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Jordan 2020 problems

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Old Sep 5, 2007 | 03:32 PM
  #1  
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From: Ga.
Jordan 2020 problems

Has anyone on here had problems with your Jordan brake controller. I got mine cause it was highly recomended but it has not worked right since day one. I spoke with Mr. Jordan several times and he acted like there was no way it was the controler as they have never had a defective unit and obviously it was something I had done.

Well I got fed up with it and a friend of mine had a new (sp?) tekoncha voyager that he didnt need. About 20 minutes later and I have perfect trailer brakes now wich is good cause I need them tomorrow.

I am not tryin to bash Jordan though their customer service did suck but mainly I am just askin if anyone else has had any problems.
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Old Sep 5, 2007 | 06:01 PM
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From: L.A. (Lower Arkansas)
Goin on 3 years with mine and never once had a problem. I can't comment on the customer service since I've never had to use it.

If this one ever lays down on me, I'm trying the one advertised here...I think it's a max brake or something like that.
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Old Sep 5, 2007 | 07:45 PM
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From: Manteca, CA
Except for minor alignment problems at first, mine has performed great. I find it much smoother than the Prodigy I had on the old truck. I too would look at the MaxBrake as an alternative if my Jordan took a dump.

Dan
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Old Sep 5, 2007 | 11:12 PM
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What kind of problems were you having? If we knew more about what was going on, we may be more help to you.

I am very pleased with my Jordan. When I first installed it, I had some problems with it hanging up and not releasing completely when I let off the brake. After I found the problem, the cable was hanging on the grommet at the back of the unit, and re-aligned things, it has worked flawlessly since then.

I gave up on Prodigy because I could never get it adjusted properly. When I got it set for the highway, it was too grabby in town. When I got it set in town, it was too loose on the highway. I don't have that problem with the Jordan.

Steve
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Old Sep 6, 2007 | 05:00 AM
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From: Ga.
As soon as I hooked a trailer up you could walk back to the trailer axle and hear the brakes buzzing.

If I turned the controler up past 0.2 with it empty it was way to grabby and anything over 0.4-0.6 loaded was way too much.

It was kinda like a light switch. Either the brakes where on or off there was no in between. It was like they were under constant power no matter what so I had to keep it turned way, way down.

I can look at the box later and see what wires I had hooked together.
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Old Sep 6, 2007 | 11:07 AM
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Don't know if this helps or not, but when I switched out my Prodigy and put in the Jordan, the colors on the wires did not match. I couldn't match blue to blue, red to red, etc. I don't remember what went to what, but it was in the install manual.

Good luck......Steve
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Old Sep 7, 2007 | 09:22 AM
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From: Ga.
According to Jordan I had it wired correctly, I varified this more than once over the phone.

I made almost a thousand mile loop yesterday half of wich was with about 20k in tow and while it wasnt perfect and i had to adjust it some I did have breaks and even though it could be improved on the voyager did actually work wich is more than I can say for the ultima.
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Old Sep 7, 2007 | 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted by wap
As soon as I hooked a trailer up you could walk back to the trailer axle and hear the brakes buzzing.

If I turned the controler up past 0.2 with it empty it was way to grabby and anything over 0.4-0.6 loaded was way too much.
...
No offense, but I see the problem was your install. A Jordan should be completely off when your foot is off the brake. That means the display is blank except for the green light. The brake pedal clamp must be as high as possible so the cable travels no more than 1.5"
Mine has been hanging up so I need to adjust the cable clamps and possibly the brake arm position. When the controller hangs up and applies trailer brakes it feels as if you're tugging a huge anchor off the line.

I do not like the inertia, timed or brake light sense units. I tend to coast whenever possible and use my brake pedal (activate the brake lights) to alert the drivers behind me. I like trailer brakes directly proportional to my truck braking.
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Old Sep 8, 2007 | 01:07 AM
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I had trouble with my Jordan too. It would not shut off completely with my foot off the brake. And no, it was not binding or too tight. Just a problem unit.

It was very easy to adjust when in use though, and I liked switching to different loads and dialing it in for the conditions. Until it began giving me problems I thought it was the best I'd ever had, even if it was a bit busy under the dash.

Finally I switched to the Brakesmart and I'm very glad I did.

John
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Old Sep 9, 2007 | 09:28 PM
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From: Ga.
Originally Posted by Fueling around
No offense, but I see the problem was your install. A Jordan should be completely off when your foot is off the brake. That means the display is blank except for the green light. The brake pedal clamp must be as high as possible so the cable travels no more than 1.5"
Mine has been hanging up so I need to adjust the cable clamps and possibly the brake arm position. When the controller hangs up and applies trailer brakes it feels as if you're tugging a huge anchor off the line.

I do not like the inertia, timed or brake light sense units. I tend to coast whenever possible and use my brake pedal (activate the brake lights) to alert the drivers behind me. I like trailer brakes directly proportional to my truck braking.


Would you mind expanding on the problem with my install?

I could have the cable disconnected from the brake pedal and it would still buzz. And since I have adjustable pedals there is only one way and one place to connect the cable to the pedal.

I would love to get mine to work right but so far I have not been able to.
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Old Sep 9, 2007 | 09:51 PM
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From: Northwest, Minnesota USA
Originally Posted by wap
Would you mind expanding on the problem with my install?

I could have the cable disconnected from the brake pedal and it would still buzz. And since I have adjustable pedals there is only one way and one place to connect the cable to the pedal.

I would love to get mine to work right but so far I have not been able to.
If you're not stepping on the brake pedal and connected to a trailer, the only thing that should happen on a Jordan is the green light to signal an active mode. NO amp display of braking. No buzz of the brakes as you describe. Not an install problem based on more information.
Read Raspy's post on a problem with his controller. Sounds as if you have the same problem. Bummer as Jordan is out of business and I don't know if anyone repairs/warranties them.

MY problem is an install issue. I have a slight angle between the clamp and the cable running to the brake pedal clamp. It worked fine initially, but has been hanging up so I need to kick the brake pedal to get it to release he trailer brakes. I'm going to work on it this week as I have another 500 mile weekend coming up.

-John
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Old Sep 10, 2007 | 12:19 AM
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From: Smith Valley, NV (sometimes Redwood City, CA)
wap and Fueling,

I recommend you guys check out the Brakesmart. It is a much better unit. No busy linkage and working under the dash to get things right. No binding cables that are supposed to run straight, etc. The Jordan works well when working but it cannot match the simple design of the Brakesmart. Although, the Jordan is far simpler to program.

Brakesmart works by brake fluid pressure so it operates directly proportional to your braking load. You can adjust the initial amperage and how aggressive it comes on. So the trailer brakes can lead the truck brakes or follow the truck brakes. They can be set to not come on till a certain pressure is reached so you can activate the brake lights without braking. In my case I like the trailer to hold back more than push the truck, so as soon as the brake lights come on I can feel it pulling back slightly. I set it up so on a hard stop it will just skid and that means I have to change the setting for every weight or on slippery roads. It's easy enough to do at a signal or when driving slow with no traffic.

It also alerts you if the continuity in the braking circuit is broken and confirms the connection when plugged in.

John
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Old Sep 10, 2007 | 06:59 AM
  #13  
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From: Ga.
I am goin to google it but what is the price on a brakesmart?

I dont make my living with this truck so if they cost what I think they do I will most likely just keep the voyager and deal with it.
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Old Sep 10, 2007 | 09:09 AM
  #14  
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Braksemart is $$$$. I would check out the max brake.
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Old Sep 11, 2007 | 01:06 PM
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From: Sarasota, Florida
Too bad you couldn't figure out your Jordan - - mine has about 50,000 on it now towing and it works flawlessly. My Prodigy is in the storage box where it belongs - - terrible.

Hopefully they will have a revamped controller out to replace the 2020 sometime this year. Jordan did sell out but is working on a new model for the buyer. The new one looks slick - - just wish it was done and on the market.

Bob
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