Forum Discussion

curveballer98's avatar
curveballer98
Explorer
Jul 09, 2013

travel trailer brakes

Hey all...Just got home from an enjoyable 4th of july trip. all relaxed for the second part of my vacation..lol

Anyway, i'm having some trouble with the brakes on my trailer and am looking for a starting place or maybe folks that have had similar issues. I have had a braking issue once before...exact specifics i don't recall...but similar i think. I have a 2008 keystone springdale 267bhssr. I went to set my brake controller up...it's a tekonsha voyager. well i leveled it out... and when i depressed the truck brake, the indicator light never left green...the lightest setting of the brakes. normally it's a light shade of orange. when setting the controller you start with it at red..strongest setting and turn the dial till you hit an orangish green...or your preference. well it never went beyond green, however the slide lever allowed me to apply the trailer brakes and they engaged. I guess am i looking at just needing to adjust the brakes or is it most likely a deeper issue? the problem before was that a wire had chaffed inside the axle tube and was grounding out.

another note, when the truck brakes are engaged..there is no hum or noise from the trailer brakes, but when the slide lever is engaged the magnets will hum. and my brakes have always hummed before when the truck brakes are applied.

any thoughts, starting points to trouble shoot or any info would be greatly appreciated. we just got back yesterday, so i haven't had a chance to dive in to much yet.

thanks...and happy camping
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Jul 11, 2013
    I have the same problem here after I transitioned from the P2 controller to the new ford truck built-in controller. It seems the OEM Ford truck controller monitors all the of the truck computers and systems and will not send brake magnet voltages if the forward speed measures at the speedometer is less than 10MPH or so. This only happens when just using the truck brake pedal. I get full brake magnet voltages using the manual slider switch. I like to have the trailer brakes ON at a stop sign if I am on a decine so now I have to reach down and hold the manual slider switch along with pushing on the truck pedal brakes to do this.

    Your brake controller may be doing the same sort of thing...

    I have always had the situation as others have stated here that even when sending brake voltages to the brake magnets they do not engage until a 1/4 of turn on the wheel is accomplished. Some kind of mechanical thing involved...

    Using my boy scout compass near the wheels also tells the story for me whether or not the brake magnets are getting power. The brake magnets on my POPUP emit a tone when voltage is applied. The ones on my fifth wheel do not but you can hear a hum if you listen hard.

    The book says each brake magnet should draw around 3AMPS with 12VDC applied.

    Roy Ken
  • Nvr2loud's avatar
    Nvr2loud
    Explorer II
    Jul 11, 2013
    curveballer98 wrote:
    had about 10 minutes of free time today...long enough to hook the cord to the truck and check a couple quick things...the brake lights do come on on both the truck and trailer when the truck brakes are applied. When the truck brakes are applied, I can't hear any hum near any of the 4 wheels, however when the slide lever is applied on the brake controller itself, i can hear the hum on 3 of the 4 tires, the two on the curb side and the rear of the other side, and nothing or very slight on the one on the front tire of the other side. The blades and the slots on the plug and the truck are all clean and clear...I also pulled the break away switch and didn't hear any pulsing at the tires. hoping to get a bit of time tomorrow or friday to start pulling tires and visually inspecting the brakes...on vacation so tinker time is hard to come by when it's meant to be family time. any other thoughts and leads would be appreciated...thank you to the two that have posted so far...helpful info so far. i like the idea of the rewired brakes



    I have that controller, you won't hear the brakes just by pushing the brake pedal down while stopped.

    I had the identical problem to what you are describing at the start of this season, what I found was the connector between the controller and the wiring harness itself. The connector is only about 6 inches away from the controller, and it appeared okay, and my lights on the controller appeared okay. When I touched that connector with my hand it came apart. I plugged it back together firmly and all worked well. I was shocked, since I had been working with my meter and banging my head on the brick wall.. that connector appeared perfectly fine and since the lights worked...... I never thought to check it.
  • EldIr's avatar
    EldIr
    Explorer
    Jul 11, 2013
    From the Voyager manual:

    ". This brake control is activated by inertia. It senses deceleration and generates an output that reflects the inertia sensed. In a stationary state, the brake control will not apply the trailer brakes unless the Manual Slide Knob is actuated.
  • curveballer98's avatar
    curveballer98
    Explorer
    Jul 11, 2013
    had about 10 minutes of free time today...long enough to hook the cord to the truck and check a couple quick things...the brake lights do come on on both the truck and trailer when the truck brakes are applied. When the truck brakes are applied, I can't hear any hum near any of the 4 wheels, however when the slide lever is applied on the brake controller itself, i can hear the hum on 3 of the 4 tires, the two on the curb side and the rear of the other side, and nothing or very slight on the one on the front tire of the other side. The blades and the slots on the plug and the truck are all clean and clear...I also pulled the break away switch and didn't hear any pulsing at the tires. hoping to get a bit of time tomorrow or friday to start pulling tires and visually inspecting the brakes...on vacation so tinker time is hard to come by when it's meant to be family time. any other thoughts and leads would be appreciated...thank you to the two that have posted so far...helpful info so far. i like the idea of the rewired brakes
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Jul 10, 2013
    Check to make sure you still have brake lights on both the trailer and the truck.
  • spike99's avatar
    spike99
    Explorer
    Jul 09, 2013
    Good troubleshooting flowcharts within - click here -

    If it were my RV/TT, I'd simply:
    - remove each wheel hub and fully inspect its brakes. And, replace worn out parts (like drums, magnets, pads).
    - Remove its factory brake wiring and install much better "outside the axle" STAR wiring (using thick 10 gauge wire). re: - click here -
    - If one uses a Time Base brake controller, remove it, trash it and replace with Prodigy P2 or P3 controller.
    - I don't trust factory inside Tow Vehicle wiring. IMO, their wiring is too thin. I install my own thicker 10 gauge wiring under the Tow Vehicle and install live + wiring as well.

    For lots of other great reading / learning, surf: - click here -

    Hope this helps.

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