Trailer Braking Effectiveness Fluctuates and Does Not Work Well with Manual Override

Question:

When I my trailer breaks fluctuate up and down when I am accelerate and at other times as well and it seems the override lever is not working as well.

asked by: Les M

Expert Reply:

The first thing I recommend doing is making sure the brake controller # TK90160 is mounted within the range specified in its manual. Brake controllers can do strange things if they are mounted outside of their range or if they are tilted or turned to one side.

There are ways to test the brake controller too. In the truck cab you will need to sever the blue wire several inches from the back of the controller. Then use a circuit tester such as # 3808 to test the end of the blue wire coming out of the controller. It should only have power when you apply the manual override. If it shows power at idle then there is something wrong with the controller and it will need to be replaced.

If it tests fine then reconnect the blue wire. Then move on to the truck side trailer connector. Many times, dirt or corrosion can cause a short in a trailer connector. Make sure the truck and the trailer side connectors are clean and free of corrosion inside and out.

It might also be brake fade where the pad material wears down enough for the brakes to be less effective. Adjusting the shoes out would solve that problem.

You can test the brake output pin and it should only show power with the manual override. If it shows power any other time then there is a short somewhere between the connector and the brake controller you will need to track down.

If the truck side checks out fine then it could be the wiring to the brake magnets or the magnets themselves. Inspect the power wires to the magnets and look for pinched, frayed, or damaged wires and fix as needed. Make sure the ground wires are attached to clean and corrosion free bare metal surfaces.

You can visually inspect the magnets and if you can see the copper windings coming through the magnets will need to be replaced. To further test the magnets you can follow the help article I have linked. I have also included some help articles on testing and troubleshooting brake controllers for you.