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Old 04-28-2022, 07:36 PM   #1
jstadler
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I had my bearings packed last summer, my brakes are spongy, I suspect they did not adjust the breaks right. I understand you can adjust them like you did the old drum brakes.

Which way to you adjust the star wheel up to tighten breaks or down to tighten breaks?

Thanks in advance for help I have never done this before.

John
 
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Old 04-28-2022, 07:55 PM   #2
Carl n Susan
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More than likely you have self-adjusting brakes on a 2017 Montana (I think they started using them in 2010 or so). Every time you stop going forward, they adjust themselves a bit. If the bearing packer had unadjusted (retracted?) them to ease removal of the drum, it will take several stops before they get back to where they should be.

It has been a while since I last adjusted brakes, but as I recall the front star wheel goes down and the rear star wheel goes up to tighten.
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Old 04-29-2022, 12:45 PM   #3
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Don't self-adjusting brakes adjust when going in reverse and coming to a stop. It's the reverse stopping action that activates the clicking of the star wheel.

But, if the trailer does not have the self-adjusting brakes, then you've got to do it manually by clicking the star wheel yourself.
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Old 04-29-2022, 01:04 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DutchmenSport View Post
<snip>....Don't self-adjusting brakes adjust when going in reverse and coming to a stop. It's the reverse stopping action that activates the clicking of the star wheel....</snip>
You are thinking of automobile brakes. The Dexter self adjusting brakes use a forward self adjusting feature which adjusts the brakes on each forward stop.
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Old 04-29-2022, 01:16 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Carl n Susan View Post
... The Dexter self adjusting brakes use a forward self adjusting feature...
Thanks!
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Old 04-29-2022, 04:15 PM   #6
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Be sure that they did not get grease on your drums. We had our bearings packed after rally at a trailer shop in Elkhart. They had it done and one of their shop guys was lubing our wet bolts. Well, he also pumped grease into the hubs. Blew the seals and we had no brakes. They had to replace hubs, brakes, seals, etc. Fortunately, they stood behind and paid out the thousands to fix it.
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Old 05-12-2022, 05:55 AM   #7
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A spongy brake pedal is typically caused by air in the brake fluid. A brake fluid leak which will lead to a very low level of brake fluid in your truck's master cylinder is the typical cause. If your electric trailer brakes are out of atjustment, it would only cause your rig to take longer to come to a stop. I would check the truck's brake fluid level, check for leaks. If all is well with that than it could even be the master cylinder leaking internally, internal fluid bypass.
Hope this helps!
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Old 06-11-2022, 09:24 AM   #8
Foldbak
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I was going to say....your electric trailer breaks wouldn't affect your truck hydraulic brakes in the least. If your truck break pedal is spongy you have a truck brake problem not a trailer break problem. Most likely air in the system. Take it to your local auto shop and they can troubleshoot.
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