Trailer brakes not releasing smoothly

[Sarah Henderson]

Hi all --

We are the new owners of a 2018 17A we have named Phoebe. We picked her up today and towed her home -- our first time towing in our 2014 Frontier 4X.

To get ready for Phoebe we had a Curt Discovery brake controller installed. At the beginning of the trip we found a parking lot and got the controller set so that braking was smooth.

When we got onto the road, we found the truck and trailer braked smoothly, but when the brakes were released if not at a complete stop, it felt quite jerky. I couldn't tell what was happening, but it seemed like trailer brakes were releasing after the truck brakes.

Any ideas about what might be happening would be appreciated. Maybe this is normal, I am not experienced with towing anything other a small utility trailer with no brakes.

Thanks,

Sarah

[rubicon327]

Sarah: The Curt Discovery is a time-delayed brake controller.
http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brak...RT/C51120.html
These are harder to adjust for smooth braking because the same power is sent to your brakes regardless of how hard you press the tow vehicle brakes. You may be able to play with the power and sync settings to make it better but it will not be perfect under all braking conditions. I highly recommend a proportional brake controller like the Tekonsha Prodigy. They cost much more but for a reason. I think you’ll find most owners have proportional and enjoy smoother braking. Etrailer explains the advantages:

“With a proportional brake controller, you can get heavy-duty emergency braking, general braking or slow-to-an-idle braking for your trailer automatically. The intensity with which your trailer brakes are activated and the rate at which they are applied are dependent on the deceleration of your tow vehicle. This means that, unlike time-delay controllers - which send the same amount of preset power to your trailer brakes every time - proportional controllers are able to adapt to every braking situation differently. So, if you slam on the brakes in your truck, your trailer brakes will activate with that same extreme intensity. And if you merely slow down as you approach a red light, your trailer will gradually brake in the same manner.”

[brroberts]

I second the Prodigy P3. I’ve had the P2, P3, and Redarc. Currently one truck has a P3 and the other has the Redarc. Hands down, the P3 is consistently the smoothest controller I’ve used.

[Sarah Henderson]

Very helpful, as always -- thank you!

[Ian G]

Brake friction will increase as the brake temperature increases (up to a certain point). If you set-up your controller when the brakes are cold this can result in higher brake application as they warm up. Try just reducing the controller braking level a bit,
Also if the inner bearing seal is leaking or the wheel bearings have been over-greased, contamination on the brake shoes can cause the brakes to grab.

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by Ian G

Brake friction will increase as the brake temperature increases (up to a certain point). If you set-up your controller when the brakes are cold this can result in higher brake application as they warm up. Try just reducing the controller braking level a bit,
Also if the inner bearing seal is leaking or the wheel bearings have been over-greased, contamination on the brake shoes can cause the brakes to grab.

In our experience, the P3 Tekonsha controller has been excellent. However, we had an issue with wiring to the electric brakes. The brakes on our 21 NE began to grab within a few miles of home on our return journey from OR to MN, several weeks after picking up our trailer in Eugene. One of the crimps was inadequate and the end of a cable came loose from the butt connector. I did the remedial work. I am not alone in reporting a failure in the wiring to the brakes. It's happened to others in the recent and distant past. Please see photos.

[Ian G]

Originally Posted by DGLP

In our experience, the P3 Tekonsha controller has been excellent. However, we had an issue with wiring to the electric brakes. The brakes on our 21 NE began to grab within a few miles of home on our return journey from OR to MN, several weeks after picking up our trailer in Eugene. One of the crimps was inadequate and the end of a cable came loose from the butt connector. I did the remedial work. I am not alone in reporting a failure in the wiring to the brakes. It's happened to others in the recent and distant past. Please see photos.

I agree the P3 controller is excellent. When the brake circuit has an open, like a disconnected or broken wire shown in your picture, the brake will not function at all.

[pkgman51]

I had a similar problem towing with a Chevy Tahoe. I noticed the trailer brakes felt like they were still engaged when pulling away from a stop. Turns out, they were. The problem was with the vehicle brake pedal electronic sensor mechanism. It seems releasing the brake, taking my foot off the brake, didn't release the pedal far enough to disengage an electronic sensor that told the vehicle the pedal was being pressed. So, the trailer would drag for a second or two when pulling away from a stop because the sensor didn't tell the brake controller the brake was no longer engaged. A trip to the Chevy dealer near Key West, FL resolved the issue.

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by Ian G

I agree the P3 controller is excellent. When the brake circuit has an open, like a disconnected or broken wire shown in your picture, the brake will not function at all.

The unequal braking pressure between the left and right sides resulted in a sensation that the brakes were grabbing or pulling. The sensation was particularly noticeable when braking and then pulling out of a parking lot at a grocery store where we'd stopped. It felt like both sides weren't engaging or disengaging evenly. Disconcerting at any rate.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by DGLP

However, we had an issue with wiring to the electric brakes. The brakes on our 21 NE began to grab within a few miles of home on our return journey from OR to MN, several weeks after picking up our trailer in Eugene. One of the crimps was inadequate and the end of a cable came loose from the butt connector. I did the remedial work. I am not alone in reporting a failure in the wiring to the brakes. It's happened to others in the recent and distant past. Please see photos.

Connections under the trailer like those should have heat shrink to make them more secure and prevent moisture issues. Escape should really be doing that from the factory. I have used these on boat and RV projects:
http://www.amazon.com/TICONN-Connect.../dp/B07HCPFPD2
http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-wa...gun-56434.html

[cpaharley2008]

I always thought it was a good idea to drive on some loose gravel roads occasionally to test out the braking, a visual result on/in the gravel would help determine if one side is pulling more than the other.

[Sarah Henderson]

I took Phoebe out with a more knowledgeable friend yesterday, and we adjusted the Curt Discovery controller to get a smoother brake release. I have to do more driving with the new settings, but it was definitely better than the tow home. I'll give it some more time before considering an upgraded controller. When things get a bit drier here, I will crawl under to see what I can see. What is that red thing in your pictures, @DGLG?

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Connections under the trailer like those should have heat shrink to make them more secure and prevent moisture issues. Escape should really be doing that from the factory. I have used these on boat and RV projects:
http://www.amazon.com/TICONN-Connect.../dp/B07HCPFPD2
http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-wa...gun-56434.html

Agreed! Those heat shrink connectors work very well and the HF heat gun is compact. I had a heat gun but had to purchase additional cable, a crimper, and the connectors. ETI did not crimp their connectors adequately. Even though they used heat shrink connectors, they did not apply heat to shrink them. The photos show the connectors they supplied, the poor crimps they made (very shallow indents), the crimped heat-shrink connectors I used after I crimped them but before I applied heat, and the crimper I used. The negative and positive cables to the brakes were of unequal length. I had to dig the one end of the negative cable out of its loom and splice it to a length of cable to make + and - cables equal in length. I also had to modify the looms and added more zip ties to connect/close up the looms as they were sliding apart/opening up.

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by DGLP

Agreed! Those heat shrink connectors work very well and the HF heat gun is compact. I had a heat gun but had to purchase additional cable, a crimper, and the connectors. ETI did not crimp their connectors adequately. Even though they used heat shrink connectors, they did not apply heat to shrink them. The photos show the connectors they supplied, the poor crimps they made (very shallow indents), the crimped heat-shrink connectors I used after I crimped them but before I applied heat, and the crimper I used. The negative and positive cables to the brakes were of unequal length. I had to dig the one end of the negative cable out of its loom and splice it to a length of cable to make + and - cables equal in length. I also had to modify the looms and added more zip ties to connect/close up the looms as they were sliding apart/opening up.

Note the space in the connector they had crimped. The reason for the failure.

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by Sarah Henderson

I took Phoebe out with a more knowledgeable friend yesterday, and we adjusted the Curt Discovery controller to get a smoother brake release. I have to do more driving with the new settings, but it was definitely better than the tow home. I'll give it some more time before considering an upgraded controller. When things get a bit drier here, I will crawl under to see what I can see. What is that red thing in your pictures, @DGLG?

Good to hear it's working more smoothly. The red thing is a bottle jack, Sarah. I jacked up the trailer, added a stand and removed one wheel/tire to gain access to the wiring. Avoid placing the jack under the axle.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...8236_200788236

Cheers,
Darrell

[David H]

There are also differences in braking force as the temperature of the electromagnet coil increases due to a change in wire resistance. Brake coils are cooler when you start a trip but heat up with continued brake application. The hotter they get there is an increase in brake force.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by DGLP

Agreed! Those heat shrink connectors work very well and the HF heat gun is compact. I had a heat gun but had to purchase additional cable, a crimper, and the connectors. ETI did not crimp their connectors adequately. Even though they used heat shrink connectors, they did not apply heat to shrink them. The photos show the connectors they supplied, the poor crimps they made (very shallow indents), the crimped heat-shrink connectors I used after I crimped them but before I applied heat, and the crimper I used. The negative and positive cables to the brakes were of unequal length. I had to dig the one end of the negative cable out of its loom and splice it to a length of cable to make + and - cables equal in length. I also had to modify the looms and added more zip ties to connect/close up the looms as they were sliding apart/opening up.

Please let ETI know if you haven’t already. They could very easily improve how they are wiring the brakes. Might help future owners avoid issues!

[Mike G]

Adding heat shrink tubing "after the fact" isn't very convenient, so I coated all my connections with Gardner Bender "liquid electrical tape". It got rid of the fault message on my Prodigy P3.

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by Mike G

Adding heat shrink tubing "after the fact" isn't very convenient, so I coated all my connections with Gardner Bender "liquid electrical tape". It got rid of the fault message on my Prodigy P3.

It's good - found out about it by Iowa Dave post. I used heat shrink and later bought red liquid tape (no black available then at local HD) to cover one connection after using electrical tape to cover the other connection. See photo for comparison of liquid and electrical tape over shrink-wrap butt end connectors. I used both new connectors with shrink and tape for that one brake. On the other electric brake connections, I checked the crimps and applied heat to shrink the wrap where Escape missed it, then covered with liquid tape - I now have black and red liquid tape.

I've also used Tesa's harness tape in the interior.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'd like to try Alex Tech loom - split sleeving - in the interior. It looks like it would be more flexible and easier to open than the black polyethylene tubing, but may not be as protective? Tape may be needed on the ends to prevent fraying. Any opinions? See photos.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FW3GTXB...NrPXRydWU&th=1

Has anyone used the solder seal connectors with shrink wrap and solder?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P7MLXJW...t_details&th=1

Again, the forum has been invaluable in gleaning lots of tips. Thanks to all and happy new year.

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Please let ETI know if you haven’t already. They could very easily improve how they are wiring the brakes. Might help future owners avoid issues!

Sure thing. I've let them know. Improved QC at their end would be appreciated by many.