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Old 12-25-2013, 03:51 PM   #1
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2013-2014 Winnebago Adventurer brake issues

New coach and brakes feel spongey like you have to really push down hard to get her to stop. My first motor home, I'm a full blown newby, is it possible that I might need to adjust to the motor home feel compared to stopping a car or could something need looking into regarding the brakes?
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Old 12-25-2013, 04:01 PM   #2
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New coach and brakes feel spongey like you have to really push down hard to get her to stop. My first motor home, I'm a full blown newby, is it possible that I might need to adjust to the motor home feel compared to stopping a car or could something need looking into regarding the brakes?
You don't advise what Winnebago you have......gas engine?,,,,,,,,diesel?.......air brakes?.........hydraulic brakes? It would be a good thing if you wold put a brief description of your rig in your signature line so others can offer some help when you ask for it.
Having said all that.....air brakes feel a little different than hydraulic brakes.....at least to me.
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Old 12-25-2013, 04:11 PM   #3
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Based on what I have found, you have a Ford F53 chassis in that coach. The newer chassis have a different brake feel than that of the older chassis. From my experience the pedal does feel it need a little more effort than the older chassis and don't feel that of a car. Im sure they are ok and there are no adjustments for the brakes. However if you have a coach dealer close by, take a test drive of a newer coach like yours and compare the feel.
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Old 12-25-2013, 04:58 PM   #4
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Do the brakes require more effort now than when you test drove it? That could be a problem.
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Old 12-25-2013, 10:51 PM   #5
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I am guessing it's a weight thing. Your MH is moving a lot more weight with a lot more inertia.

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Old 12-25-2013, 11:54 PM   #6
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Cato47, I have the newer Adventurer w/F53 and too find it hard to work that peddle at times. Wishing it was wider at times so I could get both feet on it. Then again, you are trying to stop 20K plus pounds. Learn the vehicle, can"t drive it like a car, it does stop.
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Old 12-26-2013, 03:20 AM   #7
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New coach and brakes feel spongey like you have to really push down hard to get her to stop. My first motor home, I'm a full blown newby, is it possible that I might need to adjust to the motor home feel compared to stopping a car or could something need looking into regarding the brakes?
They are a bit more spongy feeling than a car as they are boosted using the power steering pump and also have an electric booster pump in case the engine stalls. They are also antilock brakes so you also have that muting to deal with only on a larger scale however the vehicle should still stop quickly when you stomp on the brakes.

To play it safe take another Adventurer for a test drive and see if it is similar or ask the dealer you bought it from to check them out for you under warranty while its still applicable. Better to play it safe than sorry.

My Adveturer came with a brake pedal extension that made it double wide which you may want to consider if you believe you might need to put two feet on it in a panic situation.
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Old 12-26-2013, 06:48 AM   #8
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Based on what I have found, you have a Ford F53 chassis in that coach. The newer chassis have a different brake feel than that of the older chassis. From my experience the pedal does feel it need a little more effort than the older chassis and don't feel that of a car. Im sure they are ok and there are no adjustments for the brakes. However if you have a coach dealer close by, take a test drive of a newer coach like yours and compare the feel.
I totally agree. Our 2013 is much different than our 2001. The old one was more like stepping on the brake pedal in the car. The new one takes more foot pressure. I wouldn't call it spongy. In our case it's a more solid feel.

Once you get used to it there doesn't seem to be any problem. We have just over 11,000 miles on our 2013 and it performs well. It's just different.
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Old 12-26-2013, 08:58 AM   #9
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I agree with Hiker Dog. Our 2013 Adventurer has the same feel. I went back to the dealership to have it checked and found that it is normal for that coach.
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Old 12-27-2013, 02:05 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by cato47 View Post
New coach and brakes feel spongey like you have to really push down hard to get her to stop. My first motor home, I'm a full blown newby, is it possible that I might need to adjust to the motor home feel compared to stopping a car or could something need looking into regarding the brakes?
:welcome:

i would at least bleed the brakes. a spongy pedal is a symptom of air in the system.
it is easy to do and not expensive.
if there is even a little air in the system, it will make a big difference.
the brake fluid should be replaced and the brakes bled at least every 2 years.
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Old 12-27-2013, 03:33 AM   #11
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Since it appears to be a new coach that should still be under warranty rather than say its OK from afar especially where it concerns brakes feeling spongy take care of it through the dealer so it will be on the books if they become a problem later on. It could be absolutely nothing or it could be a major problem however not being able to put my foot on the pedal, to say anything with a 100% certainty would not be best practice on my part.

Maintain your warranty through the dealer instead of trying to bandaid (bleed, flush, adjust, etc) things yourself on a new coach under warranty is the best advice I can give you. If it turns out to be nothing then no real harm or foul however if you ignore it and this turns out to be a warrantable issue that leads to a failure or crash then the dealer can honestly say its your own fault for not calling out the defect and giving them a chance to correct it.
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Old 12-27-2013, 07:45 AM   #12
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:welcome:

i would at least bleed the brakes. a spongy pedal is a symptom of air in the system.
it is easy to do and not expensive.
if there is even a little air in the system, it will make a big difference.
the brake fluid should be replaced and the brakes bled at least every 2 years.
You cannot have the engine running to feel a spongy brake pedal. The power assist will and can cause a false feeling of the actual feel. In the case of these motorhomes, you need to keep the engine off and disable the hyrdroboost pump and feel the pedal. After a few pumps it should be hard with minimal movement.

With some systems the pedal will actually go to the floor with the engine running. If there is enough foot pressure and the type of assist, the pedal will be pulled and pushed to the floor. This is characteristic of these systems and not an indicator of a failure.
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Old 12-27-2013, 09:51 AM   #13
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We just got back from our maiden voyage in our 2014 Adventurer 35P. I did not notice anything strange about the brakes. Our last motorhome was a DP with air brakes.
The biggest thing is as mentioned above you are driving a small house and it will not stop like a car. Also you are setting higher which give a different distance perspective.
Put the transmission in the tow haul mode when you are going to slow down or stop.
Watch the traffic and plan you stops well ahead.
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Old 12-27-2013, 11:13 AM   #14
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I think what you are feeling is common to the newer F53. Our brake feels the same way but I know for sure if you have to really hit the brakes, they work very well.
I think some of that brake feel is from the way the brake pedal is situated. You actually have to push "down" on the pedal instead of a straight ahead push as in most autos etc.
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Old 12-27-2013, 03:57 PM   #15
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right away I noticed the same thing, a lot different than our 07 Sunova on the ford chassis. Had ours checked and all was fine, better safe than sorry
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