Electric Brakes on 2014 Keystone Cougar Do Not Lock Up With Brake Controller Set at Maximum

Question:

When driving my 2013 sierra duramax with gain setting on 10 the trailerbrakes do not lock up at 20mph on manual gain.Should the trailer brakes lock up? I checked the adjustment and they had some drag on them. Could there be grease on the shoes? Just had all brakes and drums replaced due to seals leaking grease under warranty.

asked by: Barry K

Expert Reply:

Properly adjusted drum brakes should have slight drag that you can feel and hear when you rotate the wheels by hand. If there is grease on the brake shoes then the pads will need to be replaced as there is no way to fully remove it (due to the porous surface of the pad material). This you can check by pulling a hub and inspecting the surface of the shoes.

Electric brake controllers like the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 # 90885 have both a power setting and a boost control. This unit when properly adjusted as described in the linked instructions will apply braking power that is just below the point where your brakes lock up.

You can also check your wiring for any damaged insulation that could be causing a voltage drop. The grounds for the brakes should run back to the main trailer ground or the negative battery post if the trailer has a battery.

If you are using an OEM brake controller then you'll want to refer to your owner's manual for power setting information or to dealership for testing that unit.

expert reply by: Adam R