Braking Issue/Challenge

[mark96ss]

Hey,
New to the site. Just took possession of a 2022 Micro Minnie 1808FBS. Pretty pleased so far. Towed it 2+ hours home at night. Pulls very well. I'm experiencing some difficulty with getting the brakes to operate at optimum level. I'm pulling with a 2013 Ford F-150 EcoBoost with the beefy towing package. The F-150 has a factory installed brake controller. Per the owner's manual, I started with a controller gain of 5.0. No apparent affect when actuating the controller manually. I've been testing it and am up to 8.0 on the gain. It seems to stop better. However, I occasionally get a "Trailer Disconnected" message or a "Trailer Wiring Fault" message on the dash display. I've read and re-read the Ford manual (as has my wife), but it seems sometimes difficult to interpret what we've read. Whenever the message appears, I typically check the connection at the bumper. A couple of times, the system seemed to work as described in the Ford manual, other times, not so much. Is it possible the trailer brake shoes are not adjusted where they're sitting just off the braking surface in the drums? I don't know how the dealer tested the brakes. It was getting late when we did our walkthrough, so there were a couple of questions we forgot to ask. Any one else having or have had the same issue(s)? Would appreciate any tips. Thanks in advance.

[creativepart]

Drum brakes have an opening in the back behind the wheel with a star wheel that you turn with a flat screwdriver to manually adjust the brakes. Many drum brakes are self-adjusting too. Usually this is achieved by baking up and braking multiple times.

Here’s a link to many YouTube videos on this topic:

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...trailer+brakes

[mark96ss]

Thanks. I got that part on adjusting the brakes. I'm curious if any Ford F150 owners are getting the same error messages I indicated and what their solutions might be. I'm taking the trailer to the dealer in a couple of days to get the brake adjusted and the system checked for shorts/opens in the wires.

[creativepart]

The trailer disconnected message on Ford pickups is well documented and reported on. Do a Google search and you'll see tons of folks with the issue.

Most, clean and grease the 7-pin connectors, others pull the connector off the back of the 7-pin and clean it, dry it and grease it as well.

Most have said this solves the issue but I've seen others that pull the controller out of the dash and have it worked on, as well.

I did see a video where a guy said the trailer brake adjustment on the truck needs to be done at higher speeds. He said the brake controller takes your current speed into account when activated and that if you are going slow it won't lock up the brakes when you use the hand control.

Hope this helps. These are fairly common complaints on these Ford pickups.

[mark96ss]

Originally Posted by creativepart

The trailer disconnected message on Ford pickups is well documented and reported on. Do a Google search and you'll see tons of folks with the issue.

Most, clean and grease the 7-pin connectors, others pull the connector off the back of the 7-pin and clean it, dry it and grease it as well.

Most have said this solves the issue but I've seen others that pull the controller out of the dash and have it worked on, as well.

I did see a video where a guy said the trailer brake adjustment on the truck needs to be done at higher speeds. He said the brake controller takes your current speed into account when activated and that if you are going slow it won't lock up the brakes when you use the hand control.

Hope this helps. These are fairly common complaints on these Ford pickups.

Thanks!

[mark96ss]

Turns out that there is a wiring problem with the brakes on the 1 week old Micro. Drug it to the dealer an hour away. I was floored that, when I called on Tuesday, they told me to bring it in on Thursday! God's hand. Any way, the brakes are not engaging. They're going to fix that issue, as well as take care of a few other things while it's there. To think, I trailed the Micro nearly 300 miles with no brakes!

[unclescratch]

God is always blessing us.......

[johnevans3]

Originally Posted by unclescratch

God is always blessing us.......

Absolutely, if we are paying attention!!!