Tips for Inspecting Brakes on a Motorized Gas Chassis
Dave SolbergAs you complete your annual RV inspection, be sure to include your vehicle’s front and rear brakes. On larger rigs with motorized gas chassis, braking systems consist of disc brakes, which erode over time and need to be inspected at least once a year at a service center with a capable lift. In this free video lesson RV repair expert Dave Solberg helps you take proper care of your braking system by teaching you how to check the wear on your RV’s front and rear brakes to ensure you can safely stop on the road.
Dave gives you a few essential tips for monitoring and maintaining your vehicle’s brakes, telling you what to look and listen for while you’re out on the road. Most importantly, you’ll want to check the hubs for disc dust (a sure sign of wear) and temperatures within the normal range. Additionally, the brakes on a typical 17,000-lb RV come equipped with a small indicator that releases a squealing sound when the metal inside your brake pad has been exposed. This is also a sure sign that you should take your vehicle to the nearest service center for inspection. Take good care of your RV’s brakes, and you should have no trouble stopping safely when taking your next adventure!
a lot of bad information, temp info is wrong, only way his story is correct is if you stop not using brakes. If use brakes, then one can see the temp differentials. if more than 20 degrees different, bake ing is not balanced. ft and rear will be different, compare side to side. Brake pad wear rate does not change, dust is a product of using the brakes, not as he says. very poor technical info .
On a 1998 Fleetwood Bounder is there a equalizer valve for the front disc brakes. Or is it just a Tee fitting??
William,
If you have disc brakes in the front and drum brakes in the rear, there is usually a proportioning valve in the system. This isn’t always the case though, I have seen some without them and the drum brakes were adjusted to be closer for more of an even stop. The only way to know is to search the brakes lines and see if you can find one. If the TEE you are talking about does split off from the rear to the front, then you do not have the valve. You should be able to locate the junction of the brake lines near the back of the engine compartment.
Sincerely,
Dan
RV Repair Club Technical Expert
Braking brake will not hold
You would have to check the cable going back to the rear brakes. Usually this is caused by a break in the cable. If the cable is fine then you would have to remove the back wheel and check the brakes themselves, there could be a problem within the wheel. There are springs and pads that could be bad. I have seen the whole assembly come apart before. I would start with the brake lever, then the cable and then the brake internals last. Usually it is a cable issue so make sure to start there.
Sincerely,
Dan
RV Repair Club Technical Expert