Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes that Dont Apply  

Question:

Expert Reply:

I am glad you were able to figure out the issue with the circuits being swapped. That is a pretty common issue with the 6-way wiring setups.

Testing the brake controller is fairly easy. Sever the blue brake output wire near the brake controller leaving enough room to reconnect it and then apply the manual slide. Using a circuit tester like part # PTW2993, you should get output to the controller side of the wire you severed. If the manual slide activates the trailer brake output wire properly, try the brake pedal. If the brake pedal activates the brake output properly also then the problem is farther back either in the vehicle wiring or on the trailer. If your controller is proportional you will need to set a boost level so that it would normally spike when brakes are applied.

If either the brake pedal or the manual slide are not functioning properly you will need to test the wires going into the brake controller. Make sure you have power entering the brake controller on the black wire. On the red wire you will only want power when the brake pedal is pressed.

If there is power on the red wire before the brake pedal is pressed you have connected the red wire from the brake controller to the wrong circuit. You would then need to find the brake switch wire that has power ONLY when the brake pedal is activated.

If these connections check out and the brake controller is properly grounded then there is possibly a problem inside the brake controller.

I am including a link to a video that will show you how to test the wiring on a brake controller.

If the problem is on the trailer side it could be that your brakes need to be adjusted. To see how to manually adjust trailer brake assemblies check out the video I attached, fast-forward to the 4:35 mark of the video.

You can also check to make sure the assemblies are grounded properly.

expert reply by: Jameson C

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