No brakes with engine off-1973 Winnebago Chieftain II D28

[jmccarrell]

OK, not sure if this is normal in these things I know I have the dual boosters in the middle of the chassis which tells me that the brakes are boosted by engine vacuum. So, i am wondering if I should still be able to stop my RV with the engine off. I know in a normal braking system it does require more effort to stop a car with out the engine running. Should that be the same principle with this type of braking system? Just curious. I almost wrecked my Suburban while trying to tow the RV when I first got it because I was having a fuel problem when I first got it. It was pretty scary but fortunately I was able to steer clear of hitting our family truck. Any help is greatly appreciated. If I made a rookie mistake lemme know. Trying to absorb as much information as possible on this beast.

[RV Mech Tech]

jmccarrell - your hydraulic brake system is totally independent of the boost system - as you have already experienced the effort to apply the brakes without the assist is much harder but your brake system should still function - as a suggestion, take your  coach to a  road where there is no traffic, back road,  abandoned road etc. and going slowly shut off the engine - you will then get the feel of what your Winnie  is like without power steering and the brake assist-  I hope this never happens to anyone in a real life emergency situation but if it does you will be prepared for it  and know what it feels like to bring the coach under control - with the engine off there will be no engine vacum and for those vehicles with power steering and hydra-boost brakes the same thing will happen- make sure you have lots of road ahead of you when doing this - also make sure that your brakes are in good condition with lots of lining on the front pads and rear shoes and the drums and rotors are o.k.-  you are stopping a large  vehicle with a house on the back  so the added weight contributes to a longer stopping distance for this type of vehicle .

[ClydesdaleKevin]

And make sure you don't turn the key, if you have a steering column ignition, completely off!  Turn it one click over to the accessory position.  You don't want your steering wheel to lock!

Kev

[jmccarrell]

OK, that's what I thought. Just wanted to make sure this wasn't abnormal. It's crazy that they made them this way back in the day. I'm sure it was top technology back then but I really don't like the braking systme at all on this thing. They work like they're supposed to just takes some getting used to is all.

[RV Mech Tech]

jmccarrell - don't  forget that  the Winnebago's and other RV's at that time had basic truck chassis and they feel like it especially compared with toady's RV's that are manufactured with custom built chassis, air suspensions etc.-  the early Winnebago's had the most up-to-date chassis of that time period (and still do) and are superior to most of the other makes of the 60's and 70's RV's that had chassis that were rated for the extra weight but not known for comfort when driving- if you feel your brakes are not performing  as they should then do a complete inspection of the system and steering as well - when the brake pads and shoes wear down, when the drums and rotors start to get thin (coming close to the minimum thickness on the wear surfaces) and the hydraulic system is full of dirt (sludge)  then brake performance will decrease considerably - brakes operate on the theory of "coefficient of friction" and when one or more parts of the mechanical or hydraulic system are in poor condition then you will feel it when you try and stop the coach- the basic weight of the coach doesn't change  (with the exception of the holding  and propane tanks being filled or not) but the performance of the brake system does as the parts wear out.    Hm?