RVibrake3 Troubleshooting

A.  Error Codes are designed to tell us exactly what's going on with your RVibrake3 when something goes wrong. Most of them are very easily resolved in the field, but there are a few that require a brake to be sent into us for a repair. For a full explanation on Error Codes and what each individual one means, check out the video below:

A. This depends on whether you have a gas coach with hydraulic brakes or a diesel coach with air brakes.

Gas coach: It is recommended that you use your transmission to assist in braking and feather your brakes to get the RPMs higher to assist in braking. This is regardless of the RVibrake3.

Diesel coach: It is recommend that you allow the exhaust brake to handle most of the braking and to steadily hold the brake pedal.

A. Vacuum assist vehicles use vacuum to boost the pressure when braking and Active brake vehicles have constant electrical or hydraulic systems to assist in braking whether the engine is running or not. Most hybrid vehicles use Active assist brakes. Most vehicles on the market use engine vacuum (Vacuum assist brakes) to assist in braking. This means when the engine is off, 2-3 brakings of assist are stored in master booster and must be depleted by the RVibrake3 in setup. To determine what brake type your vehicle has, consult your Manufacturers Owners Guide. 

(Note: Failure to properly set the vehicle selection to the proper setting may cause severe tire and/or vehicle damage.) 

If you still have questions or don’t know what type of braking system you have call us at 800-815-2159.

A.  Most vehicles on the market use engine vacuum (Vacuum assist brakes) to assist in braking. This means when the engine is off, 2-3 brakings of vacuum assist are stored in master booster and must be depleted by the RVibrake3 in setup. If you let the engine run during or after installation of the RVibrake3, then the master boost will store vacuum assist, causing excessive braking for the first brakings of the day. Always unplug the RVibrake3 anytime the engine in the tow vehicle is running. 

A. The Command Center tablet gives you complete, continuous braking information — a glance at the monitor assures you that RVibrake3 is fully operational. 

(Note: if the Command Center tablet or hub is not plugged in, RVibrake3 will still continue to work.) 

A. Braking force and sensitivity can be modified on the fly from the Command Center tablet in your motorhome. No matter what, RVibrake3 will always respond with full pressure during an emergency stop. 

A.  You never want to power your RVibrake3 off of the motorhome. The reason is if you have a breakaway, then the RVibrake3 no longer has power. You need it connected to the towed battery. If you have to disconnect your battery for towing or your stock 12V outlet is bad, you'll need to use something like our 12V Direct to Battery Kit. 

A. Check to see if the red LED is lit on the male plug of the RVibrake3. If the LED is lit, then we at least know that it's not a dead 12V outlet. Most vehicles have good current flowing through the factory 12V outlet in the towed vehicle, but not all 12V outlets are created equal. Try the other 12V outlets in the towed vehicle as well as a 12V outlet in the motorhome. If you continue to have the issues contact RVi Support.

(Note: If after testing in multiple outlets the Audio Assistant still doesn't come on and you are trying to leave that day on a trip, leave RVibrake3 plugged into a good 12V outlet for an hour to see if the unit jumpstarts.)

A. This is the cause of one of two things:

1. You have a rounded rise in the floorpan that the RVibrake3 pushes up against, where when it pushes on the brake pedal the RVIbrake3 goes up the curve and if the towed vehicle hits a bump it slides down. The way to fix this is to put our stop plate behind the RVibrake3 so that it doesn't have to interact with the curve in the floorpan.

2. The back end of the RVibrake3 is higher than the front and is on a downward slope, and when the towed hits a big enough bump, gravity pulls the RVibrake3 down. The way to fix this is to contact us for a custom bracket for your stop plate.

A. This means that while setting up the RVibrake3 through the Auto Position process, the brake pedal was held down by your hand or foot and now the brake pedal is depressed. We made a video about this that you can watch HERE.