# Broken Electric Brake Wire



## Chips (Aug 15, 2004)

While getting ready to drop my underbelly to install a quickie Flush, I noticed one of my electric brake wires had broken off. It was easy to repair. I just thought it was important safety-wise to tell everyone to add this to your regular maintainence check. This is the 1st time I'm trying to post a picture and had difficulty. So I'm just sending this notice without the picture. I tried using Vern's steps to attach the picture but even though I consider myself quite a handiman, this picture adding has me confused.


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## Chips (Aug 15, 2004)

Well I.m slowly getting there. I was able to post a picture of the broken wire, but its posted in the TRAVEL TRAILER GALLERY. You will notice that the wire broke away from the connector. I had to cut open the old connector, splice the 3 wires back together and cover with a new connector. In the furure I try get the picture posted in the correct forum. Happy camping


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

To post ANY picture on a thread, just upload the photo somewhere on the internet. You can load to the Outbacker gallery or to another site that allows uploads. Then, simply right-click on the photo, and select properties. Highlight the Address (URL) and press Ctrl-C. Then in the thread, click the IMG button and paste (Crtl-V) the URL there. Boom...picture is posted on a thread. Examples:




























Randy


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## Chips (Aug 15, 2004)

Thanks for the advice, Castle Rock Outbackers. This is the pictureof the broken wire.


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

That pic shows a connection that has failed. Given the way they tied the wires together, I would predict that over time many of these will fail. The plastic insulation on the wires does more than just insulate. It is also a very significant part of the wire's tensile and ductile strength. Once memoved, the wire can easily flex and a strand at a time will break until all the strands are broken. Also, the mass of the connector will make the wire bounce up and down (flex) leading to aforementioned breaking. Lastly, without insulation, water and road salt will get into the connection and corrode the wire further, accelerating failure.









How to protect against this? Wrap with a lot of good quality electrical tape, extending several inches each way from the connector. Make the job neat and tight and coat the tape with an appropriate coating/sealer. 3M makes a coating specifically for this. Also, some way of supporting the wire at the connector would diminish bouncing/flexing.

Bill


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## Chips (Aug 15, 2004)

Thanks, Bill, for the advise. I'll do your recommendations to keep all of the brake wires more secure.


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## Chips (Aug 15, 2004)

I found this information on the Internet while searching for electrical wire sealer. Thought I would pass it on for what its worth. I like the idea of coating the connector, inside and out, with silicone to form a water tight seal with a little flexibility from the nature of silicone. This would allow for movement of the suspension between the brake drum and the trailer chassie when travelling. I was also thinking that using solder on the wire strands, once they are all joined, which, I assume, would also help hold them together. Any thoughts on this paragraph or the one below welcomed.

FROM THE INTERNET:
Do-it-yourselfers can make their own water tight connectors. Use a standard wire nut to make the splice. Make sure the wire nut is the correct size for the wires you are splicing. Do not try to "make do" with the next wire nut size smaller or larger or you will regret it, that's a promise! After making the splice fill the wire nut cavity with kitchen and bath type silicon sealer, making sure no gaps or holes are present and no bare wire is exposed. Next coat the entire wire nut and the wire for 2" away from the nut with a layer of the sealer. After the sealer dries wrap the whole thing in a couple of layers of electrical tape.


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

If I have to make this repair, I would solder the wires and use the plastic heat shrinking stuff to waterproof.

John


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