Factory Brake Controler Failing Multiple times
09-18-2017, 11:12 AM
#81
New RV brake adjustment was the problem/solution
So this is a pretty old thread - but since Qik Slvr revived it I thought I would take the time to report on the results.
If you re-read the thread you'll find owners having concerns about if their trailer break controllers were working.
Turns out - mine was working fine - the problem was the 5th wheel - and the WHY might help some other people, no matter what your brand RV. By the way - this ONLY applies to new RV's.
The reason this is a common problem across brands of RV is that almost all RV's on the road use the same brands of axles and brake assemblies.
Today's RV brakes are self adjusting. And unlike older brakes, they auto adjust when doing a forward stop as well as a backward stop.
BECAUSE the brakes are self adjusting, it seems NOBODY manually adjusts them. Not the manufacturer of the axle assemblies, not the RV Manufacturer who installs them and too often, not the dealer who does the prep.
Most electric brakes come out of the factory WAY out of adjustment. Fine - you think, they will auto adjust. Yea, they do but it takes a LONG time. Today's auto adjusting brakes adjust in VERY SMALL INCREMENTS with each stop.
With my new RV - the brakes were WAY out. In fact, they weren't grabbing at all, no matter the controller setting. Over the next 5,000 to 10,000 miles they started getting better. At about 15,000 miles, I had to start dialing back the controller every trip. I went from 10 to 9 to 8 to my current setting of 7.5 which seems to be settled in.
Had the electric brakes been manually adjusted during dealer checkout and prep I would have never had a problem. In discussing this at the Jayco forum, LOTS of others have discovered the same issue was their problem. Beware new RV owners.
If you re-read the thread you'll find owners having concerns about if their trailer break controllers were working.
Turns out - mine was working fine - the problem was the 5th wheel - and the WHY might help some other people, no matter what your brand RV. By the way - this ONLY applies to new RV's.
The reason this is a common problem across brands of RV is that almost all RV's on the road use the same brands of axles and brake assemblies.
Today's RV brakes are self adjusting. And unlike older brakes, they auto adjust when doing a forward stop as well as a backward stop.
BECAUSE the brakes are self adjusting, it seems NOBODY manually adjusts them. Not the manufacturer of the axle assemblies, not the RV Manufacturer who installs them and too often, not the dealer who does the prep.
Most electric brakes come out of the factory WAY out of adjustment. Fine - you think, they will auto adjust. Yea, they do but it takes a LONG time. Today's auto adjusting brakes adjust in VERY SMALL INCREMENTS with each stop.
With my new RV - the brakes were WAY out. In fact, they weren't grabbing at all, no matter the controller setting. Over the next 5,000 to 10,000 miles they started getting better. At about 15,000 miles, I had to start dialing back the controller every trip. I went from 10 to 9 to 8 to my current setting of 7.5 which seems to be settled in.
Had the electric brakes been manually adjusted during dealer checkout and prep I would have never had a problem. In discussing this at the Jayco forum, LOTS of others have discovered the same issue was their problem. Beware new RV owners.
09-18-2017, 12:03 PM
#82
Thats some good info. So far I have found 7.5-8.0 to be the setting for my trailer with both the 2014 and the 2016, so there is consistency for the TBC.
09-28-2017, 11:05 AM
#83
OK, found out that Ford has now seven redesigns on the Brake Controller. The newest rendition, I am told, is:
update:
The previous part number I gave is for the brake controller kit - mount, etc. The newest "only controller" part number contains:
2C006CB
There are prefix numbers and perhaps ending numbers in the full part number but the primary part number identifier is as given.
update:
The previous part number I gave is for the brake controller kit - mount, etc. The newest "only controller" part number contains:
2C006CB
There are prefix numbers and perhaps ending numbers in the full part number but the primary part number identifier is as given.
Last edited by rodsterinfl; 10-13-2017 at 12:38 AM.
12-25-2017, 07:19 PM
#84
Senior Member
Hey. Sorry to revive an older thread, but I'm about to buy a trailer and make a halfway across the country move in a couple of trips. How can I tell if I'm buying the updated version? And is there any benefit to having the dealer install it vs doing it myself and using Forscan? Would they warranty if it if it failed? Would other dealerships since it didn't come with it? I'm not going to drive highway across the country to have it fixed if there is a problem.