Brake manual?

Hey, I'm looking for a brake manual to help trouble shoot the brakes on my 2001 24TD. Can anyone direct me to it?
I searched the forum but I guess I'm still to new to using a forum.

Currently my brake box in my truck says 0.0 or ER when I press the brake. And nothing happens when I press the test button on the box other than the numbers show what it's set at.

But brakes do not engage.

I'm no good at electric diagnostics but if someone wants to explain in detail how to use a tester I may be able to find one of mine.

As with all electrical troubleshooting at the power source and work your way to the other end. First, check the output at the socket for voltage to the brake terminal, then move back to the terminal strip on the trailer tongue, after that the brake wire goes straight to the wires on the axles. You may very well find a broken wire or bad connection back there. A multimeter or a test light both are good tools. I have a tester that plugs into the tow vehicle that tests all the output circuits.

Youtube has a lot about brake troubleshooting.

When Rich mentioned a "tester", he was talking about something like this, shown in a utube from etrailer: I have one of these also. It's a VERY simple way to find out if things are good at the Tow Vehicle end. A common problem is that the trailer battery charging fuse in the TV will blow. This device will tell you if that has happened. You can order this tester from etrailer or other sources, such as Amazon ($8.92 right now).

Then, if your TV output is good, it's fairly simple to check the trailer, because you just have to follow the brake wiring from the plug back to the trailer brakes. You will be looking for breaks in this circuit, especially where it is attached to connectors. My brake wires were connected to the feed line (near the axle) with wire nuts, which I don't think is the best way to make connections that are subject to environmental abuse. I replaced those connectors with ones that were weatherproof.

You should see a ground wire from the brakes too, probably white in color. Make sure it is connected securely at both ends.

- Jack

If a wire coming from one drum is broke before connecting to the wire on the axle could that be causing a issue? I suspect one is broke inside the coating since the coating is stretched. However it is at the drum to close to be spliced I suspect and may require replacing wire inside the drum. I am assuming because the wire at the axle is still connected it would pass by and other 3 brakes should still work at least.

Without seeing what wire you are talking about, I can't say. Again, you need to do as Rich suggested: Start at the TV plug - is it sending brake current back to the trailer? If so, the fault is in the trailer wiring.

- Jack

Carter - trailer brake wiring is very simple. Too simple in my opinion (I’m not a fan of floating grounds and all the exposed wiring on trailers, they get too much abuse).

Anyway...as with anything electrical, it takes two wires to complete a circuit. One wire is the ground (usually white on trailers) and one wire is power (for trailer brakes it should be blue).

It’s not unusual for there to be a single blue wire from the 7-pin back to one side of the axle, and then to have it jumped across to the other wheel.

As Guru Jack said, start with verifying your TV 7-pin with a tester. If that’s good, then you know the problem is in the trailer (most likely, in my opinion).

Etrailer.com has great diagrams for trailer wiring. Again, just remember that a complete circuit requires a 12v+ wire, and a wire going to ground (by being screwed to a metal part of the frame). DC wiring is pretty straightforward - if something doesn’t work it’s (usually) either because it’s not getting voltage, or the ground is broken. (Now *why* it’s not getting 12v can be challenging to figure out).

Tester

Jack, that's the same tester that I have. It's a very handy tool. It's handy for checking all the functions. The charge line test is quite good because it's more difficult to check as compared to checking the lights and testing the brakes.

RichR said:

Jack, that's the same tester that I have. It's a very handy tool. It's handy for checking all the functions. The charge line test is quite good because it's more difficult to check as compared to checking the lights and testing the brakes.

Click to expand...

Agree wholeheartedly! I got one of these a couple years ago. I stick it in my truck's socket and check everything before each camping trip. It also lives in my truck, so it's handy if I need it anytime enroute.

- Jack