Troubleshooting Electric Over Hydraulic Brakes Taking A While to Work After Repairing Brake Lines

Question:

had an electric over hydraulic brake system installed on triple axle toy hauler. system worked wonderfully until a leaf spring broke and ruptured the brake line I have since replaced all the leaf springs, shackles, bolts etc. repaired the brake lines and I think bled the lines. my problem is the brakes take a fair time to start working. I am thinking I have to do some more bleeding of the lines but could I have any other problems? thanks

asked by: Bill P

Expert Reply:

The first thing that comes to mind is that you might indeed still have some air in the brake lines on your trailer. It could be that this is preventing the brake shoes to engage completely until they get warm enough to do a better job. This may be why the brakes only seem to start working after pulling the trailer for a bit.

When bleeding the brakes you will want to start with the brake furthest from the actuator, opening the bleeder screw and keeping it open until you see that the brake fluid is free of any air bubbles. After closing that bleeder screw simply move to each brake assembly and perform the same process. You can also use a vacuum pump brake bleeder # PTW87030 to make things easier.

If this doesn't resolve the issue then you might also check to make sure the breakaway battery for the system is fully charged. It might be that the actuator simply isn't getting enough power.

expert reply by: Chris R