Tekonsha Prodigy Blowing the IG Meter Fuse on a 2007 Honda Ridgeline RT  

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You can test your Prodigy brake controller without plugging the brake controller into your 2007 Honda Ridgeline RT. You will need a 12 volt power source, a vehicle battery will work, and I recommend using the replacement Brake Control Plug-In Harness, # 20127, so you do not have to cut into your wiring harness.

You will connect the white wire from the harness to the negative battery terminal and the black wire to the positive terminal. This should provide power to the brake controller and the screen will display nc. After about 15 seconds it will go into sleep mode and display two dots. Set the power output to the maximum 13 volts using the power knob and activate the manual knob. Use a volt meter to test the output on the blue wire. If the brake controller is working properly, you should get approximately 12 volts on the blue wire with the manual knob activated. The red wire should not have power. The purpose of the red wire is to receive a signal from the stop light switch to tell the brake controller when you step on the brake pedal.

If the brake controller is working properly, then I would make sure you are plugging the 3070-P wiring harness into the correct plug, or at least a functioning plug, on your Ridgeline. Brake controllers typically have to be hard wired on vehicles that do not come with factory tow packages, even if the OEM trailer wiring harness is installed. The correct plug will be a 4-pin plug under the dash to the left of the steering column, taped to another harness near the brake pedal.

If you feel like you have found the correct plug, I recommend using a circuit tester, like part # PTW2979, to test each of the pins on that plug for proper function. When looking at the pin with the groove pointed down, the pin on the right should have constant 12 volt power and the pin next to that should only show power when the brake pedal is pressed. The other two pins will be for the output power from the brake controller and ground.

Often times additional fuses and relays are required to use a brake controller on a vehicle that did not come with a factory tow package. Your owners manual should list the location of all tow package fuses and relays. I recommend checking those fuse and relay locations to ensure you are not missing any. Your local Honda dealer can also tell you if additional fuses and relays are required to use a brake controller.

expert reply by: John H

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