Sorry for the long post but I'm perplexed by several things and am certain that this is the place for answers. First, the back story:
My 2005 Nitro 898 is 20' 4" and has a 225 ProXS. It's surprising that I have a single axle trailer, but Nitro specs allowed for a single or dual axle trailer, and the package I purchased happened to have the single axle. It hasn't been an issue and I've taken that rig from KY to TX, FL, MS, SC, AL, MO, and TN as well as all over the state since I've owned it. I understand routine maintenance and rotate my tires and grease the hubs annually, and regularly change the brake fluid. Bearings and seals have also been replaced a few times over the lifespan. I've easily put well over 100,000 miles on the trailer and have never had any issues, until last spring.
I lost a wheel on the interstate last spring and decided to replace the entire axle assembly, including disc brakes. I live in a small town and the trailer shop that I found that was within a reasonable distance from the accident seemed like a good place, but as time wore on I realized that they weren't as reliable or professional as they claimed to be. I won't go too deep into it, but to give you a picture of the timeline: it took them 3 weeks to order the assembly (with a 5-week delivery); I checked with them at the 4-week point to see how things were going (this is actually 7 weeks into the process, so I was pretty antsy) and they discovered that the order hadn't been submitted due to some final specs not being submitted to the supplier (needless to say "unhappy" was an understatement); I got all the specs from them and started making phone calls on my 30min drive home, based on the suggestions some of you had made (I had put up a post about it in this forum); within 15min I was speaking to the manufacturer and had an order submitted and two days later drove to Columbus, OH to pick up the assembly; I delivered it to the trailer shop and it STILL took them an additional week to install, because they were waiting on the "special order" U-bolts, which are already rusting. It took them a little over 9 weeks to get me back on the road, and I can't say that I really trust any of their work.
With all of that said I'm finally going to get to the point of this post. Upon picking up my rig I went on a trip to SC (next day) and a month later to MS, in addition to the usual trips around KY, and the trailer felt like is was "swimming" a lot. It seemed as if there was a lot more "play" in how it trailered. In December I decided to inspect the master cylinder and see if there was a problem there, and it was a mess. I replaced it with a new one and have everything hooked up, but I cannot get the brakes bled.
When I crack the bleed screws, no fluid comes out. Only if I remove the bleed screws does fluid flow out. So, I thought the screws might perhaps be clogged. When I ran a wire through the top hole I hit an obstruction, and the same thing happened when I ran the wire through the bottom hole. Is that right? Do I need different bleed screws? Am I doing something wrong? Is there a plug in the screws that should have been removed when the new assembly was installed?
As a temporary fix, a mechanic friend of mine suggested that I bleed the lines at the point where the solid tube meets the flexible tube, which actually worked but I don't feel as if the system is properly pressurized. So I'm looking for more advice to figure out how to get things right so I can go down the road with confidence.
My specs are:
Trailer Type: N898 SA (May 2004)
GVWR/PNBV: 1905kg / 4200lb
GAWR/PNBE: 1905kg / 4200lb
Max Load Capacity: 1519kg / 3350lb
Tires: ST225/75R15 LR-C
PSI/LPC: 50 / KPA: 344
- Axle assembly - AXLE3.5SEZ Ohio Trailer Service (replaced 5/27/22)
- Kodiak Disc Brakes: 2/HRCM-10-DAC-K, 10”, 3500 lbs, #84 spindle (replaced 5/22/2022)
- Hubs - EZ Lube (greased 3/15/23)
- Leaf Springs - 25.25” 2900 lbs per side (replaced 5/28/21); axle rated for 3500 lbs
- Master Cylinder - TIEDOWN LP70 Button Latch Disc Brake Master Cylinder Kit (replaced 01/17/23)
- ​Trailer King RST49T ST205/7515 8ply D TL tires - New (6/19/20)
- Tires Rotated - (3/15/23)
So to wrap this all up, my questions are: How do I get the brakes bled at the bleed screws? Do I need to install different bleed screws? What am I doing wrong? Is there anything else that might be a problem that you see here? I appreciate any help I can get. Thanks in advance BBC!
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. This evening I was finally able to have time to get things completed. I truly appreciate the help everyone!
Originally Posted by bmas13
