Help! Caravan Brakes
Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 04, 2015 at 20:53
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130791
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Member - Sn00py2 (NSW)
Hi everyone,
We have just picked up our new caravan and the brakes are very poor. The dealership said that the brakes need to be bedded in and to do this by driving for a few k's and apply the caravan brakes manually every few 100 meters. Is this correct?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Sn00py2
Reply By: Member - Bigred13 - Wednesday, Nov 04, 2015 at 21:21
Wednesday, Nov 04, 2015 at 21:21
Hi Snoopy2, Brakes will take a while to bed in ,and doing what they suggest is one way of doing that .Because when the drums are made they are very smooth and the linings are the same ,so some Km's are needed to bed in properly ,once they get roughed up a bit they work better .The other thing to
check is your brake controller settings ,I have a Tekonsha Prodigy and they have settings for light trailers medium trailers and heavy trailers ,you could try adjusting the voltage up for a few kms ,that will give you more braking power .It should not take many applications to get them right ,maybe do it where there is little or no traffic eh??
Happy travels
John
AnswerID:
592348
Follow Up By: Member - Sn00py2 (NSW) - Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 09:56
Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 09:56
Hi
John,
Thanks for this. I thought they were pulling my leg. I also read somewhere where you can rough up the brake shoes and drum with some fine sandpaper.
I'll give holding the controller on while driving (on and off that is) and see how that goes first.
Regards,
Sn00py2
FollowupID:
860537
Reply By: B1B2 - Wednesday, Nov 04, 2015 at 22:50
Wednesday, Nov 04, 2015 at 22:50
Snoopy,
Which brake controller do you have? I think it needs adjusting. My Tekonsha has the 3 settings B1 B2 B3, This boosts the starting current to the brakes. When you plug in the van 'C' should appear on the controller. Press the button to change it through B1 to B2 and try it. There is a quick start manual for this and I keep a copy in the car.
I don't believe the bedding in story, but it will improve the stopping in time.
Don't forget to practice using the manual override to apply the brakes to the van only, which you may want to use if the van gets a sway up, usually can happen when a semi passes you.
Good Luck,
AnswerID:
592352
Follow Up By: Member - Sn00py2 (NSW) - Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 09:59
Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 09:59
Hi B1B2,
I have the same controller as you. I have it set at the B3 setting with the adjusting wheel fully would up.
I'll try as they suggest and see how that goes.
Good point on using the manual override to stop sway induced by semi's. I also have ESC on the Van so hopefully that will help also.
Thanks for your reply,
Sn00py2
FollowupID:
860539
Follow Up By: B1B2 - Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 10:15
Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 10:15
Snoopy,
B3 should knock your socks off.
I would now be looking at the adjustment on the drum.
If you jack it up and
check the hand brake as
well. See how far you need to pull the handbrake on before you can't turn it.
A matter of eliminating potential problems.
I couldn't drive
mine on B3 for long it is SO aggressive.
Do you notice a difference between the 3 settings? If not I would be looking at (or eliminating) a wiring problem.
Good Luck
FollowupID:
860542
Follow Up By: Member - Sn00py2 (NSW) - Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 14:57
Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 14:57
Hi B1B2,
On the old van I used to use B1 setting and it would hold the van and car on a slope. Lock the Van wheels on grass. With the new van I get nothing on B1, only just noticeable on B2 and B3 is a little better but not much.
I got the dealer to adjust the brakes. He jacked up each side, tightened until the wheels locked then backed off 8 clicks. He says that this is the correct number to back off. I will try as they suggested first, drive and brake every few 100 meters to see if that makes a difference. If that does not improve the braking, I will move to
Plan B, take the wheels/drums off and give the shoes/drums a light sand and try again. Plan C is to adjust the brakes myself.
I always thought the correct way to adjust drum brakes was to (1) jack up the wheel, (2) turn the adjuster until the wheel won't turn and than (3) back off until the wheel is free again.
I'll let you know the result. Let's hope the weather is fine for the weekend so I can make the adjustments without getting wet.
Cheers,
Sn00py2
FollowupID:
860555
Follow Up By: TomH - Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 16:46
Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 16:46
According to the Tekonsha instructions B2 is for Vans approx same size as tug and B3 is for vans 40% heavier than tug
Im with B1B2 with this and look at the wiring or somewhere other than the controller.
I had
mine set on B1 on 2 different vans and the controller adjustment on 6.5 and it would smoke the tyres on dry tarseal in a panic stop.
B3 would have ripped the wheels off it I had my adjusters a little closer than 8 clicks.
The way the brakes work they need a certain amount of free play to allow the magnets to move and pull the shoes onto the drums. The boost is actually only a way of starting off at a higher voltage and thus applying the brake harder sooner
FollowupID:
860558
Follow Up By: Member - Sn00py2 (NSW) - Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 18:08
Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 18:08
Thanks TomH,
I'll see how I go first with bedding in the brakes. The controller worked fine on the old van and it is only the van that has changed.
Cheers,
Sn00py2
FollowupID:
860563
Reply By: swampy - Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 15:47
Thursday, Nov 05, 2015 at 15:47
hi
Emery tape /sanding the linnings and drum surface /disc,pads . All this is done during service .
Reduces brake grab ,can prevent cure squeal ,encourages progressive smooth application .
Together with this wash the linnings afterwards ,removes dust/
debris etc
On a small vehicle braking system eg vehicle /van wind the adjusters up till u have moderated linning drag. The back off system is better for trucks and used by apprentices . 8 clicks would be borderering on out of adjustment .
In some cases the bonding of the the linning is off [not the same size as the drum ]
To rectify this there is whats called a radius grinder which matches the linning the drum perfectly
If the van is new this rules out wear and tare
Have van and vehicle wiring checked
swampy
AnswerID:
592370