Posted 2010-07-10 5:44 PM (#122176 - in reply to #122173) Subject: RE: Help Needed w/Weird Brake Controller Problem.
Member
Posts: 46 Location: MO
Sorry, hit return too soon!I have a 1997 Ford F250 Heavy Duty. Last weekend I went to haul my horse trailer and the green LED on my brake controller indicating it has power was not lit. We've dug through and fixed a bad ground on the trailer and some bad connections in the 6 pin socket. We also purchased a new brake controller and when hooked up according to the old wiring and the wiring diagrams, the power to the trailer brakes is on all the time.If we disconnect the power into the brake controller, the pin goes dead. If we re-connect it and disconnect either or BOTH the ground connection and the wire to the brake switch/circuit, the pin and ground still have 12.56Vdc between them.It doesn't matter if you depress the brake pedal or not. The only way the pin goes dead is to disconnect the power into the brake controller.Any suggestions? Thanks! Oh, all the other wiring (running/tail lights, stop lights, turn signals) works properly.
Posted 2010-07-10 8:27 PM (#122180 - in reply to #122173) Subject: RE: Help Needed w/Weird Brake Controller Problem.
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Do you have the two input wires crossed? The black and red? The black is your B+ and the red feeds from the brake switch. The blue should feed your trailer through the plug, and the white should be your ground. If your new controller has different wiring colours than your truck's wiring harness, hook them up instead by function..
Posted 2010-07-10 9:49 PM (#122181 - in reply to #122173) Subject: RE: Help Needed w/Weird Brake Controller Problem.
Member
Posts: 46 Location: MO
Nope, we've triple-checked it and all the wiring matches what you said above. It is the strangest thing I've come across yet. I appreciate the feedback, and any all suggestions are welcome.
Would it be better to take the truck to a trailer place or a truck place to have it looked at further? We've reached the end of our skills and knowledge.
Posted 2010-07-11 7:29 AM (#122192 - in reply to #122181) Subject: RE: Help Needed w/Weird Brake Controller Problem.
Location: centrally located amongst the "NUTS"
Originally written by n2stitch on 2010-07-10 9:49 PM
Nope, we've triple-checked it and all the wiring matches what you said above. It is the strangest thing I've come across yet. I appreciate the feedback, and any all suggestions are welcome.
Would it be better to take the truck to a trailer place or a truck place to have it looked at further? We've reached the end of our skills and knowledge.
Posted 2010-07-11 8:22 AM (#122195 - in reply to #122173) Subject: RE: Help Needed w/Weird Brake Controller Problem.
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
If the brake controller is functional and wired correctly, then the only other source of your problem can be the wiring to the trailer. Since you found problems in your plug and changed things, I would look there again. Is it possible you have your truck's B+ wire swaped with the blue brake wire? You are getting a feed from your battery to the brakes. There are only six wires. Eliminate them one at a time, until you find one that is misplaced or shorted to a hot wire that is feeding the blue wire of the trailer.
One source of power that wouldn't have lasted very long, would be your "E" battery on your break away system. The truck's B+ charges that battery on some trailers, and if the switch were pulled, would feed the brakes and back feed the controller.
If all of this has already been checked, go see an expert.
Posted 2010-07-11 8:52 AM (#122197 - in reply to #122192) Subject: RE: Help Needed w/Weird Brake Controller Problem.
Member
Posts: 46 Location: MO
Originally written by Paracadista on 2010-07-11 7:29 AM
Originally written by n2stitch on 2010-07-10 9:49 PM
Nope, we've triple-checked it and all the wiring matches what you said above. It is the strangest thing I've come across yet. I appreciate the feedback, and any all suggestions are welcome.
Would it be better to take the truck to a trailer place or a truck place to have it looked at further? We've reached the end of our skills and knowledge.
Yes
Heh heh. My question wasn't should I take it in, but which place should I take it in to? Truck mechanic? Or trailer place? :)
Posted 2010-07-11 9:20 AM (#122202 - in reply to #122173) Subject: RE: Help Needed w/Weird Brake Controller Problem.
Member
Posts: 46 Location: MO
I also forgot to say earlier that the blue wire is hot at the socket even when the trailer isn't plugged into it, so I think the fault has to be on the truck side somewhere. My best guess is that the hot is shorted into another hot that is live all the time and not waiting for a signal from the truck's brake circuit.I'll definitely have to take this in to someone, but need to figure out if someone that knows Ford trucks or someone that knows trailers would be better.
Posted 2010-07-12 3:19 AM (#122237 - in reply to #122202) Subject: RE: Help Needed w/Weird Brake Controller Problem.
Location: centrally located amongst the "NUTS"
Originally written by n2stitch on 2010-07-11 9:20 AM
I also forgot to say earlier that the blue wire is hot at the socket even when the trailer isn't plugged into it, so I think the fault has to be on the truck side somewhere. My best guess is that the hot is shorted into another hot that is live all the time and not waiting for a signal from the truck's brake circuit.I'll definitely have to take this in to someone, but need to figure out if someone that knows Ford trucks or someone that knows trailers would be better.
In that case I would say take it to a trailer/rv dealer that also installs brake controllers as part of their normal business.
Help Needed w/Weird Brake Controller Problem.
