PDA

View Full Version : Surge Brake Master Cylinder



Jraysray
03-07-2008, 04:14 PM
(I accidently posted this in the events forum so please forgive!)

All,
I have changed these out on a car but never a boat trailer. My question is how do I bleed the system once installed?

Any other pointers would be appreciated.

mjw930
03-07-2008, 05:22 PM
Here you go:

http://www.championtrailers.com/techsup.html#bleed_brakes

Team Jefe
03-08-2008, 07:48 PM
Zoom beat me to the punch...champion trailers website has lots of good stuff.

Jamesbon
03-09-2008, 06:51 PM
Mjw,
Your post motivated me....Thanks! Hopefully my first hand account this weekend will help you...

Champions site sounds logical, I tried their method but actually ended up doing something a LITTLE different...

I have an 04 trailer w/stainless discs and the brakes have not worked under my ownership until yesterday :) (thanks to you)

I opened the reservoir and found it basically dry. I filled and started pushing and pulling the tongue coupler about 25 times to activate the brake cylinder. This resulted in nothing.

...So I had a neighbor come over. I loosened the bleed fitting on the furthest caliper, then had my neighbor push in the tongue coupler. (you know, the piece that attaches to the ball on your tow vehicle) Luckily, my set-up is relatively clean of corrosion and moved in and out freely as it would when you're towing, driving and braking. As he pushed in on the coupler, the master cylinder activated and purged air out of the caliper, then I closed the bleed fitting and he pulled the coupler out. Then I opened the fitting and he pushed the coupler in again, after repeating this sequence about 10 times, the air/oil mix purged and eventually turned to only oil. We repeated on the other caliper till the air was purged. Then back to the first side and few more times, then again to the caliper closest to the reservoir.

At this point, I re-filled the reservoir and hooked her up to the ol' F-150. After accelerating in the truck and stabbing the brakes about 20 times, I noticed I had to apply less pressure to the brakes to stop the whole rig, meaning the trailer brakes were starting to work.

If you have a 5 wire "trailer light" connector, make sure the fifth wire is hooked up to the reverse lights on the tow vehicle. The fifth wire activates a hydraulic solenoid in the trailer brake system which shuts off the brakes when reversing the truck/trailer. Mine is still un-hooked which makes reversing a little tough cuz the trailer brakes are activating. (ask me how I know this...)

It's really the same as bleeding brakes on a car...

I have to admit, I was in the dark about this process and wondering how the hell it was done a few days ago....Thanks to the Registry and all it's great members!!!

Good luck!