2017 Cyclone CY3611JS Electrical Brakes Not Working 5th Wheel

MillerTime802

Active Member
I'm traveling and my brakes stopped working on the RV. I checked the vehicle's controller and all's good to the plug in. I don't see any broken wires from the trailer's plug in to the double axle's brakes.

Is there a fuse somewhere that i can check. My owner's manual has no related information.

Thanks,
Brad
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Any fuse would be on the truck side. If you're reading voltage at the 7 pin connector on the truck, and there's no error message in the truck (assuming an integrated controller), you have either an broken wire in the trailer, or a mechanical problem with the brakes.

You might jack up one side of the trailer so wheels spin freely. Have someone press on the brake pedal in the truck. If the wheels stop spinning, the electrical circuit is unbroken. You could have a low voltage problem, but it's more likely there's a mechanical problem inside 1 or more of the brake assemblies. It's fairly common to have grease contamination.

There's a Dexter Troubleshooting Electric Brakes document in this folder. It should help even if you have Lippert brakes.
 

MillerTime802

Active Member
Thank you very much for your quick and concise reply. Have a great day, Brad


Any fuse would be on the truck side. If you're reading voltage at the 7 pin connector on the truck, and there's no error message in the truck (assuming an integrated controller), you have either an broken wire in the trailer, or a mechanical problem with the brakes.

You might jack up one side of the trailer so wheels spin freely. Have someone press on the brake pedal in the truck. If the wheels stop spinning, the electrical circuit is unbroken. You could have a low voltage problem, but it's more likely there's a mechanical problem inside 1 or more of the brake assemblies. It's fairly common to have grease contamination.

There's a Dexter Troubleshooting Electric Brakes document in this folder. It should help even if you have Lippert brakes.
 

centerline

Well-known member
I'm traveling and my brakes stopped working on the RV. I checked the vehicle's controller and all's good to the plug in. I don't see any broken wires from the trailer's plug in to the double axle's brakes.

Is there a fuse somewhere that i can check. My owner's manual has no related information.

Thanks,
Brad

how did you test the 7-way plug to see if it was all good?.....
these modern trucks dont output a brake signal to the trailer unless it senses the trailer is connected, so normally its impossible to check the signal at the 7way plug unless the trailer is connected and you test the brake wire voltage and some other point in the circuit...

and if there is a shorted wire at one of the wheels (not uncommon) then it will usually cause the system to send a signal to the dash panel indicating a problem with the trailer brakes...... sometimes it will show as "trailer disconnected" when its still plugged in, and usually its an intermittent message that is prompted when the axle takes a bounce and the bare wire makes contact to a ground source....

trailers should be fitted with junction boxes like trucks have, which then makes electrical problems much easier to diagnose..... i always install one at the pinbox on my trailers, as its an easy 30 minute task that can save hours/days of troubleshooting later when there is a problem...
 

MillerTime802

Active Member
how did you test the 7-way plug to see if it was all good?.....
these modern trucks dont output a brake signal to the trailer unless it senses the trailer is connected, so normally its impossible to check the signal at the 7way plug unless the trailer is connected and you test the brake wire voltage and some other point in the circuit...

and if there is a shorted wire at one of the wheels (not uncommon) then it will usually cause the system to send a signal to the dash panel indicating a problem with the trailer brakes...... sometimes it will show as "trailer disconnected" when its still plugged in, and usually its an intermittent message that is prompted when the axle takes a bounce and the bare wire makes contact to a ground source....

trailers should be fitted with junction boxes like trucks have, which then makes electrical problems much easier to diagnose..... i always install one at the pinbox on my trailers, as its an easy 30 minute task that can save hours/days of troubleshooting later when there is a problem...

Thank you for your assistance.

Just so happens I had a recall to fix while on the road on my 2020 RAM 3500 Dually Longhorn. While there, I had the dealer check to make sure all was working on the truck side. Also, I have a gauge on the dash that reads the voltage (by graph) to the trailer. This indicated I was sending voltage but I had the dealer back check. Additionally, since i like multi-meters, i started the truck, set my meter to voltage, to see if i was getting voltage at the truck side connection to the brakes. i did read 12 volts when the brake pedal was depressed, which dropped to zero voltage when released. I assumed that was correct way to check the truck side, but I was just fishing.

And yes sir, the dash had a fault reading that I needed to service the trailer brakes. With a little investigative research on my side, i discovered the passenger side rear axle brake was the problem, which i guess resulted in a shut down to the other 3 brake assemblies. All was good to continue my travels (without trailer brakes) until i got home. I'll be getting into the repairs in the next week and let you guys know what the exact problem is as we all learn from other's adventures.

Thanks again and happy travels.
Brad
 

wdk450

Well-known member
You know you can buy trailer drum brake backing plate assemblies like these https://www.etrailer.com/Accessorie...FIC78zA64if5S_GudZfc9Ad5Hrs7kug4aAtrfEALw_wcB at most RV parts supply houses, or online. Check to see that you get the correct size and side of the trailer to match your old one. With these backing plate assemblies you simply remove a few mounting bolts, disconnect the wiring, and reconnect an entire assembly with all new parts (including the electromagnets and brake shoes).
 

MillerTime802

Active Member
You know you can buy trailer drum brake backing plate assemblies like these https://www.etrailer.com/Accessorie...FIC78zA64if5S_GudZfc9Ad5Hrs7kug4aAtrfEALw_wcB at most RV parts supply houses, or online. Check to see that you get the correct size and side of the trailer to match your old one. With these backing plate assemblies you simply remove a few mounting bolts, disconnect the wiring, and reconnect an entire assembly with all new parts (including the electromagnets and brake shoes).

I looked up your information and it's exactly what I need to get me rolling until I can figure out what new axles and suspension I want. I have Dexter 7,000# axles now and want to go to 8,000# axles for some weight reserve.

Thanks tons for the info.
Brad
 
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