardboard & grease or oil it up, put it under the duals/with hub, and use it to slide the whole thing away from the axle end, to get to your wheel cylinders. Use the jack, to adjust highth, just right. It works slick.

now that is a real good trick i will use it next time.

 

[Heavysteven]

Make sure you stand over whom ever does the work.

 

[Commander5993]

Maybe you know this trick: Get a piece of cardboard & grease or oil it up, put it under the duals/with hub, and use it to slide the whole thing away from the axle end, to get to your wheel cylinders. Use the jack, to adjust highth, just right. It works slick.

Great Trick, have to remember that, Thanks!

 

[Commander5993]

A manifold heater can not pump fuel into the base while the engine is running. It's impossible.


Is your FDC bypassed?

Diluted oil would be my suspicion.

Front crank seals leak and make a mess, as well as rear main seals.

Whatever you do, be sure to provide any shop that does work on it, with the proper brake fluid.

Thanks for the tips and reply doghead!
The FDC isn't bypassed, but again the oil doesn't seem to be diluted or to contain any diesel.
I'm wondering if it is a front crank seal though, hate to see what that takes to replace... in either work or $$$ cost...

Yes I do have about a gallon and half of DOT 5 fluid, and will be certain to tell them about that too.
Should that be enough to bleed the system after the wheel cylinders are replaced? If not I know the local auto parts store here do carry DOT 5, but it might only come in small containers

Thanks for the info!

 

[Commander5993]

Make sure you stand over whom ever does the work.

you have to now days, otherwise you never know what will happen...

 

[Commander5993]

I would check the tach drive on the front of the engine. Oil can leak from there. I looked at the members map. Look like ridgerunner,elkhunter, mtmudrunner are the closest to you on the map. good luck.

Thanks smoke, I did look around the cable, didn't seem to be coming from there, but it'll be hard to know for sure until the engine is cleaned.

 

[eaw46]

Glad you have found some help and that Wallmart is letting you stay. I was broke down in Billings many yrs ago in a Motor home and the local Police came to the Wallmart parking lot and told me there was no overnight parking and that I had to move it or it would be ticketed. It did not matter to them that I had a blown rad hose and was waiting for an auto parts store to open they just said no overnight parking. I find MT to be one of the most helpful and friendliest places but not Billings. Eddy

 

[swbradley1]

When I fell asleep on the ground next to my motorcycle in a K-Mart parking light I remember the police coming by and shining the light in my face and just driving on. Must have felt sorry for me.

I noticed that before my engine went out to lunch it was pushing a lot of oil out the side of head gasket seam.

 

[Commander5993]

Ok, here's where things sit at the moment:
We could have had the shop replace the two wheel cylinders today, but it was $125 per hour because it was a weekend and only 'emergency service' was open. And they guessed 4-5 hours of work (3 hours bare bare minimum).

So we decided to wait until monday, which will make it $95 per hour (regular rate at least), but we are going to have all 6 wheel cylinders replaced. And find out where, and hopefully repair, the oil leak. This shop is one of the main semi truck & large diesel equipment repair centers here. Which was suggested to us by several different locals here, one being a semi driver, and seems to have a very good rep from those who suggested it. We left the deuce in their high fence gated/locked lot, which also had several semi-trucks and other large equipment.
We'll go back monday morning when they open, and talk to the service manager, as the tech guy today said the manager may cut us a break. After they get the wheel cylinders all replaced, they are going to power wash the engine down with a high powered heated washer, and then find the oil leak. Once they find the leak, we'll go from there on what its going to take to fix it.

I'll keep posting updates as I can, but its going to be monday before I find out anymore.
Thanks All!
~Peace

 

[doghead]

Here is a front seal number for the crankshaft. It was listed on the old cross reference list on the site. Might save you time, if you need it.

417350

Simply google " 417350 seal"

 

[Commander5993]

Here is a front seal number for the crankshaft. It was listed on the old cross reference list on the site. Might save you time, if you need it.

417350

Simply google " 417350 seal"

Thanks Doghead for the part number ! If it is the front seal thats leaking, that will save some time and running around.
I ran the number on Napa's website, and it came up under interchange seal # NOS 29887 Link: http://goo.gl/2Q5um

They don't show it in stock at any of the stores here, but it is available for order. I'm going to try to look up some of the other auto-parts stores here too. If that is the problem, at least I will know if I have to order it or if a store has it in stock I will already know where to pick it up at.
Thanks!
~Peace

 

[Commander5993]

Here is a front seal number for the crankshaft. It was listed on the old cross reference list on the site. Might save you time, if you need it.

417350

Simply google " 417350 seal"

It looks like the number that you posted is a Timken part#.
If I dont find one before hand, I'll give the shop that number and I bet they can locate one somewhere in town.

 

[Carlo]

I have read this thread from the beginning and it warms my heart to hear all the help everyone has given to help this man. You are all good people and Im proud to be a part of this "site". I cant call it a site but more a family!!
Good luck to you son and keep us posted. I wish I lived closer to you so I could help. sorry

 

[Commander5993]

Glad you have found some help and that Wallmart is letting you stay. I was broke down in Billings many yrs ago in a Motor home and the local Police came to the Wallmart parking lot and told me there was no overnight parking and that I had to move it or it would be ticketed. It did not matter to them that I had a blown rad hose and was waiting for an auto parts store to open they just said no overnight parking. I find MT to be one of the most helpful and friendliest places but not Billings. Eddy

Hate to hear that they gave you a tough time, even though you were just waiting for the autoparts store to open so you could fix your ride. They said they used to have security and they wouldn't let people stay. But now they don't care, as long as the vehicle doesn't appear 'abandoned' as in it sits there for days with no one around. There was a bunch of RV's, vans, and other people staying here last night... almost to many.

 

[Commander5993]

When I fell asleep on the ground next to my motorcycle in a K-Mart parking light I remember the police coming by and shining the light in my face and just driving on. Must have felt sorry for me.

I noticed that before my engine went out to lunch it was pushing a lot of oil out the side of head gasket seam.

Sometimes police just want to see that nothing is going on, if so they may leave you alone. Other times they might harasses you just because they can I guess.

Thankfully I can't see any oil or other leaks or 'blowing' from around the head gaskets. I see no coolant leaking anywhere either.
I hope its going to end up being some easy to fix, or at least nothing worse than the front main seal.

 

[Commander5993]

I have read this thread from the beginning and it warms my heart to hear all the help everyone has given to help this man. You are all good people and Im proud to be a part of this "site". I cant call it a site but more a family!!
Good luck to you son and keep us posted. I wish I lived closer to you so I could help. sorry

You're Right Carlo, this is one of the most helpful online communities I have ever been privileged to be a part of.

Appreciate your thoughts too, but I think we should be able to get the repairs taken care of now. If we were still back at home when this happened, I would have done it all myself. And yes, as some has suggested, we might have been able to do this work in a parking lot, as we do have most of our tools with us. But walmart might not have been to happy about us tearing apart a deuce in their parking lot.

Hopefully they'll get the repairs done tomorrow, and we'll be tuesday.
~Peace

 

[Commander5993]

Question:

A friend of ours was talking to my Dad on the phone and he put in his theory of our oil leak problem....
If an oil ring went bad on a piston, and oil in the crank case was being pressured by the piston compression, what would be the symptoms of such a problem??

Wouldn't this be noticeable seen even at idle? Like oil 'bubbles' coming up out of the fill port or other areas?