aide automotive have seen recent reports in the media of articualted truck drivers knwloedge of the ISO 7638 Susie.

We offer credit to the below article to Don Bur Ltd.

There is disturbing evidence to suggest that some drivers aren’t aware of the role and critical importance of the ABS ISO7638 line for articulated trailerswhilst in transit or, more worryingly, are deliberately leaving it disconnected.

The use of the ABS ISO7638 line (otherwise known as the EBS/ABS line) became law in May 2002 where the tractor and trailer are both provided with connections.

The EBS/ABS ‘Suzie’ connection provides electrical and data feeds to the trailer’s ECU or ‘brain’. The ECU then controls the anti-lock braking system (ABS), load sensing (LSV), roll stability (RSS) and suspension control which regulates the correct trailer ride height and, in turn, the overall trailer height.

So why then might a driver leave it disconnected? There are, surprisingly, a couple of reasons. Firstly, the roll stability system (RSS) automatically applies the brakes if the trailer is going too fast round a bend. This has an impact on both speed and fuel economy and, if a driver is either in a rush or targeted against fuel consumption, they might be tempted to disable this ‘inconvenient’ feature.

The other apathetically induced reason is that it just “doesn’t seem to do anything”. Indeed, when the driver pulls away, his/her brakes and lights will appear to work. What the driver may not understand is that they are more likely to experience jack-knifing, aquaplaning, brake lock, rollover, bridge strike and, more commonly, the fact that the 44T rig just won’t be able to stop as quickly when trying to avoid that pram that’s just peeked out from a line of parked cars.

So, just in case there is any lingering doubt, failure to connect the ABS ISO7638 line correctly results in the risk of catastrophic, life-threatening accidents. If the driver fails to use the line/ ‘Suzie’ correctly and there is a collision in which someone is killed, then the driver can face a charge of manslaughter.

aide automotive market a ISO7638 cable with fault indicator, so as well as having the cable correctly connected a driver can also be notified of any faults within the system. Again an electrical fault could have the same catastrophic effects as the ISO Susie cable being non connected.

ISOCheck lights bright RED when a fault is identified, if good to go the ISOCheck is continually lit bright GREEN.

As the air braking world has changed, we have had to adapt the way we deal with diagnostic problems that can arise on our customers vehicle systems. As the air signalling system has been fazed out and replaced by the EBS / ABS system we have endeavored to keep up with the advancements in the technology and created our own range of testing equipment.

Our engineer is constantly updating the test equipment to match the needs that arise from his service visits, so are perfectly tuned to the EBS / ABS components that we supply.

Our test devices can be used in conjunction with the OE manufacturer’s testers to create a complete analysis structure for truck and trailers that is not only easy to use but also affordable to all sizes of fleet maintenance from owner / driver to multi fleet service garages.

Since 80% of all EBS / ABS problems are sensor related (Reported By Knorr Bremse & Wabco), by connecting to the sensor socket on each wheel, rather than the ECU, in effect, taking the quickest and most direct route, by going straight to the heart of the problem.

The Sensor Master DRA08 is a handheld EBS / ABS sensor and exciter ring tester, for use on trucks, trailers, and buses.

Lightweight and portable, the EBS /ABS CV Sensor Tester comes supplied with two 1.6m high quality cables, a sturdy carry case, short introductory printed manual, and a single 9V battery – everything, in fact, needed to use it straight out of the box.

Designed with ease of use in mind, the Commercial Vehicle ABS EBS Sensor Testertakes minutes to set-up, and, once connected, undertakes a complete test cycle of the six most common causes of EBS / ABS faults, at the touch of a button, in just 15 seconds – a fraction of the time it would take to perform the same tests manually.

Contact aide automotive to purchase this cost effective easy to use tester or buy online at our aide Online PayPal Shop.