Have you ever seen rubber brake line clogged / blocked?

fixingstill

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Have you ever seen rubber brake line clogged / blocked?
I am trying to revive a 20" boat that has been sitting for 10 yrs. It has surge brake and when I tried to bleed by vacuum, vacuum held. Then I opened up the brake drum and I see the wheel cylinder and everything are all corroded. Then I replaced the wheel cylinder with a new one. Still I could not bleed. I disconnected the actuator, the vacuum still held. There should not be any one-way valve in the brake line, right? Only thing I could think of is the rubber brake line (joining the T-connector to the metal line going up to the tongue) is clogged? I goggled around and saw these rubber brake line can be getting rusty and swollen inside.
Also, there is a coupler connection at the actuator end. See below. Does it look like some "quick stop" coupler that would stop the fluid from dripping out? Even with that little pin pulled in, I cannot squeeze any brake fluid out when I pump the coupler.

So, I need to unclog the line (by replacing the rubber ones if they are the problem), to rebuild or replace the hydraulic surge brake actuator, and I should, mind as well, convert to disc brake.

Oh man.

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bigdee

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They certainly can. I have had it happen on an old VW. Front brake locked up and would not release.....hose was blocked in one direction only. It acted like a check valve,it would allow fluid to flow to wheel cylinder but would not allow it to return.
 

ahicks

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Sep 16, 2013
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Happens frequently. The inside lining collapses/delaminates and blocks things off tighter than a drum! Trying to clear it is a waste of time. Just replace it.
 

fixingstill

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That took me couple hrs to take every connection apart to pinpoint. OMG, this hose is totally clogged:

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And then the master cylinder is frozen:

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And now, why is there a connector with a tiny hole in there trying to restrict the fluid flow? (Yes, it was blocked too.)
Should I not re-use it?

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Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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two new fully loaded backing plates and two new lines $140
 

fixingstill

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Hoping to replace just the master cylinder on the DICO 60 actuator so that it can handle discs, add a folding hinge on the tongue, replace two rubber lines, and then change out the drum to discs.
My DICO 60 actuator has enough PSI to handle drum. Would changing the master cylinder make it able to handle discs?
 

Scott Danforth

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you need a new actuator with a reverse lock-out solenoid if changing to disc brakes.
 

fixingstill

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Thanks. Will do.
Oh, I only have 4 pin flat wiring, to get the backup signal, I have to convert that to 7 pin?
Can you run it to the driving light for power and add a manual switch?
Wait, I was told to disconnect the light connection before the trailer gets into water so as to not break a fuse.
I am confused. Sorry, newbie here. Never launch a boat yet.
 
Last edited:

GA_Boater

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Unless your ramp is uphill, you can disconnect the plug. Reverse lock is more for backing up a hill or grade.
 

fixingstill

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Unless your ramp is uphill, you can disconnect the plug. Reverse lock is more for backing up a hill or grade.

Got you. So, the solenoid is not a must. Thanks.

I don't have to buy a new disc brake actuator. I see my old Dico 60 actuator is same as Titan 60 and they have a disc version (more PSI) which uses the same body but the master cylinder is bigger.
https://www.championtrailers.com/content/Manual/titan-dico-model-60-manual.pdf

Since my master cylinder (drum PSI) is shot, I just replace it with the disc version, then it can handle disc brakes.
 

Scott Danforth

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I boat in florida where its flat. I had to run a 5-pin plug and the solenoid to back up.

disc brakes take more volume than drum brakes, hence the difference in master cylinder bore sizes

I personally would keep the drum brakes as repairing what you have will be under $200, switching to disks will be over $500
 

Mischief Managed

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Dec 6, 2005
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1,928
I would just replace the backing plates with electric, re-use the drums you have, replaced the brake lines with 10 gauge wire, install a 7 wire cable and emergency battery on the trailer, install a 7 wire receptacle on the TV, and install a high quality electric brake controller in the TV. It's cheap and much more reliable than hydraulic surge brakes.. I madw

I made this change many years ago and love it. IMO, electric brakes are vastly superior to surge brakes on a boat trailer and rarely need attention.When they do need anything, they are pathetically easy to work on.
 

82rude

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May 8, 2012
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Rubber brake lines,loved by porcupines worldwide.Friend had all his brake lines eaten by a porky at camp,darn near killed him.
 
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