Brake problems - '99 FDS

[gary85]

Got 93 miles into our trip when the ABS light started flashing. A short time later the light came on solid and the brakes became mushy. Pulled over before losing all braking ability and had coach towed to a repair shop. Since the shop was closed (problem started Sat PM)I have until MOn AM to try to get an education so I know how to discuss 'our' brake system with the mechanic. Coach has not seen much use and we live near a large saltwater bay, i.e. possible rust.
So, where do I start and what would you recommend?
BTW, the coach had the brake upgrade with all new calipers, etc about 4 years and 9k miles ago.

[gary85]

Got 93 miles into our trip when the ABS light started flashing. A short time later the light came on solid and the brakes became mushy. Pulled over before losing all braking ability and had coach towed to a repair shop. Since the shop was closed (problem started Sat PM)I have until MOn AM to try to get an education so I know how to discuss 'our' brake system with the mechanic. Coach has not seen much use and we live near a large saltwater bay, i.e. possible rust.
So, where do I start and what would you recommend?
BTW, the coach had the brake upgrade with all new calipers, etc about 4 years and 9k miles ago.

[EngineerMike]

My first thought, naturally, is neglect. Your coach feels neglected, and is pouting. Alpines need love too

But seriously. When was the last time your hydraulic oil & filters were changed? If you have skipped the regular time-denominated oil changes (because mileage was sooo low?), you may have salt-laden condensation in the hydraulic reservoir (engine crankcase & maybe tranny too, and maybe the fuel tank if you didn't completely top off before long periods of storage). Once you kick the coach on, get hydraulic oil flowing, add a little heat, etc., the gunk may be accumulating in the reservoir & clogging the filters, or worse- flowing thru the system to the Bosch Hydromax Brake Booster in the front of the coach under the gen slide cap. You may be able to check this by opening the hydraulic reservoir @ rear engine hatch. You may want a flashlight & mirror to make the inspection easier.

You will want to download the brake system manuals. Alpine Coach Association (ACA), in response to WRV's closing is assembling a Technical Library. Go to the ACA website & click on ???, then scroll down for Chassis stuff & look for Brake, ABS & Brake Troubleshooting info. This site is under construction as we speak, so check back periodically if you don't find what you want. Also, since we depend on each other, post your further experiences w/the brakes here on iRV2 including links to any additional tech materials you may find while plumbing your way thru your specific problem(s). Good luck & let us know what happens. Mike

[Wil Rathke]

Your coach has a sliding caliper disk brake system and they were prone to not sliding and releasing after application. I agree with EngineerMike's comments about salt water exposure. I had a '99 for 6 years and never had a problem, but I lived in Colorado then. Other owners had problems I understand and had major meltdowns.

[rmmpe]

Before I did anything else, I'd verify the brake fluid level. If the fluid gets too low, the master cylinder(s) will inject air into the system and cause "Spongy" brakes and trigger the ABS light, which is also a brake malfunction warning system.

The backup system will not do any more than the master system if there is air in the brake lines.

If it does have air in the lines, the system(s) will have to be bled to purge the air and restore the system's ability to operate properly.

The fluid level must be checked every so often because as the brake pads wear, the slave cylinder volumes increase, reducing the level in the reservoir(s).

[gary85]

Update. Apparently, due to limited use and close proximity to large salt water bay, the rear caliper slides became rusty. This would not alow the calipers to fully return (release) therefore they were dragging and created heat. The heat melted the rear ABS sensors and boiled the fluid and resulted in only front braking. This caused the ABS lights and mushy braking. After a mechanic replaced the fluid and cleaned the slides,the coach made it to FL (Lazydays) where it was traded.