surge brake troubles

[chico99645]

Started to go through my boat today to get her ready for a possible voyage this weekend. Checked my Brake Fluid Reservoir only to find it Dry as a Bone. Not really sure where the leak is. I'm gonna fill her up and pump and bleed them. Its highly possible I might have blown a seal on one of my wheels as its a little greasy under the rim of the hub as I ran my finger behind it. If its a seal, does anyone know someone in the Matsu Valley that does trailer brakes. I called 6 Roblees and they don't have a shop in the valley. Any suggestions?

Backing up a bit, yesterday when I drove her into town for a fill up before the gas prices rise again, I noticed it she was pushing me a little at the stop sign. Guess I know why now.

[T.R. Bauer]

Started to go through my boat today to get her ready for a possible voyage this weekend. Checked my Brake Fluid Reservoir only to find it Dry as a Bone. Not really sure where the leak is. I'm gonna fill her up and pump and bleed them. Its highly possible I might have blown a seal on one of my wheels as its a little greasy under the rim of the hub as I ran my finger behind it. If its a seal, does anyone know someone in the Matsu Valley that does trailer brakes. I called 6 Roblees and they don't have a shop in the valley. Any suggestions?

Backing up a bit, yesterday when I drove her into town for a fill up before the gas prices rise again, I noticed it she was pushing me a little at the stop sign. Guess I know why now.

My suggestion is instead of hooking it up and towing it to get it fixed, why not just spend the time putting a new one in. Heck, it would probably be faster and less of hassle to DIY. But if you must have it done, any local garage that does general repair should be able to perform that simple repair.

[chico99645]

Is it easy to do? I've never done anything like that.

[T.R. Bauer]

Is it easy to do? I've never done anything like that.

They are simple. Take off the brake drum as you would to service the bearings. You will see the wheel cylinder on the top of the brake assembly. Take off the main springs on the big anchor point on top which should give you good access to the cylinder. The shoes should then pivot down and away. Unscrew the brake line and the bolts anchoring the cylinder to the backing plate and it is out. Assembly is reverse. BTW a brake spring tool to get the springs back on is very useful and speeds things up. It also makes things safer getting the springs off as they can go flying if you just use a screwdriver. They are inexpensive and available at the local auto parts store. If your brakes are shot, you can buy the whole backing plate loaded with the brake shoes and the wheel cylinder from 6 robbers for a reasonable price. They should also have just the wheel cylinder, but bring it in to match it up.

[chico99645]

Well it might not be so bad after all. I filled the reservoir, gave it a few pumps, and when I went to bleed each line individually, I never got any air, only constant flow and it was immediate. I'll take her for a test drive in the morning and check my levels while I got my fingers crossed. I will pull my drums and check my brakes also. Never done it before. Its only starting its 3rd year. I would be surprized to find them shot all ready. Thanks for the info TR

[Brian in AK]

I found one of the Tee's in the hydraulic brake line finger tight on my brand new ezloader. It was leaking fluid and I'm sure it would have fell apart within a few miles. You might check yours, could be the reason for the disappearing fluid.

[rmk4x4]

BJ's services in palmer can fix ya up on the trailer brakes they are not the cheapest but do good work.

[Doug from Anchorage]

It may be that you shoes are worn. As they wear, the reservoir drops in level. Just a thought.

[rhorn]

If you have to replace the brakes or cylinders you are better off purchasing the entire backing plate with new cylinders, springs and shoes. The salt water does a good job rusting/eating up the metal parts. I tried to replace my brake shoes a few years back and they wanted almost the same price for the shoes as they did the entire backing plate setup. I think one side was around $125. At the same time you relpace the plates, you could also install a fresh water flush system.

[chico99645]

Well, I found the cuperate. When I had my WD system installed a couple years ago, They had to do a little modification. Well, one of the compression fittings had a leak in it. I found it after I took it for a trip around the neighborhood this morning. Tried to retighten it but It still leeked, tried a little harder and crimped it. Got a new one, and everthing works great. No leaks. Another trip around the neighborhood with numerous brake tests resulting in much better braking. I haven't pulled the drums yet to check on the brake shoes, but I will soon. Cost was about 6 bucks including brake fluid. Youtube and your suggestions saved me some bucks. Thanks

[T.R. Bauer]

Well it might not be so bad after all. I filled the reservoir, gave it a few pumps, and when I went to bleed each line individually, I never got any air, only constant flow and it was immediate. I'll take her for a test drive in the morning and check my levels while I got my fingers crossed. I will pull my drums and check my brakes also. Never done it before. Its only starting its 3rd year. I would be surprized to find them shot all ready. Thanks for the info TR

That is always good news I hate working on the trailer as I just want to go out in the boat.....