Trailer Brakes Grab when Releasing Brake Pedal on a 2004 Dodge Ram and Valley Journey Controller

Question:

Have a Valley journey #52650 installed on a 2004 Ram 1500 Hemi towing a 6000 LB travel trailer and I just developed a problem. The trailer brakes grab briefly while still moving. When roll to a complete stop, they release fine. Had the trailer checked and the dealer said there is nothing wrong at the trailer end. Then I had them do an electrical check and they showed me on the tester that when releasing the brakes there is a brief power surge back in to the system, making the brakes grab briefly. The dealer said that it is possibly the controller or the truck itself. I cannot figure this problem out. Is the controller bad?

asked by: Mark O

Expert Reply:

It could be a couple of things that are causing the brakes to grab briefly. First it could be as simple as a dirty or corroded trailer or vehicle side connector. Check each one and clean them out. Corrosion can also build up in back of the connectors where the wires attach.

You may need to adjust the delay setting as well. To test the controller, sever the blue wire a few inches back from the controller. Use a circuit tester like # PTW2993 if needed and test the end coming from the brake controller while fully applying the manual override. The wire should show a signal on the tester while the manual override is engaged. If it shows a signal after the manual override is let go, then there is something wrong in the controller and it will need to be replaced.

There could also be a short somewhere in the wiring for the truck or controller and you will need to examine all the wiring for breaks or nicks and repair as needed.

Though you had the trailer checked they may not have tested the magnets for the correct power draw. I have included a link to an FAQ article that explains how to test the magnets.

expert reply by: Michael H