Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes?

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Thu 9 Sep 2021 16:19
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - edlithgow

A brake lining detached from a shoe again. This has happened 3 or 4 times, suggesting that, even for the Skywing it might be worth buying brake parts from known manufacturers, IF I knew where I could get them.

I think in the rainy season rust forms on the backing plate surface and forces the lining off. I could soak them in vegetable oil but that might inhibit braking as well as rust. Might try sealing the edges with superglue, but I suspect the lining material is porous enough to allow rusting through the face.

Anyway, off to the parts place with the box and takeoffs from last time (BENECO Never heard of them). Comes back with a different box (Ke Ti brand. Never heard of them either), goes outside and makes a big thing about banging them on the pavement to dislodge dust. Leaves the box on the pavement, brings them back in and puts them in a plastic bag. Won't sell me only 1 pair (this may be strictly correct procedure generally but since they didn't do it last time it reinforces`the impression I'm getting that they want rid of these things.)

I don't suppose there's a simple test for asbestos, is there?

Edited by edlithgow on 09/09/2021 at 16:22

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Thu 9 Sep 2021 17:06
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - bathtub tom

They'll probably work better if there is asbestos in them!

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Fri 10 Sep 2021 16:27
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - edlithgow

They'll probably work better if there is asbestos in them!

They work OK anyway. Just keep falling apart, is all.

Not really much I can do about it except be more careful in avoiding the dust, which I am anyway.

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Sat 11 Sep 2021 08:58
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - Bolt

I think and could be wrong but pre 1973 vehicles were allowed to use asbestos pads and shoes and were banned from 1999 on iirc?

so you may get asbestos shoes on yours, though they did a glue years ago for refurbishing brake shoes, not sure if they do it now but the old resin glue they used to use broke down over time and had nothing to do with water as the drums got water in anyway and any part of shoe could have rusted and caused it (not that it did) just the resin breaking down

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Wed 15 Sep 2021 00:38
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - edlithgow

I think and could be wrong but pre 1973 vehicles were allowed to use asbestos pads and shoes and were banned from 1999 on iirc?

so you may get asbestos shoes on yours, though they did a glue years ago for refurbishing brake shoes, not sure if they do it now but the old resin glue they used to use broke down over time and had nothing to do with water as the drums got water in anyway and any part of shoe could have rusted and caused it (not that it did) just the resin breaking down

Rust forcing the lining off is just my guess, based on the shoe surface that was behind the lining being rusty, (but it could have done that post-separation) and the fact that two of the separations at least have occurred after a long stand in monsoonal conditions. (The first one was associated with wheel cylinder leak, so maybe the brake fluid degraded the glue.)

Another possibility might be the shoe linings stick onto the drum and are peeled off. Or the glue is degraded by moisture. Or all of the above.

I might attempt re-sticking the shoes if/when I couldn't get more brake shoes for this car, (which, if they are G11 specific, might be around now since there are very few of these cars left here and this may have been the bottom of the barrel) but I don't know of a glue which will withstand the likely temperatures.

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Thu 9 Sep 2021 18:46
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - Andrew-T

I don't suppose there's a simple test for asbestos, is there?

A microscopic look for fibres, perhaps ? I don't think the preferred modern substitutes are fibrous, but I may be wrong.

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Wed 15 Sep 2021 11:05
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - Bolt

I don't suppose there's a simple test for asbestos, is there?

A microscopic look for fibres, perhaps ? I don't think the preferred modern substitutes are fibrous, but I may be wrong.

Think I would rather make sure I didn't breathe in the dust same as pads that are made of resin bonded steel and other compounds, not for breathing in....

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Wed 15 Sep 2021 14:43
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - bathtub tom

Think I would rather make sure I didn't breathe in the dust same as pads that are made of resin bonded steel and other compounds, not for breathing in....

Every time you use the clutch or brake you're going to release a small amount, along with small amounts of rubber and there's thousands of other cars doing the same. Okay, you may think your pollen filter will protect you from it, but what about when you get out of your car?

Life's too short to worry.

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Wed 15 Sep 2021 19:08
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - Bolt

Life's too short to worry.

I know, thats why I don`t worry, as everything in life is a risk, I never used a mask in the days of using an airline to blow out brake drums like everyone else did in the 70s 80s or when diesels blew out extreme black smoke, no one knew any better then but couldn`t do it now

apart from the odd transit that goes past, or throws out black smoke in front of you driving along, even the 4x4s that smoke putting his/her foot down accelerating up the road which is more often than seeing transits blowing everywhere

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Wed 15 Sep 2021 14:57
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - Andrew-T

<< I would rather make sure I didn't breathe in the dust same as pads that are made of resin bonded steel and other compounds, not for breathing in.... >>

I don't know about Taiwan, but most of us are armed with face masks now, which ought to give enough protection for a microscopic examination.

As a research student I did quite a bit of lab glassblowing; asbestos wool was used for plugging holes, and asbestos paper for wrapping taper joints. Never gave me any trouble for nearly 60 years afterwards. Like many other problems which have been given widespread scare stories, fear of some things can be exaggerated - while of course some unlucky people are prone to some materials, as smoking often proves.

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Wed 15 Sep 2021 16:13
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - Falkirk Bairn

BiL died of Asbestosis in 1988

Employer denied he could have caught it during his 25+ years employment with them as they had tough H&S Rules. Diagnosis and was given some 12-18 months - he died 17 months later.

Shortly after his death a 45 year old man, employed from aged 15 died of the same disease and it was 99%+ he had caught it at the local Refinery.

Turned out there was roughly 1 or 2 per year in the company refineries in the UK.

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Wed 15 Sep 2021 23:44
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - edlithgow

Significant risk for shipyard workers too. probably for the same reason. Pipe lagging. The ex-navy yards on lower Clydeside were said to be heavily contaminated with the stuff, though I suppose they've been cleaned up now.

When I left home I bought a slim paperback book called "The Bedsit Cookbook". Wish I'd kept it, not because I'd be likely to use the recipes again, but as a social document showing how life has changed, a "Swinging 60's" reality check.

It recommended you use an asbestos mat on hotplates, to reduce food burning on cheap aluminium pans, and for a while I did, but the smell of hot asbestos in the confines of a bedsit became too alarming, and I chucked it. Perhaps a less dangerous kind of asbestos though. IIRC "white asbestos" was used in pipe lagging and was especially dangerous, but none of them are harmless.

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Thu 16 Sep 2021 09:34
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - bathtub tom

Reminiscent of school chemistry labs. Those wire gauze mats with a central, white circle that you placed on top of the tripod over the bunsen, not to mention the open vats of mercury!

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Thu 16 Sep 2021 09:36
Daihatsu Skywing (Like G11 Charade, mostly) - Did I just buy asbestos brake shoes? - Andrew-T

Perhaps a less dangerous kind of asbestos though. IIRC "white asbestos" was used in pipe lagging and was especially dangerous, but none of them are harmless.

Blue asbestos was the really nasty variety. And of course many DiY garages had 'asbestos' roofs and sometimes sides too. But most of that was cement, though cutting to size would have made some nasty dust.

Asbestos was a major export product of Quebec province, in fact a whole town is named after it.

Edited by Andrew-T on 16/09/2021 at 09:37

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