Brake Buddy won't stay put

[Ro646a]

I recently bought a Jeep Liberty to tow behind my motorhome. I used to tow a Chevy Tracker with a Ready brake system. This time I bought a used Brake Buddy to use in the Liberty. Today I tried to set it up for the first time. Whenever I hit the test button it jumps all over the place. It does not hit the seat squarely no matter how I position the back stop, and when it releases it jumps off the floor and goes toward the brake pedal(I mean it pulls itself to the brake pedal instead of pushing it).
I followed the directions, but I must be doing something wrong. Any comments?

Thanks in advance.

[Ro646a]

Thanks again for all of your support on this topic. I came up with a solution. I duplicated Bumpy's solution and built a small device out of plywood that braces against the seat and covered it with carpeting to protect the interior trim. It works perfect now.
Thanks one more time to all who offered assistance.
Roland

[DownTheAvenue]

I am pretty sure the Jeep Liberty needs a special bracket to be used in conjunction with the Brake Buddy. You should call their customer support.

[Ro646a]

Thank you all for your information. I see that the main problem I had was that I didn't move the seat forward to hold it in the right place. I'll try again tomorrow to get it right.
Thanks again....

[Bumpyroad]

when I first got my brake buddy somebody had said that they would tear up the drivers seat by pressing against it all the time so being a bit paranoid I build an L platform with two 2 x 2 pieces of plywood joined with two L brackets and carpeted that I set against the seat to put the BB on. worked like a charm but wasn't really needed.
bumpy

[rockylarson]

I have to remove the floor mat for it to sit flat on the floor. Sorry no picture but I ziptied two plastic gutter hangers to the handle. Bent them with hot water to an "(" angle that grips the driver seat perfect. No up or down movement when activated. It is a Jeep Liberty thing not BB. The BB works fine in my CRV. I believe also BB instructions say no mats.

[Gonzo42]

One other thing. Make sure the actuating arm pushed directly on the brake pedal in line with its swing arm. If it is to one side it can cause a problem due to the misalignment.

If your system stutters it might indicate the supply voltage is insufficient. It needs to be wired via a 12 gauge wire pair to not lose voltage due to resistance in the wire. BB sells a kit for a dedicated cig lighter socket with wires large enough.

Insufficient voltage will burn up the solenoid.

[UsualSuspect]

Ro646a wrote:
I recently bought a Jeep Liberty to tow behind my motorhome. I used to tow a Chevy Tracker with a Ready brake system. This time I bought a used Brake Buddy to use in the Liberty. Today I tried to set it up for the first time. Whenever I hit the test button it jumps all over the place. It does not hit the seat squarely no matter how I position the back stop, and when it releases it jumps off the floor and goes toward the brake pedal(I mean it pulls itself to the brake pedal instead of pushing it).
I followed the directions, but I must be doing something wrong. Any comments?

Thanks in advance.

Make sure the floor mat is removed. Also after you clamp it onto the brake pedal, you are moving the unit up towards the brake pedal, until just before it depresses the brake, the actuater will be as short as it can get, or all the way retracted into the unit. Then move seat forward until it just touches the unit?

[j-d]

Ours is jumpy when I hit "test" or whatever that button is marked as on yours. It doesn't need much space to perform a braking cycle then release without leaving any pressure on the pedal. I wonder if it pulls back (toward the front of the car) to help make sure the pedal doesn't have any pressure left on it.

Now, if you push the button and it "stutters" (partial apply and release rapidly repeated), that's a problem.

Brake Buddy tech support is very helpful, just call them.

Every once in awhile, somebody says they burned brakes because their BB didn't fully release. I'm not taking sides, I don't know what caused it, and I still use Brake Buddy. But I DID tap into the brake light wiring and connect an LED stop light (amber, illegal to show a red light forward) that I bungee to the front of the toad's rearview mirror. I can see it light when BB applies braking, AND see it go out when BB fully releases the pedal.

[LadyRVer]

BB sent us a metal piece to put over the seat in one of our cars. Also, after attaching the clevis to the brake pedal, do you move the seat forward to rest firmly against the handle? But, check the brake lights are not on after you pull the seat up firmly.

Also, can you raise or lower your drivers seat? And, I think in some instructions I read, do not place BB on a rubber floor mat.

BB has excellent customer service.