Posted by Paul Cook on Thursday, July 01, 2004 at 4:06PM :
In Reply to: Brakes posted by Dylan on Thursday, July 01, 2004 at 0:00AM :
If I answered by saying, "See Page 81 of your Shop Manual," you would probably think I was being a jerk. The truth is that guessing how to fix something as critical as your brakes is not the smartest way to stay alive or uninjured. And taking other folks' guesses is not always the best way to go, even though they are truly trying to help.
Several years ago, some really bad advice about working on Brakes was presented here on the Forum. At my suggestion, Joe added a Disclaimer to the Forum idenifying the respective "author" as having responsibility for any content presented on the Forum. In a country where MacDonalds is sued because someone who eats there gets fat, I have become very cautious about "winging" it to answer some of the requests for information on any Forum.
Adjusting the brake piston rod is a good example. The Manual says, "Do Not" yet that's what is done when the problem is most likely a matter of proper brake shoe adjustment.
Instead of "winging" an answer, I have taken the time to provide the applicable Shop Manual pages on Brakes in a printable format in the Technical Support section of the Kempner POWER WAGON Museum web site.
Click on the Museum Link below. Scroll down and click on the Technical Support Button. Then scroll down to "BRAKES" and help yourself to the authorative answer.
Not having a manual to use when working on your brakes might be cited as an indication of your negligence if you were involved in an accident. If you follow the "official" guidance and still have an accident, the other party might try to get into Dodge's "deep pockets" instead of yours. No promise, here, but something that might mitigate the issue.
Remember that the juries of our "peers" selected by the courts do not meet that test. To be our "peers", they would have to be as smart as we are, and each of them would have a POWER WAGON.
My intention here is to keep this great hobby as much fun as possible by helping us avoid some of the riduculous situations that are cutting into our enjoyment. Zoning, overzealous environmentalists, and envious petty politicians abound.
WORK SAFE! - DRIVE SAFE!
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