I had the pleasure of driving somebody elses dustbin today,'09 Iveco Eurocargo 12E180, apart from the fact it’s grimy on the inside, I had a little problem with the footbrake.
Setting off out of the yard, stopped to shut gate and it stopped a bit sharpish, bit like when you apply the handbrake when still moving.
This happened six times throughout the day, a bit perplexing and I initially put it down to not being used to this particular wagon. However, in Hillsborugh I slowed almost to a stop and it did it again but with a vengeance, I kept my foot in the same position on the brake pedal (more through luck than intention) and you could hear the air exhausting from the valve behind the front flap, as soon as I moved the pedal all was normal again. I’d put the air gauges on the LCD screen after it happened the 3rd time, thinking it might just be air loss through normal/repeated use or a leak, air pressure was fine even when my lunch box ricocheted of the dash.
I parked it up in Hillsborough park and called the contract lease company who sent out an independent fitter, between us we couldn’t reproduce fault and off he went. I called my boss and he wasn’t happy, told me to get lease company to confirm it’s safe to drive and was going to tell them we need written confirmation, I recorded phone call instead. When I spoke to them they got fitters manager on phone and relayed that they couldn’t find fault therefore it was safe to drive, I tried to get point across that because we couldn’t reproduce a fault doesn’t mean there isn’t one and why isn’t my word good enough! They said there would be no recovery and no more fitters sent because of the costs involved!
So I was between a rock and a hard place, get it back to the depot and pray along the way, or stay put and hope that someone would give a toss and get me and/or the wagon sorted (that was never going to happen).
I got all religious, and gingerly got back to depot, despite another incident of locking up, I refused to take it any further, lease company wouldn’t recover it from depot despite HO bigwigs getting involved because I’d driven it from Sheffield! I spoke to a couple of drivers and they had similar experience in this vehicle but only once/twice in a shift and they’d put it down to imagination or a heavy foot.
Has anyone experienced similar problems with a footbrake valve and if so how was it rectified, ie recovered, fixed at roadside etc?
Would you have driven it back (here comes the melodramatic bit) with the possible chance of locking up whilst at speed?
axletramp:
Have a look at the load sensing valve near the rear axle. The links might be loose making
the motor think it’s much heavier than it actually is.
Thanks Axletramp, thought about that but the way it does it and under load and almost empty almost rules it out, excuse my mechanical ignorance but it seems to dump air from the valve (certainly between valve and front brakes) but not from the main air system.
My stralis does this, you can progressively brake and as you come to a stop sometimes just stops suddenly, exactly how you describe when you say its abit like applying the handbrake while still moving.
interesting read this.
i always find it amazing with these kind of intermittent diagnosis jobs.(many of which have been in and out of the workshops with the same fault).
boss want’s written proof no faults are there,even though his driver is reporting one.
then when a tow home is mentioned miraculously it’s ok to drive back to the depot.
most likely needs a software update for the EBS system.if it’s on air suspension make sure the suspension has been reset to ride height.the older eurocargo had a common electrical fault whereby the exhaust brake would operate allby itself causing engine stalling and erratic braking,so i wouldn’t be suprised if it’s a microswitch playing up somewhere in the brake system.
wrecktech100:
interesting read this.
i always find it amazing with these kind of intermittent diagnosis jobs.(many of which have been in and out of the workshops with the same fault).
boss want’s written proof no faults are there,even though his driver is reporting one.
then when a tow home is mentioned miraculously it’s ok to drive back to the depot.
most likely needs a software update for the EBS system.if it’s on air suspension make sure the suspension has been reset to ride height.the older eurocargo had a common electrical fault whereby the exhaust brake would operate allby itself causing engine stalling and erratic braking,so i wouldn’t be suprised if it’s a microswitch playing up somewhere in the brake system.
I find it even more surprising that a driver has to deal with a leasing company to sort out a maintenance problem, and even more surprising to ask for written confirmation for the boss. What does the traffic manager do?
Well it’s all sorted, garage couldn’t find a fault, nothing logged on ecu, so it’s okay to drive, written confirmation to say so, agency driver yesterday had same problem, but only reported it when he came back to yard. I spoke to Knorr Bremse UK technical dept and they simply say, “if it’s intermittently venting when pedal depressed, change the valve.” As a £125 (I believe) part it’s not exactly going to break the bank.
Thanks for everyones input but I think I’m banging my head against a brick wall, nice to know that BSS Group LTD management, Pro Hire, Sherwoods, and Pelican Engineering all have faith in the word of drivers.
