Bumpy ride after rebuild

[dsiekman]

Late this summer I picked up a small center console and trailer. I had to replace the trailer because the one it came with had no title and dealing with that in Maryland is a nightmare from what I learned. Anyway, I bought a used one that was supposedly road ready...right. It towed great on the way home. Put the new boat on it and it still towed very nicely. It's a single axle Venture roller trailer. After dropping the boat back in the water I took it for inspection. Long story short, nearly everything replaceable needed to be replaced. Drum brakes, bearings, brake lines, and actuator. The inspector declared the brakes pretty much useless - worn out and leaking master cylinder. Rather than screw around with shoes and springs I just bought the complete drum assembly. I finally got it all replaced and took it back for inspection. On the way to the inspection station I kept feeling like I was on the rumble strip. This would happen as I was accelerating, not slowing down. The trailer was empty but my pickup had a full load. When I made the return trip I got the same intermittent feeling. When I got home I also noticed my rear wheels on the truck were hot and smelled like brakes burning up.

The tow vehicle is an 01 f250 with the 7.3. Carrying a partial load of old landscape timbers and towing an empty trailer should not have caused that much of a brake issue. I drive that truck pretty easily, especially when towing, so it isn't like I was hard on the brakes either. I have not driven it since to see if there is still a problem. Any ideas?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Running empty you should have had the pin in to lock the brake actuator. It was probably the breaks locking up every bump causing the issue.

 

[dsiekman]

Hmm...sounds plausible. I wouldn't have thought there would be enough weight to cause the actuator to function but I guess there probably was. Maybe not enough weight to get it to fully release?

Maybe the truck brakes were unrelated. She doesn't see a lot of use and I have had calipers hang in the past.

 

[bruceb58]

I doubt you trailer brakes were coming on enough to cause the brakes on your truck to heat up. My empty trailer also rumbles a lot when I tow it home after dropping the boat up at the lake in the spring.

 

[Pusher]

Might want to put that pin in and put enough weight on the trailer so it won't bounce. It couldn't be out of alignment could it?

 

[gm280]

After reading you post a few times, I don't think the trailer had anything to do with your truck brake issues. I see them as totally separacted situations. I do believe you have issues with either the calipers or wheel cylinders, depending on the case. Time to rework your truck brakes. And I would certainly check all of them front and rear. JMHO

 

[dsiekman]

I agree that the truck brakes are likely unrelated. Annoying, but unrelated. It seems like I replace calipers more often than I change the oil. That said, it does not make sense to me that it towed nice and smooth with no brakes and worn bearings and now that they have been replaced it is rough...unless the brakes are somehow kicking in an suggested. I will try the pin and see if that has any impact.

I don't think the trailer is out of alignment since I did not do anything that should have impacted that and it towed fine before the repairs. I replaced the actuator/coupler, so I guess that could have changed the alignment slightly, but there really isn't any way to adjust it that I am aware of.

 

[gm280]

I agree that the truck brakes are likely unrelated. Annoying, but unrelated. It seems like I replace calipers more often than I change the oil. That said, it does not make sense to me that it towed nice and smooth with no brakes and worn bearings and now that they have been replaced it is rough...unless the brakes are somehow kicking in an suggested. I will try the pin and see if that has any impact.

I don't think the trailer is out of alignment since I did not do anything that should have impacted that and it towed fine before the repairs. I replaced the actuator/coupler, so I guess that could have changed the alignment slightly, but there really isn't any way to adjust it that I am aware of.

When you changed the truck brakes, did you rebuild the calipers or replace them? I sounds like the calipers are not retracting any at all. And that will heat up the brake disks and the caliper as well. Not a good thing. In fact if the brake pads were dragging, they are toast now and certainly need replaced.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I read it as trailer brakes locking up.....LOL

 

[dsiekman]

When you changed the truck brakes, did you rebuild the calipers or replace them? I sounds like the calipers are not retracting any at all. And that will heat up the brake disks and the caliper as well. Not a good thing. In fact if the brake pads were dragging, they are toast now and certainly need replaced.

Every time I have a caliper hang up I replace the both rotors and calipers on that axle. I think I've done the front twice and the rears at least once in the last 15,000 miles. Granted, that was 15,000 miles over five years. This is my weekend vehicle and mainly sees just "truck" duty. Runs to home depot, the dump, boat duty, etc. That said, I know that sitting is hard on vehicles so I try to drive it at least 15-20 miles every week or two at the most. I had a brake line blow (above the fuel tank) a couple years ago (scary) and had all lines replaced at that time. Last fall it was in for front end work and a new oil pan (ouch) so I had them flush the brake lines while they were at it. I'm not sure what else I can do at this point.

 

[gm280]

Every time I have a caliper hang up I replace the both rotors and calipers on that axle. I think I've done the front twice and the rears at least once in the last 15,000 miles. Granted, that was 15,000 miles over five years. This is my weekend vehicle and mainly sees just "truck" duty. Runs to home depot, the dump, boat duty, etc. That said, I know that sitting is hard on vehicles so I try to drive it at least 15-20 miles every week or two at the most. I had a brake line blow (above the fuel tank) a couple years ago (scary) and had all lines replaced at that time. Last fall it was in for front end work and a new oil pan (ouch) so I had them flush the brake lines while they were at it. I'm not sure what else I can do at this point.

Do you have anti-lock brake system? If so, you may have an anti-lock brake problem with the modulator system. If it receives erroneous wheel signals. I won't go into how that works, but it isn't really that difficult either. However, it can make the brake pressures change and that can lead to all types of problems.

My dad had his older S10 pickup truck with brake issues. So once we located the codes for the anti-lock system, we were told that it would cost more then the truck was worth to replace a new anti-lock modulator system. So my son an I made a decision to open up the "Bad" modulator control unit thinking it was already toast, so what could we do to it. And amazingly we opened it up and there are so few parts inside, I was seriously shocked to actually see so few parts. And as well looked over the PC board, my son stopped a cold solder joint. I resoldered all the connections to make sure some others were not cold joints as well being the age of he truck. And it fixed that anti-lock system. Just saying. So check everything. JMHO

 

[dsiekman]

Thanks, gm280! Anything is worth a shot at this point. The abs light isn't on, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

I dropped more into it last year than I wanted to because the front end was basically shot and the oil pan was rusting through. At this point, it's a paid-off 7.3 with 185k on the clock. I had a guy offer me 12k for it a few months back. If it wasn't for the fact that it does come in awfully handy and has never refused to pull or haul anything I asked without issue, I would have taken the cash and ran. She's not pretty but she is a beast.

 

[dsiekman]

A quick update: I pulled the boat a couple weeks ago. Same issue. Notable pulsing with the empty trailer but no issues with it loaded. Weird. It is also just fine with nothing behind the truck. I am wondering more and more about the antilocks getting "confused".

 

[dsiekman]

Running empty you should have had the pin in to lock the brake actuator. It was probably the breaks locking up every bump causing the issue.

I double checked, this model of actuator does not have a lockout pin. I am not sure how they get around that as seems to do just fine backing up. I have seen and in-line lockout solenoid that I might try out.

 

[Alumarine]

If you suspect it's your anti-lock brakes could you pull the ABS fuse to try it out?