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    Seasoned Camper jeffdawgfan's Avatar
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    Reflection Brakes/Wiring/Quality Control Issues

    I am posting this as a reference for people having similar issues and will also be sending this to GD regarding QA issues...

    Background. I bought a Refelction 2017 303RLS back in April 2017. We purchased about 250 miles from home so had a good tow on the way home after the PDI. On the way home the brakes just did not feel right to me. The TT I had just traded, If I turned the gain up to about 7.0 on the brake controller it would lock up the trailer brakes. On the 303RLS at max gain and power boost I could barely feel any drag. This was probably compensated by the excellent and overly designed brakes on my new 2017 Nissan Titan Diesel tow vehicle. I could stop if I paid attention, but the brakes did just not feel right.

    In June I finally got around to pulling my brake hubs and found all four assemblies contaminated with grease...same issue as others have found. I figured this was the problem and wrote Lippert and they mailed me four new assemblies which I replaced myself. This was at no cost and under their warranty. I have a great mistrust for the work quality of dealerships due to previous issues with with other RV's so prefer to do my own repairs and maintenance.

    After replacing all brake hubs I tested brakes by having a side jacked up with trailer hooked to truck. I found the rear brakes worked great but the front brakes did not respond at all. So then I tested brakes by pulling breakaway switch and no brakes worked. There was obviously something amiss in the wiring for the brakes. I started tracing wiring and this is what I found:

    1) The breakaway switch was so corroded it was frozen in open position. Would not work and wonder if it ever worked. I replaced with a quality switch shown below. I then had brakes upon breakaway for rear wheels only. Still no front brakes.

    https://www.amazon.com/Fastway-80-00...eakaway+switch

    I then started tracing the break wiring from tow harness back to the axles themselves. The wire from the 7 pin connector is blue and a 10 gauge wire. (All brake wiring should be 10 gauge). In the junction box just aft of the pin box the blue wire is joined with a ground in a flat red two conductor cable. The inner wires in this red flat are blue and white. (You can see in later photos.) This wiring is 14 gauge (should be 10 gauge). Anyway, I traced that red flat all the way back to the front axle by loosening and peeking under chloorplast bottom of trailer. I finally found where the wires branch out to the front and back axles. The manufacturer (Lippert or GD?) simply cut the red flat and spliced in three way connectors. They then ran two (20 gauge...yes 20 gauge) wires to the front axle. About two feet further back there are two more black wires tied in (20 gauge) to the rear axle. For connectors they used these cheap...I call them guillotine connectors. The connectors are supposed to work by slicing into the insulation and making contact with the conductor. The problem is, on small gauge wiring they do not make contact or worse yet they simply cut the wire. You cannot use these connectors for this small wire they used without problems...which I found. One of the black wires in the three way connector was either never inserted properly or the blades of the connector did not even cut through the insulation. THe result was that the front brakes on this trailer HAVE NEVER WORKED. This is a real problem GD and Lippert. People could die because of this lack of quality control. Were the brakes ever tested??? At PDI I have never requested that they place trailer on jacks and test each individual brake. I doubt others have either. Also the wiring is sub-standard. 18 or 20 gauge wiring should not be used on trailer brakes!!!

    The front splice at front axle showing missing black wire:
    Attachment 9164

    Notice the loose black wire has no marks at all from the guillotine connector. It was never connected and thus the front brakes never worked from the factory.
    Attachment 9165

    So....I replaced all the substandard wiring going to each axles with 10 gauge wire. I used some heavy duty low voltage DC patio lighting wire that I had already that is water and weather resistant. I cut all the guillotine connectors out and used either crimp or twist tie connectors with heat shrink over the connection and then heavy electrical tape for good luck. I made sure all the wiring exposed at axles was tie wrapped away from tires so it could not be rubbed and frayed. I will be writing both GD and Lippert to find out who does the wiring for the brakes and the issues I have found. The small gauge substandard wiring is just a fatal accident waiting to happen for someone when it fails the way I have discovered.

    IT is only a recommendation, but if you look at your axles and see those two small black wires coming down then you probably have the same type wire and connectors and I would replace that wire and associated connectors. This same wire/connectors probably used on other models (Solitude/Imagine???)

    Also check your breakaway switches, if the same cheap model I have they contacts may be corroded open and unit will not work. Replace and lubricate the new one real well with a good dry lubricant.

    I hope this can be a resource and warning to others having issues.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails wire 1.jpg   wire 4.jpg  
    2017 Reflection 303 RLS
    TV 2017 Nissan Titan XD CC Diesel 4x4

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