The real braking problem I had with other trailer was because they were drum, not disc. They would brake and then start fading real bad. After Titan installed new disc brakes I finally had good stopping power but I had about a 2 second delay before they would work. Trying to eliminate that delay so no one gets hurt...like me and wife.

 

I got off my tablet and on to a laptop so I can see more information and post numbers.

I take it Titan Guy is the one doing the work on the trailer and sells the equipment?

Denny

 

Yes, I am working with Pete. He got the truck back yesterday from Ford with new controller installed. Let's hope Ford threw the right part at it.

Interesting that they replaced the master cylinder because of a leak. Don't think this had anything to do with the delay but they replaced a "module" FC3Z-2C006-B with the master cylinder. Could this be the transducer?

 

When you take your truck for a test run try running your controller at 7.5 to 8, I did find that running it at a higher setting gave better braking under normal driving. Unlike drum brakes the disk come on at a smother rate and unlike drums all at the same rate at the same time so they are hard to feel until you are under heavy braking conditions. I didn't run mine at that high of a setting until I talked to other RVing friends that we travel with and it seems like the Ford controller in the hydraulic setting works better at the higher setting.

The only other things that could cause a major delay is air in the system, I bleed mine and let them set for a day and bleed them again just to make sure I had no air in the system. The other thing that could be happening is the wheel bearings are set with to much end play so the rotors are pushing the caliber pistons back farther so when the brakes are applied it they have to travel farther to push the pads against the rotors giving a delay.

Denny

 

I got truck back and test drove today. Still a a delay. I started with setting at 5.5 and went on up to 7.0. I'll try anything, so I'll start moving it up to see if that helps.

Thanks for all the tips. We will fix it.

 

If running a higher setting doesn't work the first one I would try is jacking up each wheel and check for excessive end play and then bleeding the brakes. After that it's time to take a long look at the actuator.

Just so you know you can't check the Ford controller voltage with the brake petal unless the truck is moving I thing over 5 mph.

I run my controller at 8 with 13" Kodiac rotors and the only time I really feel the trailer brakes is under hard braking but I know they work under lite braking and they come on smooth and don't grab.

Denny

 

Don't think this has anything to do with the issue. The hydraulics are independent of each other.


As has been discussed I think it is your system on the trailer.

 

Just to try something different I have a good friend coming tomorrow with his 2012 F250 and will pull trailer to see if it is the truck or trailer with the problem. If his truck has no issues then the problem is my truck. If his truck has same problems as mine then the odds are it most likely is the trailer set up. That would help narrow down the possibilities. We will try all kinds of settings on controller to see what works best on his truck. Of course we gotta feed him and his wifey too. Small price to pay for some important knowledge!

Will post our results.

 

What did you come up with after using a different truck to pull your trailer.

Denny

 

I am so sorry I did not respond sooner.....too much going on.

My friend and I hooked up his 2012 F-250 SD and we got exactly the same results....delay for signal to brakes. No trailer brakes until 6 bars on info center.

The next day I went to Magnum Trailers(in Austin) to "pick their brain". Talked at length with the Bossman. He said when they sell a trailer with disc brakes to a Ford owner and the owner comes back saying he has a delay in braking all they do is to hook up the trailer to the shop truck with a Drawtite controller and let him drive it to show him the problem is with Ford controller and NOT the trailer. They do not get involved in trying to fix truck problem. However, he happened to be well acquainted with a local Ford Service MGR. He got me in contact with him and I have explained the problem twice in the last few days. His first recommendation from Ford was that I should turn up the gain. I explained that I have known about the gain since 2006 with my first Ford F-250, and so I explained it all over again. He said he would talk to Ford again and would get back to me.

When I get more info I will report back here.

Meanwhile thanks to all for help and my wife and I wish all on this forum a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Pete
.

 

I would consider hard wiring a Tekonsha p3 and be done with it.

 

Rather than change controllers, Denny had a suggestion earlier on that I would try, if you haven't already done so.

If the basic problem is the controller interfacing effectively with the hydraulics when set in hydraulic mode, switch it back to electric mode and put a couple of magnets on the frame so the controller thinks it is reading electric brakes. If that were to work, it is a simple and inexpensive work-around and you would still get all the features folks seem to love with the integrated brake controller. If I recall correctly even places like Advance had magnets in stock.

I know from previous posts, some folks have had a problem using Ford's TBC with hydraulic trailer brakes.

Just a thought,

Steve

 

This most likely will eventually depend on Ford's remedy.

 

OK Pete it sounds like Magnum trailers never hooked up to your trailer so it does nothing to trouble shoot your problem. You did hook up to another Ford with the same controller and the problem is still there so that's a fact, the chance of two trucks having the same problem is very low. I personally know and travel with other Ford owners with disk brakes and they don't have a problem. Another fact is all trailer brakes electric or hydraulic have short delay, I also looked at he Draw-Tite controller and it does not use the truck braking system but a acceleration sensing device so the truck brakes have to start deceleration before the controller reacts, they get around the delay by activating the brakes a small amount when the brake light comes on so you think you have instant braking but you really don't.

You say that the brakes don't come on for up to 2 seconds and then come on hard. What you need to do is verify that they aren't coming on. Find a open parking lot or a lonely road and make a few stops from 25 to 30 mph but not hard just a normal stop. Next disconnect the trailer cord and try it again and I think you may find the brakes are in fact working. You can't use the slide on the controller to make smooth stops it just doesn't work that way so don't try it with this test.

Don't compare your disk brakes to drum brakes because they two completely different animals. Electric drum trend to be a little grabby where disk come on so smooth the its hard to feel them unless you are under heavy braking conditions and with a true proportional controller that's the way it should be. My Ford controller works as smooth as my last truck with a BrakeSmart control that's also a true propositional controller.

One other thing you should check that I haven't mentioned before is your trailer battery and all connections all the way to the controller. The actuator takes braking power from the trailer battery and the 12v from the truck not truck controller so if the battery is weak it will affect the braking. The controller just puts out a voltage that the actuator reads and applies the power to the pump.

Just this last weekend a RV friend of mine was having trouble with is disk brakes with a Dexter actuator and after few emails it turned out being his break away switch and a BAD GROUND, he started out blaming the actuator. His system is the same as mine but he has a GM truck with a add on controller.

Denny

 

When we moved the other day I paid special attention to my brakes. I used my manual slide on my controller to check the brakes, you can here the pump come on without moving the trailer, no real delay. After we started moving and got over 5 mph so the controller would work I had no real delay, I can tell because it the trailer brakes weren't coming on with the play in my hitch I would hear and feel it like I can if I use the brakes before I get to 5 mph. And like I said before that under normal braking I don't feel the trailer brakes come on unless I brake harder than normal. It's called proportional braking, the truck and trailer work together.

Denny