Ok, I appreciate the help with my last topic, but towing this boat I am experiencing another problem with what I would consider brake fade.

After towing through the city for about 30 min, I notice that my brake pedal will almost go to the floor, but the vehicle will stop. This coincides with a burning smell that happens inside the vehicle. When I get out, it seems as though I can feel heat coming off my back tires (what I assume is from the rear drums doing a lot of braking while the front disc are experiencing fade).

Has anyone tried the drilled or slotted rotors for a pathfinder? I found some for sell and wonder if they are worth it. I was thinking about putting on some of those rotors to help with gas escaping and some semi-metallic pads. Would you consider this brake fade or could it be something else? Thanks for the help.

Just trying to get it fixed, and now I smell gas and get a dtc of the evap. purge valve.

Oh, its a 2003 pathy 4wd.

It definately sounds like brake fade, but rather than spending money on rotors that will only delay fade, try flushing your brake fluid. A good chunk of the experience of brake fade is actually the fluid over heating. Old brake fluid has moisture in it, and cannot stand heat nearly as well as new fluid. Proper replacement for your truck would be DOT3 fluid, but DOT4 is compatible. The "best" compatible fluid that is reasonably easy to come by is Ford Heavy Duty DOT4.

As far as the rotors, modern street pads don't off-gas nearly enough volume for cross drilled/slotted rotors to do anything but crack more easily. Good new rotors, Good new pads, and new fluid should fix most of the trouble you're seeing. If the problem still persists, then you are simply towing too much weight for your braking system, and should look into brakes for the boat trailer.

Thanks, what is the best way to flush the fluid? Just keep bleeding the brakes and adding fluid in?

quote:

Thanks, what is the best way to flush the fluid? Just keep bleeding the brakes and adding fluid in?

Correct. Keep bleeding until all the fluid looks like new. It take quite a bit of brake fluid.

Well, I noticed the burning smell (which smells like burnt transmission fluid) while on the interstate, but I had not used my brakes for a while. When I smell this burning smell, it coincides with my brakes giving out. Now, this only happened after I had my transmission flushed a few weeks ago, so maybe some fluid was spilled, but every time I smell it my brakes go bad. Could this be the transmission heating up and it being close enough to heat up the brake lines causing brake fade? Just this smell always happens when my brakes do not work, and as stated earlier, I wasn’t using my brakes and smelled it and I decided to tap the brakes and they went to the floor. Now, this only happens towing a boat (no more than 3500 lbs), no other time.

Not sure if your trucks (USA) have it but all UK Nissans have a load compensating valve to apply more bias to the rear wen loaded/towing, this could be malfunctioning ad causing the rear brakes to act as though they are bound on.

If you can get it DOT5.1 s fully compatible and will hang on even longer than DOT 4 brake fluid.

Over here any trailer over 750kg (1500lb ish) has to be braked in its own right - do you not have that? If the brakes on the trailer are working correcty there should be very little extra strain on your trucks brakes.

There are no laws here in the us on trailers and brakes. It all depends on how much weight the axle is designed to carry. Almost all heavy duty axles and trailers have brakes. Most car trailers have brakes on at least one axle.

How much does the bot weigh? You could be towing over or near capacity. Chaniging out the fluid will help so you should do that no matter what. You should also add a transmission cooler, B&M make an xlnt one thats relatively easy to install thou you'll need more tubing than they supply you with. When you install it, just totally bypass the stock cooler inthe bottom of the radiator, its the source of many dead transmissions.

I think each state sets its own laws about trailer breaks. My boat/motor and trailer add up to under 2000lbs, no breaks needed for me in Md.