SOLVED: Brake issues

Hello Everyone

Last summer on our last trip the [FONT=&quot] Breakaway Switch plug got pulled out and I did not relize it for about 10 miles the brakes got hot enough for me to smell them put the plug back in got it home and didn't mess with till now. Looking things over the [/FONT][FONT=&quot] Breakaway Switch got hot and melted replaced that but still NO trailer brakes the factory said I may have blown a fuse in the trailer brake system any idea where it is located on a 2011 GREYSTONE?[/FONT]

Re: Brake issues

Lol no breaker!
I was thinking of the hydraulic pump breaker.
Oh well

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Re: Brake issues

I'm not so sure there is a fuse in the breakaway system.
If your rig came off your truck and the breakaway activated, a blown fuse would make the emergency system useless.
You need to replace the breakaway switch and check the magnets and shoes for wear.
If your brake shoes are still good they probably were not working properly to begin with.

Peace
Dave

Re: Brake issues

I agree with Cookie - I doubt there's a fuse involved. But you might check in the area of the breakaway switch to see if any other wiring suffered heat damage. Also, if while towing, the brakes got hot enough to smell from the truck, the magnets may have been damaged. Mechanical components can also suffer heat damage. AND, the heat might have damaged your wheel bearings.

Re: Brake issues

All comments regarding your issue are bang on..I would pull a wheel and hub and do a thorough inspection.With the switch pulled for that length of time, it’s a very good chance you burned the brake pads down to the point that they will not engage against the brake drum..
As Dan mentions,,check your wheel bearings.
They no doubt got very hot and if they show signs of being black in color, you need to replace them.

Re: Brake issues

Try using a DVM to measure the plus and minus connections on you 7 pin connection to see if there is any resistance measured at all on the brake pins. The magnets should be like 3.2 ohms. If you cooked them bad enough they will go to an open, and obviously you wont measure anything at that point. Or if you cant measure any resistance, again maybe you fried a wire and the whole system is an open.

Having the brake switch on, dumps all available current into the brakes. Those wired connections arent really that robust. The mechanical friction just adds to the heat.

Re: Brake issues

All of the advice given in my opinion is completely accurate.
However, I do know of at least one local shop that puts a fuse inline to protect the hot wire from a dead short or abrasion that could start a fire. I would suspect a much larger fuse than would be necessary to carry the normal load. It wouldn’t be there to protect the circuit but to stop a fire from burning the entire rig or trailer down. If the fuse blows prematurely, something was wrong with the circuit anyhow.
Furthermore, most low end trailers, other than rv’s, that have a breakaway switch are sold new with very small batteries that are not hooked up to a charging system. Hence, the battery is dead after a short while and most never replace the battery or charge it. Example, I have a horse trailer that is 12 years old that has a battery in the saddle compartment that i only found a year ago.
Of course our rv’s have a fully charged battery to help that breakaway situation. But, if my 9 to 10 ton rv comes unhooked driving 70 mph, I may just keep on driving like it never happened.

Re: Brake issues

One update regarding fuses. You will probably have an auto-resetting circuit breaker near the battery that's in place to interrupt power in the event of a dead short. Based on posts to this forum, I think the breakaway switch is the weaker link and fails first when pulling too much current for an extended period.

Re: Brake issues

danemayer said:

One update regarding fuses. You will probably have an auto-resetting circuit breaker near the battery that's in place to interrupt power in the event of a dead short. Based on posts to this forum, I think the breakaway switch is the weaker link and fails first when pulling too much current for an extended period.

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That’s correct and that’s why you see the switches melted when activated a lot of the times. They shouldn’t stay on that long and when they melt it should cut the circuit and release the brakes. I do believe that the problem in this case is not burned brakes but something much simpler. He should keep looking but perhaps pull one drum to be sure.

Re: Brake issues

Thank You Everyone for the input I have replaced the breakaway and now put the plug for the 5th wheel in the bed of the truck hooked it up and the brakes will now lock up if I have it turned up to 10 so now I was able to back them off on the truck and we have breaks, I will be pulling off the drums to inspect everything sometime this week.

Thanks again
Jeff