Re do brake lines

rasbury

Started a new thread...so I two different sites for replacement lines. I looked at mine today, I'm ,20 ft to the axle from that actuator. I have 7 ft of tubing for the line to feed through and then currently, the flexible line runs along one side, tees and goes accross and each axle. The web sites show it going right down the middle which would have 17' of the tubing exposed to what ever happens on the road. Makes no sense and a lot of the tubes supplied are made to length so concerned that it will work?

Glassguy54

Go to a service shop and have a line custom made to your specifications. That's what I did. Then run line along trailer frame and rivet some line caddies along it's length to keep all neatly in place.

rasbury

Ordered brake lines today, hopefully will be able to install this weekend! 

rasbury

Got my new brake lines....so, once I   I hhave the  installed and bled...I'm a little concerned in how much brake rub is acceptable..kind of hard to measure...what should that resistance be with the wheel in the air?

212rowboat

none.  once you're bled, simply pry against the moving pad with a wide screwdriver and open and close the bleeder valve quickly.  press fluid out, pull no air in.  make sure you've got the little spring clip on right to keep the pad from rattling or binding.  

rasbury

Ok @212rowboat that makes no sense to me at all...talk to me like I'm 4... So I have the air out of the line...what next?

212rowboat

If the air is out meaning lines bled completely, AND there is a pad in contact with a rotor, you need to either A: get that fluid back to the master cylinder, or, B: press against the floating pad (one against brake caliper piston). And open the bleeder valve quickly and just as quick close it.  So long as there is pressure on the pad pressing the piston inward it can't sip air and reintroduce it to lines .

Don't over think it.  Press pad against piston by its ears/tabs.... While you're pressing/applying pressure, open valve.  As slightly as possible.. As soon as the pressure you're creating has somewhere to go (out bleeder) it will.. Close the valve BEFORE you relieve pressure on the pad... A real quick and fluid action (no pun intended)... Your intent is to move the pad a couple mm's from the rotor.  There will be no friction, now.  

Once this is done and you're satisfied with the bleed, then make sure the calipers and pad spring clip is properly seated.. This will keep the pad from rattling, as well as keep the pad off the rotor during regular use... 

Realize, if you've done this right you can pull one bolt/pin out of caliper and flip it down pivoting on the other, change pads, and not need to do an entire bleed again.  Just use same trick as above and press enough fluid out to accommodate new pads, top off master cylinder when done, and go your merry way .

Also, make sure and use brake caliper grease on the slider pins. Make sure the rubber boots are intact and seated... 


You'll be good soon!!!

212rowboat

By way... I've seen folk use channel locks for same thing ..basically pull pin so caliper flips down, squeeze the pad against the outside of the caliper- one side of channel lock jaws against pad the other against outside of caliper and squeeze, with other hand quickly and sligjtly open bleed vapve and close it just as fast... The pad against the calipers piston should,be moved in to where its no more than a couple few mm's off the rotor.  This means no drag on brakes, which means no unneeded heat and no pull. 

rasbury

Thanks @212rowboat and I hope to get to work on it today... pesky Father's day! So my brake experience has been changing pads on my vehicle which as you describe you have to push the piston in for the new pads- at that point I always just put the caliper back in place and hit the brakes until the piston closed the gap- so if I'm getting you, I should have backed off the pad .040 or so and that would now be the operating range of the piston? So what I did to the trailer which is just like I did on my car is allow the piston to push tight against the caliper and then it stayed there and did not back off when the brake is released? If so, that sure would explain all my problems! I was wearing enough of the pad off (if I was lucky before it overheated) to create a little gap?
Also, do these brake lines go together dry or use Teflon tape? I assume dry...

212rowboat

Those brake line fittings should be either JIC or NUC fittings and need no tape, just good snug torque... 

rasbury

Thanks @212rowboat.....so what about the above...have I been doing it wrong all along and likely my brakes problem???

I will start putting the new lines on, pull each caliper and make sure the wheel is turning...grease the slide pins...have new bearings, rebuilt the caliper two years ago but I guess I just need to start from the basics to get it right..sigh...

rasbury

Man it was hitting 100 here yesterday and working outside was tuff but I got it all done. I did do as above, so no issues with the calipers as far as torn dust boots or stuck/rusted slide pins. Put everything back together, bled and the jacked up each wheel to make sure each wheel braked  and released and everything seems to be good. Planning on heading to the ramp for a trailer test run and then a boat re test run. Seems like I'm still losing power steering or trim fluid.....

rasbury

I did a trailer test run to put some gas in the tank and everything seemed to go real well. I did inspect, before my test run, and found the resivoir low- I went back under and checked fittings.  Found a couple spots that tightened  up a bit and was a little wet. Did my run, brakes seem to work well and was real excited that the reverse lock out is now working...tested by unplugging and they locked and released when I plugged back in. The resivoir is/was leaking at the main fitting I have been cationed not to over tighten  as it breaks easily- hopefully I got it!

Lake_Bum

Hope you got it Ras.  You have worked your butt off for a long time on this boat. You deserve some R & R on it! 

rasbury

Dont know that I've had any more problems or worked on it harder than anyone else on here- I just don't know what I'm doing and have to ask a LOT of questions!

rasbury

So, guess my wheels for sure are not locking up...we just had a heck of a straight line storm come through...blew our boat back about 10' and into my old explorer that was behind it!

212rowboat

do yourself a favor and get a set of plastic wheel chocks- the kind with ramps on ONE side that are made for SINGLE axle trailers .. drill a hole through the tall part of them and get a rope through them... tie a knot to keep them from slipping off... tie the other end around your trailer behind the back axle- rope lead/tether no longer than three feet.  

use them when parked, use them at the ramp... all you have to do is drive away from them and drag them until you clear the ramp and when you get out to secure the load, pick them up and secure them to the trailer under the loop they're tied to the trailer with.  

those brakes ought not lock up on a trailer disconnected. and, you really don't want them capable of locking up anyway.... what you want is the tow vehicle to rely only on it's own brakes to stop itself and about 5% of the trailered load... the trailer brakes ought to be able to stop the trailer by themselves always short of lock-up.  you really don't want a locked up trailer axle in an O.S. situation. you want them stopping itself, yeah, but not locked up... just like you don't want your tow vehicle to lock up either.  

rasbury

We have been through hurricanes and the boat was never blocked or moved...brakes must have been rubbing pretty good. I will for sure invest in blocks....that was scary. Where I'm at it's flatter than pee on a plate so rolling away is usually not an issue... that's 10000 lbs. sitting there..pretty amazing!