Brake Headache

[myaqua225]

I have a problem with my surge brakes. I had the whole system rebuilt when I got the trailor after it had sat in the weeds for ten years. New master cylinder, pads etc. Problem was and still is they heat up and lock. I was pulling home and couldn't go. I stop and find the bearing grease boiling out of the grease caps. I ended up just draining out the fluid and going home with no brakes. I had just had the sytem reflushed  too. I don't know what else to do except leave the fluid out of the system and run without them and I don't really want to do that. Any suggestions?

[flounderpounder225]

Ok, here is one possible answer.  If the trailer had drum brakes originally, and at some point they were switched to disc?? The master cylinder is different for each type of brake.  For drum brakes, there is a small rubber one way check valve inside the output port of the MC, where the line connects.  Drum brakes are designed for the shoes to stay just off the drum surface so a slight bit of movement engages the shoes against the drum.

Discs are different, they are designed to float, in order to do this, there is NO check valve, fluid pushes the caliper piston, and when the pressure is removed, the fluid moves backwards towards the master Cyl resevoir.  The easiest way to remedy this is take the coupler apart, remove the master cylinder (after disconnecting the line) and shove an icepic up into the outlet, puncturing the rubber check valve, or if you want, you can disassemble the master cylinder piston, and the rubber check valve will fall out, or pick it out with a scribe.

Lastly, if you don't want to go through all that, buy a new Disc Brake actuator (master Cylinder) Your problem is occuring because the fluid is not able to mover away from the caliper piston, thereby keeping pressure on the pads...  

AND that's why, I threw all that &%$^ in the garbage.  But I realize that may not be an option in all circumstances...

Marc

[fitz73222]

Here is my guess... If you have rubber flex lines connecting to the calipers from the main steel brake lines, chances are the ID of the flex line is degraded and a piece of rubber line is flapping inside; blocking the return of the brake fluid and locking up the brakes. This problem is more common than you think on trailers and automobiles. It happened to me!

[John Jones]

Something is restricting the caliper piston from retracting like the guys said above OR the slides on the caliper bolts are stuck preventing the caliper from floating.

[GoneFission]

You didn't say, but are your brakes discs or drums?  

 

[John Jones]

He said "pads" so we assumed...  ;)

[Circle Hooked]

When they locked up did you try backing up the trailer,alot of times that will work,i had the same problem,the culprit was the actuator,even if it's all new things still break or maybe you just got a bad one from the start.

[pete]

when you get a new master cylinder specify one for disc brakes,they are even a little cheaper then the one for drums

[myaqua225]

@ flounderpounder, I might as well have thrown it all in the garbage, with no fluid in the system it is on there just for show. Since there's not much in the way of hills around here I don't have any trouble stopping so I may just leave it this way for now.
 Maybe I'll get inspired and replace all my brake lines and put in yet another master cylinder. This one is supposed to be new, done by a trailer place in Hudson, but I am not that confident. I paid $700 to have the calipers rebuilt, new master cylinder and they didn't replace the pads.Granted they weren't worn but they had been sitting in the weeds for 7-8 years. Soon after I got the trailer back I first started having this "sticking problem" I took it back to them and they said they were trying to save me money, the pads had plenty left on them. They agreed to order pads and told me to go ahead and use the trailer until they came in. I went home and , still sticking, decided to just take the calipers off. I took off the first one and the pad had broken into pieces and was all jammed up in there. So I took all four calipers off and clamped them to the axle until I got the pads replaced. I was not a happy customer at the trailer place, third time back. Next trip, with new pads, they stuck again when I had the boat off the trailer. Dragged a hole in one of my tires getting back to the boat ramp( I had given my father in law a ride home). Loaded up the boat and headed for home after taking the wheel off and going to get a new tire on it. Started out OK wheels turned with the weight of the boat on there, but in about ten miles I could go no faster than 30 with the gas pedal on the floor. I pulled off and the grease was boiling out of the axles and the rubber boots were melting. I drained the sytem there on the side of the road(into a container not the environment). Steam came out of the calipers when I first loosened the plug. I know they flushed the system because I watched them(like a hawk unhappy as I was). Since then I have been towing w/out brakes or problems but...  and i don't want to go back to those numbnuts again, they won't be happy to see me either.

 So that's the whole long sad story of my brake headache, I haven't had any trouble stopping the last few trips but before I go again I want to be legal, or at least safe.
 Thanks for all the replies, I will try each and every suggestion when I get that inspiration  to fix it again but today I'm putting a new fresh water pump in and going to try out my new instrument panel when the fog lifts

[GoneFission]

@ flounderpounder, I might as well have thrown it all in the garbage, with no fluid in the system it is on there just for show. Since there's not much in the way of hills around here I don't have any trouble stopping so I may just leave it this way for now.
 

Hills?  Stopping in a hurry from 65-70 ain't easy on a level surface...    

[seabob4]

@ flounderpounder, I might as well have thrown it all in the garbage, with no fluid in the system it is on there just for show. Since there's not much in the way of hills around here I don't have any trouble stopping so I may just leave it this way for now.
 Maybe I'll get inspired and replace all my brake lines and put in yet another master cylinder. This one is supposed to be new, done by a trailer place in Hudson, but I am not that confident. I paid $700 to have the calipers rebuilt, new master cylinder and they didn't replace the pads.Granted they weren't worn but they had been sitting in the weeds for 7-8 years. Soon after I got the trailer back I first started having this "sticking problem" I took it back to them and they said they were trying to save me money, the pads had plenty left on them. They agreed to order pads and told me to go ahead and use the trailer until they came in. I went home and , still sticking, decided to just take the calipers off. I took off the first one and the pad had broken into pieces and was all jammed up in there. So I took all four calipers off and clamped them to the axle until I got the pads replaced. I was not a happy customer at the trailer place, third time back. Next trip, with new pads, they stuck again when I had the boat off the trailer. Dragged a hole in one of my tires getting back to the boat ramp( I had given my father in law a ride home). Loaded up the boat and headed for home after taking the wheel off and going to get a new tire on it. Started out OK wheels turned with the weight of the boat on there, but in about ten miles I could go no faster than 30 with the gas pedal on the floor. I pulled off and the grease was boiling out of the axles and the rubber boots were melting. I drained the sytem there on the side of the road(into a container not the environment). Steam came out of the calipers when I first loosened the plug. I know they flushed the system because I watched them(like a hawk unhappy as I was). Since then I have been towing w/out brakes or problems but...  and i don't want to go back to those numbnuts again, they won't be happy to see me either.

 So that's the whole long sad story of my brake headache, I haven't had any trouble stopping the last few trips but before I go again I want to be legal, or at least safe.
 Thanks for all the replies, I will try each and every suggestion when I get that inspiration  to fix it again but today I'm putting a new fresh water pump in and going to try out my new instrument panel when the fog lifts

Mike,
Are you talking about R & R on 19?  If so, that's the second issue I've heard with them...

[TheKid]

There are many possible causes for brake drag. A lot of them already listed.

I had a problem once towing a brand new boat and trailer home on the highway. A fellow motorist let me know the trailer was smoking. After bringing back to the shop and fixing it a few times I finally discovered it was the height of my hitch causing the problem. If the surge actuator is not level it is more likely to bind.

I swapped hitches out and presto, no more rolling frying pans.

Just a thought. Hope you get it worked out. I know, it's frustrating