Tekonsha voyager - brake issue

[chrisinkanata]

Looking for a bit of assistance in troubleshooting my trailer brakes. Two axle Fleetwood trailer with poor braking. The brakes activate but just not firmly enough. Troubleshooting info is scarse. I can't seem to locate how the brake controller actually works in terms of how it supplies voltage to the magnets.

I get battery voltage at the blue trailer brake wire at the trailer connector on my truck. This remains the same when you activate the manual brake slider on the controller. I would have thought there would be no voltage until the brakes are activated and then the voltage would increase until you had full battery voltage and the wheels lock. I can hear the magnets humming when activated.

I'm certain that the controller is ok, as when I tow our other trailer, a 5th wheel, it works fine.

I guess when the slider is fully engaged, I should be getting full battery voltage at the magnets. If that's not happening, there is a wiring issue. If I am getting full battery voltage, then the issue is with the magnets. I struggle with the notion that all four magnets would go south at once though. That leads me to a wiring issue. If I could get an understanding of how the voltage application goes, it would be very helpful.

Thanks,

Chris

[rustyk]

I don't have one anymore, but IIRC, the Voyager has a motion sensor and uses pulse-width modulation on the brakes. This is a WAG, but I suspect there is a special testing tool, because if the motion sensor doesn't detect deceleration, nothing happens, and it can't be tested not in motion.

[convert2diesel]

Chris:

If you are getting battery voltage at the blue wire with brakes off and no slider, then I would suspect contoller problems. The slider will bring voltage up to whatever voltage you have set for max braking (dial on left side of unit), but with no brake signal and no slider, you should not be getting any voltage at the blue wire. Most trailer places will have a plug in tester that duplicates your trailer wiring or you can buy one cheap enough at CTC or a Reese dealer. U-Haul has them too.

Bill

[CoyleJR]

Chris,

Just checking the basics. What is the condition of the brake lining and brake adjustment? If they are both OK, you could have the same problem that I had with my 2006, 3500. There is a separate fuse for the third brake light. When that fuse blows out the trailer brakes will not operate with the foot brake. Although, they will still operate by hand with the manual controller. So, make sure the third brake light is operational.

Good Luck
John

[Mark Rinker]

...also, pull hubs and verify that bearing grease hasn't made its way past the seal, into the brake surface/pads.

Greased linings don't stop well.

[convert2diesel]

Another thing to consider is that the magnets are wired in series. If one fails then they all go. Prevents application of just one side (interesting ramifications ). Some applications do this seperately on each axle. Don't know about yours.

Do a continuity test between the blue (brake) wire and ground. It will show an open if any one of the magnets are bad. Another way is to give the circuit 12 volts throught the same wires. You should hear a definite click from all four wheels as the magnets attach themselves to the drums.

Bill