Maiden Voyage A Success...Sort of. - Diesel Forum

Allagash · 05-24-2005, 09:34 PM

We'll I put 2,000 miles on over the weekend. I drove out to Ohio from Rhode Island to pick up my new gooseneck for my business. It was my first time pulling a non tag-trailer. I was pretty impressed with how easy it was to get used to pulling a gooseneck and also, how smooth and stable it was on the highway. My truck had plenty of power to motor up the hills of West Virginia. The problems started when I was close to home. I hit 2 hours of bumper to bumper traffic approaching the George Washington Bridge in New York on Route 95. After getting through the toll, I thought I was in the clear once I opened it up in Connecticut, but soon found out otherwise. The engine started losing power and bucking a bit when I hit 63 mph. Also, the check engine light came on. I pulled into a rest area and let here sit for a while. When I turned it back on, the light was off. I then limped the rest of the way home. Today I took it into the dealership and they "re-programmed" the truck and it seem to run fine now. I used the truck and trailer afterwards and the problem did not return. Hopefully it stays that way.

Many thanks to all those who answered my many questions regarding hitches, brake controllers, and trailer light wiring. My B&W hitch, Prodigy controller (BrakeSmart was my first choice but they're out of em'), and light receptacle all worked out fine.

j_apetersen · 05-24-2005, 10:43 PM

It sounds to me you started having problems when you hit heavy traffic. May I ask how big is the battery on the trailer. If it is a 5 or 7 amp breakaway. change it to a bigger lawnmower battery. Sounds funny but for the brakes to work properly you need power. loose power by useing the power and not chaarging it fast enough brakes start acting funny.

intowtr · 05-24-2005, 11:40 PM

I don't see how the emergency break away battery has any effect on the trailer in other than emergency separation situations. It is a parallel circuit initiated through the actuation of the break away switch only during actual break-away conditions. You could have a D8D battery hooked up and it would not affect trailer braking in non-emergency situations.

j_apetersen · 05-25-2005, 12:18 AM

Dont know much about how electric or Electrolic brakes work and comenting on them makes me wondering.Have you ever hooked up a brakaway system or even looked at a system. If you read a manual on the brakeaway system it tells you do not use if the battery is not fully charged. Why the braking system uses the battery to activate the brakes and it uses the brakaway system to activate the system.I have helped many people that were sitting in truck stops or in reast areas that could not get traailer brakes to operate properly. The main problem was the brakaway battery was not being charged because the fuse on the truck was blown.Fixed fuse with breaker. I carry the 30 amp breakers in my truck 2000 F-450 it is the same on that works the abs.Change fuse and the brakes work fine. Brakes are activated by power, it amprage goes down the longer the wire is and how many conections in the line Brakeaway batterys are mounted closer to the brakes and dont drain as much.

AllStarPSD · 05-25-2005, 10:22 AM

[ QUOTE ]
It sounds to me you started having problems when you hit heavy traffic. May I ask how big is the battery on the trailer. If it is a 5 or 7 amp breakaway. change it to a bigger lawnmower battery. Sounds funny but for the brakes to work properly you need power. loose power by useing the power and not chaarging it fast enough brakes start acting funny.

[/ QUOTE ]

what does this have to do with the way his truck was acting?

thomas

LMJD · 05-25-2005, 10:58 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Dont know much about how electric or Electrolic brakes work and comenting on them makes me wondering.Have you ever hooked up a brakaway system or even looked at a system.

[/ QUOTE ]
You better re-think that one, like posted above, unless the pin is pulled on the breakaway system to energize it, it's not even part of the electric brake circuitry. I never hook up my breakaway wire, and the breakaway batteries are stone dead on two of my trailers, how's that going to effect my braking going down the road??
The poster has an engine power complaint plus his check engine light came on.

Allagash · 05-25-2005, 01:36 PM

LMJD,

You're correct in that I was having an engine hesitation / bucking / loss of power / banging noise under my hood problem. The brakes in my trailer and the brakes on the truck all worked fine. I'm not sure how we got onto the topic of brakes...

okie1 · 05-25-2005, 05:55 PM

The battery for the break-away brakes has nothing whatsoever to do with the trailer brakes until the pin is pulled, period....

fordmastertech · 05-25-2005, 09:27 PM

Good luck on trying to convince J Apetersen how these systems work. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]
FMT

j_apetersen · 05-25-2005, 09:58 PM

Then just how do they work.

fordmastertech · 05-25-2005, 10:21 PM

I will not even waste my time on trying to explain it to you. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]
I know how they work and thats all that matters to me, selfish huh. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img]
I will say the entertainment is priceless. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]
FMT

j_apetersen · 05-25-2005, 10:26 PM

I may not know what im talking about but then there are is a bunch of us then. Truck run fine before trailer was hooked to it. truck went over and picked up trailer . pulled great untill hit traffic. all of a suddent truck runs bad and pulles into rest area, sits for a while and sudently fixes self.and goes home. So what caused the truck to run pourly the other traffic. the pushing of the foot feed to go or the trailer brakes getting hot and slowing the truck down. Ford master teck . answer this what happens when a diesel is lugged. cant pull the load. probly gets warmer that it does most of the time, doesnot run right and light comes on, let cool and trailer brakes cool magnet doesnot drag any more and problem fixed.and home we go.

Allagash · 05-28-2005, 08:27 AM

We'll, after "flashing" my truck, I made the same trip with my trailer and on the return trip home (once I loaded 4,700lbs onto the trailer. This is the exact weight as previously hauled), the problem came back. If I drove 62mph or slower, there was no problem. Once I hit 63mph while cruising, the truck would skip, lose power, and I would hear a slight "bump" noise from under the hood. If I downshift and give it some gas, it goes away. If I slowed down to 62mph, it goes away.

I called the dealership that afternoon and dropped it off for them to fix it. They called the next day and said they found the problem and that it was the EGR valve. They also said to bring in the trailer (loaded) so that we could test drive the whole thing once the valve is installed.

What do you guys think? Could the EGR valve be causing this or are they just shooting in the dark. Could it be the brakes? The trailer is brand new...

j_apetersen · 05-28-2005, 05:33 PM

Some say i know nothing but when you pull the trailer and it starts doing it again walk back and tough the wheel were the lugnuts are and see if it is hot should be warm if you hit brakes but not hot.

Allagash · 05-28-2005, 11:27 PM

J-,

I'll give that a try if the EGR doesn't fix the problem.

Thanks,

A-