CARAVAN BRAKES HUMMING?

[Wanda]

That's right they do need a little more clearance
I am a brake specialist and mechanic I have seen that many different reasons for brake holding it's silly on a van it's a lot easier but still catches some people out
I have had to go and look at issues that other brake specialists couldn't find

Hi @rodney , we've been searching the forum regarding brake issues as we continue to have brake problems with our van. When highway cruising and the brakes haven't been used the left side (passenger side) brake is extremely hot and completely cold on the other side (as you would expect both sides to be). The whole brake assembly was replaced by Jayco about 6 months ago under warranty. I have backed the adjuster right off and disconnected the brake solenoid on the left had side and it still gets smoking hot, drags and squeaks, the same as the original brake assembly did. This issue does not occur when driving at slower speeds but happens on the open road at higher speeds. The only way to stop this is to take the magnet out.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Anyone with some ideas please feel free to add in. Thank you.

 

[BUSH PALACE]

Hi @rodney , we've been searching the forum regarding brake issues as we continue to have brake problems with our van. When highway cruising and the brakes haven't been used the left side (passenger side) brake is extremely hot and completely cold on the other side (as you would expect both sides to be). The whole brake assembly was replaced by Jayco about 6 months ago under warranty. I have backed the adjuster right off and disconnected the brake solenoid on the left had side and it still gets smoking hot, drags and squeaks, the same as the original brake assembly did. This issue does not occur when driving at slower speeds but happens on the open road at higher speeds. The only way to stop this is to take the magnet out.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Anyone with some ideas please feel free to add in. Thank you.

Have you checked your wheel bearings ???? or out of round drum ?

 

[Drover]

As @Bushpalace said plus check the hand brake actuating lever on the drum, is the spring fitted. I once had a similar situation and the lever was moving and causing the brake to drag. Is the spring still behind the magnet ?
I'd be looking at the bearings, try removing pin backing the nut off one notch, spin wheel a few times then check for any slap.

 

[Wanda]

Definitely not the bearings, when the magnet is removed all is good...except no brakes:eek-53:! (except for the hand brake). Out of round drum is a possibility but not sure how I could check it. Will recheck the hand brake but have looked at it before and it seems to be working as it should be. I will remove it all again and have another investigate. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Drover]

Righto, the main point is "magnet removed all is good ", that indicates that :

a. The little spring that is behind the magnet may be missing.
b. The lever which the magnet swings off is jamming once the electric brake is activated, possibly not returning to the rest position, which would indicate a gummed up cam unit.
c. You have an electrical leak where low power is running thru that brake system and allowing the magnet to energise just enough to catch the drum. To test this you will need a meter, hook up tug, check reading at hub no brakes activated, it should be nil try, if you have a volt or 2 then you have a short or faulty tug unit. I would check all connections as the apprentice may also have something else running off your brake circuit which is energising it. It should be a solo circuit, nothing connected to it .
d. Handbrake shouldn't be the culprit.
e. Do you have ESC fitted ???

 

[Wanda]

Righto, the main point is "magnet removed all is good ", that indicates that :

a. The little spring that is behind the magnet may be missing.
b. The lever which the magnet swings off is jamming once the electric brake is activated, possibly not returning to the rest position, which would indicate a gummed up cam unit.
c. You have an electrical leak where low power is running thru that brake system and allowing the magnet to energise just enough to catch the drum. To test this you will need a meter, hook up tug, check reading at hub no brakes activated, it should be nil try, if you have a volt or 2 then you have a short or faulty tug unit. I would check all connections as the apprentice may also have something else running off your brake circuit which is energising it. It should be a solo circuit, nothing connected to it .
d. Handbrake shouldn't be the culprit.
e. Do you have ESC fitted ???

Thanks @Drover, given me a few more things to follow up. The spring behind the magnet is still in place and no, no ESC fitted but I will certainly follow up on your other suggestions.

 

[1756mick]

Electric brakes should hum as the brakes are applied. The burning smell and heat could be generated from one set of shoes being too close to the drum and the other not.(poorly adjusted)
If you drive at 60km and slide your manual override fully on The brakes should not lock up but noticeably pull up the car.
One side applying hard and the other not would cause the van to sway and push.
If only one side worked and the other not it shouldn't overheat unless the brake is near locking up.
If it was electrical burning in the drum you should of blown a fuse by now.

Didn't leave a handbrake on?

And to answer your other question, yes you do need to readjust the brake controllers power output after the brakes are adjusted. As you wear out the shoes you need more voltage to have the van apply the right amount of pressure. When they service the brakes they wind out the shoes so they are closer to the drum. Same would apply with new shoes. You then need to drop the voltage to compensate.

 

[Wanda]

Hi @rodney When highway cruising and the brakes haven't been used the left side (passenger side) brake is extremely hot and completely cold on the right-hand side (as you would expect both sides to be). The whole brake assembly was replaced by Jayco about 6 months ago under warranty. I have backed the adjuster right off and disconnected the brake solenoid on the left had side and it still gets smoking hot, drags and squeaks, the same as the original brake assembly did. This dragging does not occur when driving at slower speeds but happens on the open road at higher speeds. The only way to stop this is to take the magnet out.

Hi @1756mick , Mrs W. here. Unfortunately Mr W. is no longer on holidays and is back slaving at the 'salt mine' and has not had time to investigate further but I will get him to have a look at your post (brakes are not my department ). He has already checked the hand brake and definitely not left on and is adjusted correctly. The problem with the brake has been going on for close to a year now and we first discovered something was wrong when the van was about 6 months old, when travelling down the freeway we tried to slow up a little and had the van swerve to the side and drag the rear end of the Triton with it. Very, very scary. And now, even though we have had Jayco replace the whole brake assembly, travelling at 60km (test driving around our local suburb) we apply the brakes and the van still tries to pull the back corner of the car sideways but not as bad as it used to be, but when cruising at highway speeds the LHS brake is still constantly dragging and smoking hot. Cheers. Mrs. W.

 

[Bellbirdweb]

So after reading this thread with interest, I found that my brakes started humming on a short trip we did last weekend.

It seemed to happen after a freeway run (about 200k's) and when we arrived at the park, there was a loud hum/vibration coming from the drivers side of the van.

As soon as we stopped or I applied the brakes it stopped.

It kept going for 15 minutes until we parked.

On the return journey, we heard it again just as we neared home.

I have a TPMS monitoring the tyre pressures and temperatures, and it doesn't seem to be causing anything to heat up, weird.

 

[Wanda]

@BOZZY Just a follow up on our brake issues. We purchased a set of electric brake assemblies for $100, no brand name, from ebay, 2 * 12″ Electric Drum Brake Backing Plates For Trailer Caravan Camper. They were specifically marked left and right. We replaced the LHS which fixed this side brake dragging but was still uneven until both sides were fitted. We have not had any trouble since (over 1 year ago). Hope this helps.