brake problem

[capt ken]

Just purchased 89 excella to go with 70 overlander. when moving it, all trailer lights worked,but no power to brakes. is there a 12v fuse panel I should check, or could someone point me in the right direction on what to look at. appreciate any leads.

[r carl]

Check to see if you have 12v at the connection where the wire goes into the backing plate.

[Jammer]

The brakes are not fused.

On newer Airstreams, there is typically a junction box in the front left corner inside where the umbilical cable is connected to the trailer wiring. That's a good place to check first.

[HowieE]

First off do you have a brake controller in the TV? If so have you checked to see if you are getting voltage on the 5 o clock pin in the connector at the rear bumper when the manual lever is applied on the controller? If you are
getting voltage at the connector then it is time to check out the trailer wiring.

Come back after checking these items.

[HowieE]

I misstated above. You should see voltage between the pins at 5 and 7
o clock if the brakes controller is working. Those terminals are brake power and ground.

[Bassrats2]

Originally Posted by HowieE

I misstated above. You should see voltage between the pins at 5 and 7
o clock if the brakes controller is working. Those terminals are brake power and ground.

We are having an issue with our 99 Airstream. We just replaced all brakes and still having brake problems. We are getting a reading of just over 13 volts on our Prodigy 3 brake controller. Any suggestions of what to do next?

[HowieE]

are you sure you are not reading 13 amps?

I don't know of any brake controller that gives voltage output.

13 amps would be Full Power for a 4 wheel trailer. If the brakes are not being applied at this point I would suspect brake shoe adjustment. If you know how to adjust the brake shoes check that first.

If you do adjust the brakes do so while spinning the wheel and adjusting the shoe till you can not spin the wheel them back OFF 3 clicks on the star wheel. It helps to hit the wheel from time to time with a 2 pound hammer while doing the adjustment. This recenters the drum and keeps you from getting a false reading.

While you have the wheel off the ground grab the top and bottom of the wheel and shake it. You SHOULD feel a slight clicking movement. No movement the bearings are TOO tight