ddrueckh
California
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Joined: 05/15/2012
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We tried to leave on a trip tonight, but just miles from home while on the freeway we started hearing a loud popping sound. I am pretty sure it was from our 2000 Jayco Qwest brakes. It makes the sound every now and then, not on a regular basis. I'm not sure if it is the brakes because it even did it a few times when I was not pressing them. I did get an OL error on my tekonsha brake controller for a minute. Being that it did it even when I wasn't pressing the brakes, could it be the controller going bad? Why would the brakes make this loud sound. It would pop 6-8 times in a row and then stop all by itself. No rhym or reason to it. Thanks for the help!
2011 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew Cab 4X4 DMax
2000 Jayco QWEST 244B
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opnspaces
San Diego Ca
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Maybe you have a short in your 7 pin connector between the 12V and brake wire. The wind and road vibrations cause the shorted wires to connect and disconnect.
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botts12
Tallahassee, FL
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We heard that noise and ended up being the wheel bearings.
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DiskDoctr
PA
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Pull each wheel and make sure the green brake wires behind the brakes come through the hole in the backing plate.
I've seen them where the wires get rubbed between the brakes and the backing plate and rub through. They will short, sometimes activating the brakes, but not with any particular pattern.
They can short based upon load, road conditions, etc. Either way, it's an easy fix if you find it *before* you cause any electrical damage.
Had a utility trailer that had this problem. Under heavy loads or sometimes hitting rough road would trigger OL on my Prodigy. Finally ripped the brakes off and found the above. I thought it was a wire pinched between the decking and the frame 
- JC
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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Joined: 12/17/2003
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What kind of hitch are you using? Sounds more like a friction anti sway system to me (but then I didn't HEAR the noise). Have you heard that kind of noise previously? Towed the trialer enough that you would KNOW how it normally sounds? More questions than answers but you gave us very little information to work with.
Good luck. It's never fun to abort a vacation / Skip
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Ron Gratz
full time RVer
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Joined: 12/27/2003
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ddrueckh wrote:---I am pretty sure it was from our 2000 Jayco Qwest brakes. It makes the sound every now and then, not on a regular basis. I'm not sure if it is the brakes because it even did it a few times when I was not pressing them.--- Does it also feel as though the brakes are activating (pulling rearward on the TV) or are you only noticing the popping sound?
Do you hear the sounds more when making a turn versus going straight ahead?
Ron
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Cedarhill
Deep South
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I'm with Skip. The original poster hasn't provided enough information to do anything more than make wild guesses. Based on what I know of trailer braking systems, a loud popping sound would not suggest brake failure as a root cause unless it is associated with other unusual braking behavior.
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anaro
Mebane, NC
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I too first thought of the hitch when they described the popping sound. Is it when turning? What type of WDH/sway control do you have?
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DiskDoctr
PA
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anaro wrote:I too first thought of the hitch when they described the popping sound. Is it when turning? What type of WDH/sway control do you have?
With the prodigy showing overload (O/L), it indicates a short. I am thinking the popping sound is the brakes shorting intermittently, causing the trailer to jerk a bit.
Sure, that is also likely to be heard in the hitch, too, but look for the root cause.
Hope it is simple.
- JC
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ddrueckh
California
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Thank you for the replies. It was very difficult to hear where the sound was coming from. It really sounded like a jack hammer. I replaced the brake controller and tried to leave again Saturday morning, but after about 5 miles the banging started again. I went back home and dropped off the trailer and took the truck on the same route. After about 6 miles...there was the noise! It was the truck, not the trailer. Since the truck is 10 years old, the starter is going out and now this noise...coupled with the fact that we were already talking about getting a new truck, we went shopping and now have a new 2012 Chevy Silverado 2500 Crew Cab Duramax Diesel with Allison Transmission  ! I hope to have many trouble free years of towing with this truck and I am sure it will do a much better job of towing than the Tahoe. Thanks again for the replies!
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