Brakes and Never Lube Seals

[69SoulShine]

Bob. Just keep in mind ours locked up wheel from parts rolling around inside drum!

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by 69SoulShine

Bob. Just keep in mind ours locked up wheel from parts rolling around inside drum!

Hi

That's why I've been paying a lot of attention to the (lack of) noise coming from that hub. I realize that's not a perfect indicator ....

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I was a bit surprised by the Coach Net reply as well. It's not like northern Ohio is utterly empty of all support for trucks and trailers. This is a pretty typical truck bearing / brake system. We are just about 100 miles from .... ummm .... errr ... Detroit.

Of course we *could* have simply pulled into the Dexter HQ in Elkhart as we rolled by earlier in the day. No idea if we had the issue then though ....

Bob

[mojoe7009]

Coach-Net sent a truck brake service tech to our campground to attempt the repair. He came 112 miles one way and Coach-Net paid it.

[paiceman]

Originally Posted by 69SoulShine

Bob. Just keep in mind ours locked up wheel from parts rolling around inside drum!

Good point which is why I had Coach Net have someone meet us at the PA State Rally on Saturday morning and "gut" the brakes and plate from the wheel. As I posted he drove $80.00 miles one way, worked for 40 minutes, I had to pay him but Dexter reimbursed the $77.00.

I am going to have an old Airstream dealer, no longer authorized put the new brakes in and check all the others as well as do our state inspection. Dexter is paying for everything except the inspection.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Well, I can pretty much guarantee that *somewhere* in the Toledo / Detroit area there's maybe a couple dozen outfits that do mobile repairs on trucks. Why exactly Coach Net could not work with one of them .... not a clue.

Bob

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Greetings from the ever lovely Teraport

I listened very carefully to the wheel as we moved the trailer out of the campsite. That pretty much convinced me that it was the brake and not the hub. I snipped the wires before we pulled out.

I checked the hub temperature after about 1.5 hours of driving. It was slightly warm, but nowhere near as warm as it had been on Thursday. We got here a bit earlier than I expected. They got us into a bay pretty fast. Two hours labor to replace the brake and hub assembly ..... "this lump is what's left of the auto adjustment arm on your brake ....".

From talking the people here, they are very much aware of the issue on the 2017's. They have fed it back to Dexter multiple times. There has been pretty much zero feedback about what the issue could be. At one point there were 5 guys looking at the damage and taking pictures. They are trying to dig into it ...

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Every good mystery deserves a weird theory. I guess I'm entitled to go a bit nutty here:

1) Lets *assume* it's a Dexter issue.

2) Trailers run down the line in Indiana and one guy does each wheel. ( = 4 guys for 4 wheels )

3) Each worker has their own cart of brake parts and works out of that stash of parts

4) Down roll an order for two axle frames for Airstream. The same guy puts on the right rear brake on all of the frames in that order. He does it out of the same parts bin for all of them.

So is it an assembly error on the guy's part or did he get a bum box of parts on his cart? I'd bet it's a bum batch of parts ....

Yes, there's a *lot* of guesses in that. Very little is based on any sorts of facts.

Anybody visited the Dexter plant and had a factory tour?

Bob

[AirMiles]

I just replaced a brake assembly on my 2017 25’. Left rear ate the spring and dropped the adjuster into the assembly. Yep, Screeching sounds led to investigation and melted blobs were found. I ordered the exact same part number for a replacement and got a completely redesigned brake assembly with the same part number. The replacement fit perfectly and has been working since installed. I’ll have a couple thousand miles on it in about thirty days. But it appears that Dexter has redesigned that part based on what I received. The spring and adjuster appears the same, but there was only one spring, not two between the brake pads. Here is a link to what the replacement looked like with a single spring https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=23-458

[gypsydad]

OK- so I missed this earlier, but I did find 2 brake wires cut on my 2017 28', this spring. This "I thought" was the cause of the right GYM's wearing out unevenly, after 15k miles towing with the F250D....I connected the cut brake wires on the drivers side in early June when we found they had been cut, (left side) and everything seemed to work ok...I don't have the TPMS installed as of yet, and I just replace all 4 tires with 4 new GYE's. AS reimbursed me for the cost of all 4 tires; wonder if they may know there is a problem with the brakes? I will get a set of TPMS this week and install and monitor going forward. I have a temperature gun to check the tires, but rarely use it..."why should I be concerned with tires/brakes on a new Airstream?" dahhh… learning moment again here on the Forum!

So, is the concenses there is a problem on "just" the 2017 larger AS's? Most of the issues I see in this thread pertain to the 2017 30's? Appreciate any incite and any Airstream explanation.

[AirstreamCSH]

So my takeaway is that everyone should check hub temps even though these are neverlube? Sorry if ignorance is showing but I’ve never checked it.

[Arcticfox]

Great Thread..... and interesting read.

Our 28' 2013 has never been checked for anything and after reading this I'm wondering if that should change. We put about 25,000 miles a year on and if my math is ok that means 125,000 miles (more of less). Our TPMS has never indicated hi temps or hi pressure (never higher than 10+ ambient) so before reading this thread it wasn't something I even thought about.....
As I said maybe that should change. How difficult is it to inspect these wheels?

Thanks in advance

Doug

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by AirstreamCSH

So my takeaway is that everyone should check hub temps even though these are neverlube? Sorry if ignorance is showing but I’ve never checked it.

Hi

About all it takes to check the temperatures is your hand on the hub. Each time you pull over, make that part of the walk around check. (You *do* a walk around already ... right? ).

The main issue seems to be the brakes rather than the hubs. Either way, one that is warmer than the others is sort of a "let's check this" warning. If it's running hot-ish, cutting the wires does seem to be a "really good idea".

As noted in other threads, the Dexter brakes *should* be pretty standard stuff. You *should* be able to get them fixed a lot of places. In my case that didn't quite work out. Indeed watching your trailer get jacked up is a bit of a YIKES !!! sort of thing. You might want to be at least the fourth AS that the guy has used a jack on

Bob

[paiceman]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

I just replaced a brake assembly on my 2017 25’. Left rear ate the spring and dropped the adjuster into the assembly. Yep, Screeching sounds led to investigation and melted blobs were found. I ordered the exact same part number for a replacement and got a completely redesigned brake assembly with the same part number. The replacement fit perfectly and has been working since installed. I’ll have a couple thousand miles on it in about thirty days. But it appears that Dexter has redesigned that part based on what I received. The spring and adjuster appears the same, but there was only one spring, not two between the brake pads. Here is a link to what the replacement looked like with a single spring https://www.etrailer.com/s.aspx?qry=23-458

I'm curious as to why you ordered new brakes from E-Trailer when the brakes are still under warranty from Dexter?

I ordered my spare carry along brakes, one for each side from E-Trailer and they look identical to the one which broke and the one on the front right side. Will know more tomorrow when I take the trailer and new brakes to some former AS mechanics, over 35 years each, and see what they have to say. Dexter said they would pay for the work these two guys do. If anyone can figure out what is up I have confidence in these two.

[paiceman]

After Airmiles posted and I responded I went out and checked the new brakes sent by Dexter under warranty and the new ones I ordered fro E Trailer, they are identical but very different from the brake which destroyed itself as well as the right front which is identical to the destroyed brake. I’m going to post a picture shortly

[paiceman]

So the new Dexter Right Side assembly has only one large spring on the side opposite the magnet, which would be the top when the plate is installed on the hub. While the brake which broke has two smaller springs and attached at the center hub, totally different assembly. If one looks closely one can see the magnet is different as well. As posted by Uncle Bob I believe AS folks know they have an issue, and Dexter is not replying or so Bob was told.

What I see is maybe not a correction, but certainly a major change by Dexter in the brake assembly at least since July of 2017 when our brakes were manufactured by Dexter. The new ones I was sent were manufactured in July of 2018. I suspect Dexter knows of the issue, either went back to an old style which worked or change a style which for some reason is starting to give issues. That said, from a manufacturing standpoint, the new brake shoe looks to be less expensive to manufacture.

And the mystery continues as to why SO FAR, only the right rear.

[paiceman]

Originally Posted by AirstreamCSH

So my takeaway is that everyone should check hub temps even though these are neverlube? Sorry if ignorance is showing but I’ve never checked it.

Dexter recommends yearly full check of brakes and seals or every 10,000 miles. I have in the past, did not on this one although we only have 8,800 miles it was a year and a half old when JC found seals and brakes shot on left side. Then as posted rear right destroyed itself.

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by AirstreamCSH

So my takeaway is that everyone should check hub temps even though these are neverlube? Sorry if ignorance is showing but I’ve never checked it.

I can recommend it on any bearing hub of any type, drum or rotor and tire if you are interested in being proactive about finding problems first.

Also don’t think a specific temp is the issue, uniformity between hubs, brakes and tires is what to consider. That doesn’t mean hub temp equals drum or tire temp. All hubs similar, drums similar etc.

And braking creates heat, cold drum is sign it’s not actively braking.

Easy to use infrared temp gun makes short, clean and no risk of touching a hot hub with your hand.

That temp gun will get a workout when you use it for any thermal troubleshooting. AC, fridge, and more.

Gary

[uncle_bob]

Hi

As best I can figure, my brakes have just under 7,000 miles on them including the delivery to the dealer. Even a 10,000 mile check would not have been "enough" to catch my hub. Yearly pulling of all the wheels might have noticed something. There's also a bit of risk associated with messing with all that stuff.

I agree that there is no magic temperature that means you have a disaster. It's just a rough way to judge if all the wheels are seeing the same conditions or not. At least in my case, I could feel the heat coming off the hot hub before I touched it. Even so, it was not hot enough to cause a burn.

By no means am I saying that a cheap IR thermometer is a bad idea. They do have a lot of uses and the cost (on sale at Amazon ....) is close to nothing. They are a great way to check that the fridge is actually doing it's thing (and a lot of other stuff ...). I simply would not let the lack of one keep you from checking hubs.

Bob

[paiceman]

So, new brakes from Dexter put on by former AS dealer technicians. A 2016 30 FC being picked up at same place. Right side rear self adjusting brake totaled, right front broken as well. Replaced all figure with new drums as all where damaged, and four new non self adjusting brakes at the recommendation of these 38 years experienced technicians. Almost never have to adjust, and seldom an issue. If ours go again we are going the same route as in 45 years of RVing these our the first issues we’ve had with brakes

[tjdonahoe]

Still on our run to Nova Scotia...42000 miles on our unit....no problems...

[kendrick.l.j]

Tj, with all due respect, your profile indicates that you have a 2013. The brakes that are having problems are on a few 2016’s but mostly on 2017’s. I going to take a guess and say that the ‘18 haven’t had time to rack up a lot of miles yet.