2006 BassCat Trailer Brakes

You are probably going to want to replace the entire actuator. If the cylinder has rust, you probably have rust in the lines, the solenoid, and probably in the calipers as well. I bought my 08 classic late last year and this was the first issue I found while towing it home. Master cylinder was dry and full of rust. Got it to sort of working with a kit from o-reillys, then found that the calipers were sticking. Took em apart, pushed the piston out and found both were pitted with rust. Called Allan, ordered two calipers (which come with new pads), a new actuator, and new grease seals since I was taking everything apart anyway. Found one bad (rusting) bearing as well.Was not THAT expensive. I think the entire actuator lists for something like $160 on the BCB web page, and for that you get everything new. Dont remember exactly but calipers were $50-$60 and came with new pads. Seals were dirt cheap. a 3-4 hour job to replace everything if you including replacing one bearing and its race which is a bit painful.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200

For the calipers, check the dust boots. These help protect the pistons which will have to slowly extend outward as the pads wear. If you see cracks, you need to replace them. Note that they are not exactly “water proof” so good dust boots does not imply no rust, but it is a big help. You can get a pretty good idea by removing the caliper, but NOT unhooking the hydraulic line. Pump the M/C pushrod a couple of times which will cause the pistons to move out. Take a C-clamp and push the piston back in. Should go in slowly but effortlessly. If it feels smooth, you are probably good. The usual problem occurs when you replace the pads, which pushes the pistons all the way back in, and now any rust spots on the end that was exposed will stick and cause dragging brakes. I pay careful attention when replacing pads on cars and boat, to be sure that the piston(s) (my truck has 2 per caliper for example) retract smoothly and effortlessly.If you feel any sticking/binding, you can either replace the caliper, which is the easiest fix. Or you can carefully use that MC pushrod to push a piston all the way out (holding the caliper over something to catch the fluid that is going to pour out when the piston pops out. Then some crocus cloth and some elbow grease might be enough to clean things up. If there is any pitting on the piston, it is pointless as that will allow fluid to leak past the internal seal.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200

The easiest way to bleed was given by another member here. Didnt believe it, but tried it and it worked flawlessly. The issue with bleeding is pumping the master cylinder pushrod with a screwdriver as recommended by UFP. Only problem is, if you have lots of air, the air will compress and it is almost impossible to get fluid all the way through the system.Heres what will work:(1) jack up the front end of the trailer so that the actuator is higher than the calipers. You are going to drive air bubbles toward the master cylinder so that needs to be the high point.(2) find the most distant caliper. Take a 1 qt bottle of dot-3 and use a small pump (I used one of the lower unit oil type pumps). First, you need about 3 of clear hose that will go from the pump to the bleed valve and fit snugly on both. Hold the fluid bottle/pump well above the caliper and pump a few short strokes to get fluid into the tube. Now open the bleed screw and pump. You need someone up front to watch the reservoir as eventually you are going to start getting fluid going back in there and it will overflow and make a mess. Use a syringe, turkey baster, squeeze bulb, whatever, to extract fluid from the reservoir to keep it from overflowing. Do NOT re-use this fluid as it will be contaminated. You can stop for a minute and if you see rust/trash in bottom of reservoir, extract it with the syringe or whatever.(3) continue the above until your helper reports that he is seeing no more bubbles come up through the reservoir port. Sit for a minute to see if any bubbles come up through the tube to the pump. If so, wait until they stop.(4) close that bleed screw and move to the other caliper. Repeat. Be aware that initially, your helper will see NO bubbles since 90% of the brake lines now have fluid in em. Tell him to watch for when the bubbles start (and they will). Once they stop, continue pumping until they stop.(5) you are almost done, but to make it 100%, go back to the first wheel and pump a couple of strokes then wait to see if any bubbles are trapped in the caliper and come up thru the tube. If yes, wait till they stop, then go back to the other wheel and repeat there.(6) about the only trap you have here is the two flexible lines. They generally bow up and are an obvious source for trapped air. I usually grab the one I am working by and pull it downward so that it is no longer the high point. Do this while in step 2-4.Once done, the best test is to hook up and drive to a point where you are on a significant slope with the truck on the down-hill side of the trailer. Stop, get out and look at the actuator. That roller pin that slides in a slot should be no more than 1/3 of the way toward the back of the trailer. If it is all the way back, you still have significant air trapped (Do NOT put truck in reverse while doing this, that will kick the brake lock-out solenoid and ruin the test as the MC can now fully compress). If it is 1/2 way back or further, you still probably have a couple of bubbles left.This time it is easier to bleed in the normal way. Go to the most remote wheel, have someone pump the actuator piston with a screwdriver and hold, then you crack the bleed valve. Again it is best to use the clear tubing so you can (a) see the bubbles and (b) have fluid stacked up on top of the bleed valve in case your partner lets off the MC pushrod before you get the bleeder closed. This way it will just suck fluid back in rather than air. Repeat for the other side and re-test. This time it will probably behave as expected and the roller pin will be about 1/3 of the way back or less…Done.Sounds longer than it really is. And yes, you want to be confident you have both a good actuator, brake lines, and calipers. The flexible line banjo fittings are aggravating. You dont want to over-tighten, but you do have to tighten enough to properly crush the copper washer to provide a good seal.You can also tell you have done pretty well with that screwdriver. While bleeding, you can feel the pushrod move an inch or more. Once you get everything bled, it will barely move at all. To verify both calipers work, spin one wheel and pry with the screw drive. Should stop instantly. Repeat on the other wheel. Also, after stopping, when you release the screwdriver pressure, the wheel should move easily. Note that calipers always drag just a bit as there is no return spring on em, but “slightly” is the operative word. You can hear them while spinning the wheel, but you should not be able to feel em.Last edited by oldtimer57 on August 6th, 2017, 10:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.2008 Pantera Classic2014 Mercury Pro XS 200