Brake problem

[Shearwater]

Getting ready to hit the road and I decided to check the brakes on our 2021 5.0 TA to see if they were working. With one side, the the other, I used the manual brake slider on our 2018 F150. I got three of four wheels to lock immediately but nothing on the fourth.

I pulled the wheel and inspected, everything looked good. Then I tested the wiring at the drum with a 12v light tester. Nothing on either wire, so I know I'm not getting power at the hub but I couldn't see any sign of damage to the wiring. It's entirely possible that I've never had braking at the right rear.

Any suggestions for next steps?

 

[GinoandLinda]

You’re going to have to trace those wires from the hub to the connectors where ETI spliced them in. My guess is you have a bad connection there.

 

[Shearwater]

You’re going to have to trace those wires from the hub to the connectors where ETI spliced them in. My guess is you have a bad connection there.

Thanks, makes sense. Does anyone know where ETI makes the spice to the four brake leads?

 

[Ron in BC]

IIRC, the wires from the PS run along the axle to the DS and join there next to the frame.

When you were checking for current did you pull the break away plug or how did you energize the wires?

In the past the most common problem with one brake not working has been a broken brake ground.

Good luck tracking it down.

Ron

 

[Shearwater]

IIRC, the wires from the PS run along the axle to the DS and join there next to the frame.

When you were checking for current did you pull the break away plug or how did you energize the wires?

In the past the most common problem with one brake not working has been a broken brake ground.

Good luck tracking it down.

Ron

Thanks. I had a friend helping so we used the manual slider on the brake controller in the truck. Didn't occur to me to use the breakaway. Any idea how they make the splices? I store the camper about 10 miles from our home, I want to bring the right replacement connectors if needed.

 

[brroberts]

Typically they are just crimp connectors.

 

[Ron in BC]

Any idea how they make the splices?

Don't get me started. Nothing wrong with a splice connector but if the wire isn't supported then it can break or start to break.

Also, the grounds from each axle are sheet metal screwed to the frame. I don't like that because corrosion can set in and reduce the conductivity of the ground connection. I added a buss wire that picks up the grounds and goes directly to the trailer ground.

Ron

 

[JohnK-ESC]

Having looked at brake ground wiring on various trailers, I've concluded that there is no brake ground wiring method standard throughout the entire fleet. Whether this is a Dexter or an Escape problem would be interesting to know.

Our friends' 2022 21C brakes are wired to a single stable central grounding point so as not to induce wire tearing. The brakes on our March 2020 21C on the other hand were each grounded individually to the trailer frame with each individual ground wire suspending a portion of the weight of its own wire run and sheathing. While traveling, those wires cycling back and forth inevitably tore at the frame connector. Through the use of longer wire leads and wire routing designed to minimize wire cycling, I have successfully reduced that bending back and forth as well as each ground wire having to suspend the weight of its own wire run, but mine does not feel to me like a better, more permanent fix such as what Ron's buss wire might provide.

 

[GinoandLinda]

Guess I need to crawl under mine to see how it’s wired just so I know. I had both axles replaced a little over a year ago. The welding shop that did the work specializes in axles and frames and is reputable. Plus everything has worked great so I’ve had no reason to think otherwise.

 

[Shearwater]

That was the problem! I did a quick fix but when I have some time, I get underneath and inspect all of the splices. Side note - that high lift option on the 5.0 sure makes under trailer maintanance a lot easier.

 

[GinoandLinda]

Nice! Glad you found it.

 

[Ron in BC]

Always nice when the solution is easy to find without a major effort.

Your factory splices are more upscale than my old E19 ones that didn't even have any heat shrink on them. For any repairs of this type I like to solder and then heat shrink.

Ron

 

[Thrak]

Always nice when the solution is easy to find without a major effort.

Your factory splices are more upscale than my old E19 ones that didn't even have any heat shrink on them. For any repairs of this type I like to solder and then heat shrink.

Ron

The hard part is remembering to slide the heat shrink on the wire before making the solder connection.

 

[Ron in BC]

The hard part is remembering to slide the heat shrink on the wire before making the solder connection.

Wouldn't know about that.

Ron