Forum Discussion

dlt123me's avatar
dlt123me
Explorer
Feb 22, 2016

Does 95 Fleetwood Jamboree Rallye have Electric Fnt Brakes?

I have a 1995 Fleetwood Jamboree Rallye 29 ft MH. It has a Ford 460, E300 chassis. I live in Oregon which is rainy during the Winter months.

During this time my battery ran dead, and I had to jump my MH with my car. When I tried to move forward, it felt like I had my emergency brakes on. I have been unable to get them to break loose. When we took off the one of the front tires, we noticed that there are two wires going to the disk brake and what looks like a drum brake system. My question is...

1) Does this model of truck has an electronic emergency safety system which locks the breaks when the battery is dead?

2) Is it possible that there are disk brakes and drum breaks on the front of my MH, and the drum brakes are rusted to the drums?

I am at a loss to what to do. Any one know whether either of these cases are what I am experiencing with my MH. Any help is appreciated...

Also, does anyone know where I can get the brake system breakdown, or assembly schematic to show how the brake system is put together for my rig?

Note: I did a search here and didn't find anything related to what I believe my brake system is like on my rig.

Thanks everyone,
Dennis
Class C
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Feb 24, 2016
    How close are you to Portland? QuadVan in Portland converts E-Series to 4*4 since Ford never offered them in 4*4 and lots of people wanted that. They sell the take-off parts (front brakes, axles and misc.) at very attractive prices. You also end up with MUCH larger, better front brakes. A few extra parts are required but it isn't a bad conversion. QuadVan will also repair your brakes using those parts. Just a thought... Call 503.224.3629 and ask for John or Email Info@Quadvan.com
    I converted ours and finally scrapped all those old parts. Re-surfaced set of rotors, recent calipers... Just too much bulk to keep around, and too heavy to ship any distance.
    In any event, start with the fronts, that you know you need, and see where the chase takes you. Or maybe have it towed to QuadVan... If you have it towed, the driveshaft should be disconnected.
  • dlt123me's avatar
    dlt123me
    Explorer
    Feb 23, 2016
    Thanks for the info.. Yes, true, all you asked is happening. When I try to move forward or backward, it feels like my brakes are on. I can force the truck to move, but the brakes will howl. I haven't had time to try the hammer on the rear hubs, and I also found I have a crack in my front passenger side rotor, which I will have to replace. sighhh.

    Thanks for your expertise, help and encouragement in all this.

    Dennis

    j-d wrote:


    I've been thinking you have engine running, park brake off, trans in drive. And that you can tell the trans is actually "in gear" and trying to move the coach. True?
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Feb 23, 2016
    This chassis uses the sensors I pictured above on the two front wheels. There's a "Left" and a "Right" and they cost nearly $100 each. The rear uses a single sensor on top of the differential housing and it looks like this

    It's easy to replace and Autozone (source of the sensor pix I've posted) sells it for $13.
    The thing "looks" at one of the gears inside there, and over time, the metallic "dust" from normal wear will stick to it and trigger an ABS warning.
    Top center of that big axle housing. Your tools are a can of spray brake cleaner, a 10mm wrench (socket is best) and a rag. Clean the area around it, remove the 10mm screw (through the tab in the pic above). Wiggle it a little and lift it out. Wipe clean and re-install.
    If I had ABS warning I think I'd buy a new copy of that cheap part and simply change it, but lots of time it's just that metallic dust.

    None of those sensors will keep your coach from moving.

    I've been thinking you have engine running, park brake off, trans in drive. And that you can tell the trans is actually "in gear" and trying to move the coach. True?
  • dlt123me's avatar
    dlt123me
    Explorer
    Feb 23, 2016
    Yes, it is a E350 chassis... Here is a picture of the MH..



    I've noticed that sometime when I drove the MH, the ABS light would be on.. Does that mean I need to change the ABS cable with a new one.

    Also, the fact that my battery went dead, would that have ANYTHING to do with my braking system? Is there some safety feature that locks the brakes if the power, or battery is dead? Just curious...

    Thanks,
    Dennis

    j-d wrote:
    E-3-Fifty? A Class C with a Van Cab, right? It has an AntiLock Brake System (ABS) with an ABS Sensor Cable that looks like this

    in addition to a rubber-covered brake hose. The ABS will not engage the brakes. It only monitors wheel speeds and decides to release a wheel that's going slower than the rest, on the premise that it's sliding.
    Front brakes are dual-piston disk.
    Rears are conventional drum with foot-operated parking brake.
    Can you safely jack one corner up, at a time, blocking the opposite corner? You should be able to turn each front wheel. If not, you can bang on the caliper with a mallet or hammer against a wooden block. Then try again.
    For the rears, one side should turn IF you have transmission in Neutral and Parking Brake Off.
    If you don't feel you can do these checks safely, please call for help.
    When you have more info, let us know.
  • bsinmich's avatar
    bsinmich
    Explorer
    Feb 22, 2016
    It was on my '89 Jamboree on a E350 that I learned the value of flushing the brake fluid every 2-3 years. I got it new and after 3 years I was coming down a small hill in Peterboro, Ontario when the light turned red in front of me. We went through the red light with no brakes. I pulled into a Church yard, checked the RF brake very hot. While it cooled down I had time to change my underwear. No more problems on that trip but when I got home my mechanic explained why we change brake fluid regularly.
  • dlt123me's avatar
    dlt123me
    Explorer
    Feb 22, 2016
    Wow, the people on this site are amazing. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the help I've received from others on this site, both men and women. It's people like you that make the disappointments that come with RVing, fun again.

    Thank you all so much.
    Dennis
  • snowdance's avatar
    snowdance
    Explorer
    Feb 22, 2016
    The problem you are having is kind of common. On a class C most of the time the water from the roof of the cab over will run off the roof and on to the front wheels. Washing the grease on the slides on the front calipers on both Chevy and Ford. So they freeze up. If you take the front calipers apart clean them and lub the slides with a good grease the problem will go away.(Many auto parts shops sell small packets of grease just for slides and they sell for about a buck.)
    The best cure for the problem after that is always cover the front wheels with tire covers when parked. They keep the AC, rain, frost and dew water from washing the grease out. They are not for sun only on the Class C with cab over beds.
    Also never set the emergency brake when parking for winter. They will often rust and not release. Just use wheel chocks,blocks, rocks for you winter storage.
    These problems show up most in areas with lots of rain like this year. Or hot areas where you are running the AC all the time.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Feb 22, 2016
    Here's a generic exploded view of a rear brake. Doesn't show Wheel Cylinder, Brake Hose or Parking Brake Cable.
    E350 uses a "full floating" rear axle design. To get the drum off, you have to remove axle, lose oil, and dismantle bearings. Re-assembly requires new seals and a precision bearing adjustment. Not for the inexperienced!

    Here's the front, again generic. Does NOT show the Hose or ABS Sensor.

    You can get the caliper and pads off without disturbing the bearings or removing the rotor. Removing rotor involves bearings, seals, adjustments, like the rear. Also, the bolts holding a bracket that has to come off to remove the rotor are very big and very tight.

    OP's that live up in your wet area say the rainwater dripping off the roof splashes into the front brakes and rusts them. Makes sense. I can say I worked on one that was stored near salt water. Had to knock the calipers off the rotors with a hand sledge (once the fasteners were out!!!) and then pound the pads out of the calipers. The friction part of the pads came off in pieces. But... the coach was still moving and would actually stop to an extent...
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Feb 22, 2016
    E-3-Fifty? A Class C with a Van Cab, right? It has an AntiLock Brake System (ABS) with an ABS Sensor Cable that looks like this

    in addition to a rubber-covered brake hose. The ABS will not engage the brakes. It only monitors wheel speeds and decides to release a wheel that's going slower than the rest, on the premise that it's sliding.
    Front brakes are dual-piston disk.
    Rears are conventional drum with foot-operated parking brake.
    Can you safely jack one corner up, at a time, blocking the opposite corner? You should be able to turn each front wheel. If not, you can bang on the caliper with a mallet or hammer against a wooden block. Then try again.
    For the rears, one side should turn IF you have transmission in Neutral and Parking Brake Off.
    If you don't feel you can do these checks safely, please call for help.
    When you have more info, let us know.

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