Troubleshooting Disc Brake Performance on Fifth Wheel Towed by 2005 Ford F350 with OEM Brake Control

Question:

I have a question for you about the disc brakes on my 5th wheel . I have taken one of my wheels off and inspected the rotor and pads both seem to be in good shape the pad have about 5/16s or more of pad left on them. I have a 2005 f350 with TB engine and built in brake controller with the high settings up to 10 . I am having to set the controller to 8 or 9 to get what I think is good response from my trailer brakes does that sound correct. I have a 2007 36ft DRV that weights loaded around 18,240 lbs. I have had to use that high of a setting since I brought the trailer several years ago. Thanks

asked by: Anthony

Helpful Expert Reply:

If your pads and rotors are in good shape, your electric over hydraulic actuator is functioning properly and you are satisfied with the braking performance, I believe you are in pretty good shape. Having the controller set to 8 or 9 might not necessarily indicate a problem. Typically, you would want to adjust the output of the controller so that the trailer and tow vehicle brake at the same rate, and neither the tow vehicle nor the trailer braking system are doing all the work. If having the OEM brake controller set at its current level makes the trailer brakes work so that the fifth wheel brakes more aggressively than the tow vehicle, it will not necessarily create a problem. You will just go through brake pads a bit more quickly than usual.

The fact that your fifth wheel is pretty heavy and that you have always needed to have the controller set high in order to get brake performance you are satisfied with leads me to believe that everything is functioning normally. I would however recommend pulling the other wheels to ensure you are getting even brake/rotor wear.

I would also recommend checking the metal contacts in your vehicle and trailer sides of the trailer connectors. Make sure the pins and the contacts in the sockets are not corroded or damaged. Corrosion could prevent the full amount of brake voltage from reaching your hydraulic actuator.

My research has also indicated that there have been many many problems with the OEM brake controllers on 2005 and 2006 Ford F series trucks. Replacing the OE controller with an aftermarket model that is compatible with electric over hydraulic brake systems like the Tekonsha P3, part # 90195 is a very common occurrence. The OE controller would be unplugged, and the # 3065-P harness would be used to plug the P3 controller into the factory plug. Bypassing the OEM controller in this manner will cause an error code to be shown in the message center on the dash. You would need to have a Ford dealer erase this code.

expert reply by: Mike L