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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

Another OT trailer brake question....kinda long

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Jim.UT

07-12-2005 10:14:42




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I used to have a '98 Dodge Ram 2500. I installed a digital trailer brake controller that worked really well. On the advice of someone on one of the tractor boards I visit, I used a wiring harness that plugged right in to the truck's system.

Now I have a '98 Chev 3500. I kept the digital controller when I sold the Dodge. I went to the trailer parts supply store and told them I wanted a plug-in wiring harness for my '98 Chev. He sold me one, but I couldn't find a place to plug it in anywhere. I did some searching on the internet and found a FAQs page on etrailer.com. It listed part numbers for harnesses for Chevy trucks. The harness I was sold is supposed to fit '99 to '02 Chevy trucks. No harness is listed on etrailer.com for my '98.

So I went ahead and wired my controller to the same wires the old controller was connected to (the Chevy came with a controller, but I wanted to keep my digital one).

Now to my problem: with the digital controller in the Dodge, I would get trailer braking if I used the controller by hand or if I touched the brake pedal. Also, the brake lights would come on if I applied the brakes by hand at the controller or if I pushed on the brake pedal.

With my current setup on the Chevy, I only get trailer braking if I manually activate the controller, not if I touch the brake pedal. This means if I want to brake both the trailer and the truck, I have to be using my left foot and my right hand simultaneously. Also, the brake lights come on only if I use the foot pedal on the truck, not if I use the controller by hand.

Can anyone tell me if there is a plug-in harness available for the '98 and earlier GM trucks? Or can anyone tell me where I need to tie in my wiring to get full function like I had before?

Thanks for reading my long sad tale. I hope someone can help. I lost the email address of the expert who helped me when I was installing the controller on the Dodge.

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3 cyl

07-12-2005 16:15:20




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 Re: Another OT trailer brake question....kinda lon in reply to Jim.UT, 07-12-2005 10:14:42  
Jim,
The directions for my brake controler for 98 GM trucks, Suburbans, and Tahoes says to hook the black wire to battery positive, white to bat. neg., blue to the blue wire that runs from the engine side of the firewall just under the brake vacuum booster back to the bumper, and the red wire to the male terminal in the square shaped cavity marked NAT on the "convenience center" (it looks like a fuse box) on the driver' side of the firewall just under the emergency brake pedal. I hooked mine up this way and it worked.
3 cyl

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Jim.UT

07-13-2005 15:10:28




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 Re: Another OT trailer brake question....kinda lon in reply to 3 cyl, 07-12-2005 16:15:20  
I got 'em working correctly! Thanks. You win the prize for "most specific correct answer". As I look back at the other responses, they were all correct, but yours gave me the specific help that turned the trick.

I don't know what NAT stands for, but I checked it with the test light, it lit up when I pressed the brake pedal. So I found a terminal connector that slid right on that stud and put that on the end of the red wire. Bingo! Everything works as advertised now. All my other wires were already connected where they should be. Whoever first installed the other controller had the red wire spliced into some yellow wire coming out of a harness of wires that was at least 2" in diameter. The two previous owners of this truck both pulled 5th wheel travel trailers. I wonder if they've been fighting brake function the whole time?

I had the problem fixed in about 30 minutes, but then I spent another hour tidying up, putting all wires into some black plastic loom. Even though it can't be seen, I just feel better when I know all the wires look like they're going where they should, instead of running every which direction. I'm kind of anal that way.

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don OH

07-12-2005 13:52:32




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 Re: Another OT trailer brake question....kinda lon in reply to Jim.UT, 07-12-2005 10:14:42  
jim you need to connect the brake light switch wire from the controller to the brake light wire under your dash. the white wire is ground, the blue wire goes to the trialer brakes, the black wire is battery, and the red wire goes to the brake lamp. yours may also have a brown wire it would go to dash illumanation. just put another new one on my ford from tsc. your wires under the dash might not be color coded the same way, but thats how the wires on the controller are

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John M

07-12-2005 13:38:36




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 Re: Another OT trailer brake question....kinda lon in reply to Jim.UT, 07-12-2005 10:14:42  
IF yours is like my 98,on the fuse panel,I think,are some what appears to be places to plug something in,one of those has a spot for brakes that when you push the brakes its hot.Youll have to use a volt meter to find it.the only wires I ran were the two under the hood,I think the main power and maybe either the brake wire to the trailer or the charge circuit to the trailer,the rest of the wires were under the dash,or on that panel.The panel,again if Im correct,is on the drivers side of the brake pedal up on the firewall.there is also a white wire somewhere in that mess of wires that goes to the brake light on the truck.

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Brent A

07-12-2005 13:17:37




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 Re: Another OT trailer brake question....kinda lon in reply to Jim.UT, 07-12-2005 10:14:42  
I work in a GM parts dept. the plug in harness is only available for '99 up.



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RustyFarmall

07-12-2005 10:59:22




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 Re: Another OT trailer brake question....kinda lon in reply to Jim.UT, 07-12-2005 10:14:42  
I had a '98 chevy before the '01 I have now. The '01 came with the factory installed towing package with the wiring harness in a package in the glove box, made it pretty easy to install the brake controller. The '98 did not come with the towing package, I installed the brake controller as per instructions included with the control, pretty much like you would do with any older truck before there was such thing as a towing package. The control and everything else worked good.

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mike brown

07-12-2005 13:10:59




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 Re: Another OT trailer brake question....kinda lon in reply to RustyFarmall, 07-12-2005 10:59:22  
It sounds like your controler is not getting the brake light juice it's supposed to.



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Luke S

07-12-2005 14:17:12




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 Re: Another OT trailer brake question....kinda lon in reply to mike brown, 07-12-2005 13:10:59  
Probably have to hard wire the brake sense input wire. Lat down on your back on the drivers side floor and look up under the dash. Somwhere up high on the brake pedal should be a little switch with many wires coming and going. Get a test light and find the wire that gets hot only when you depress the brake pedal. Splice into it and run it to the brake sensor input wire(probably the red one) on your controller and them you'll be set!

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