Factory Brake Controller on 2010 Ford F350 Isnt Activating HydraStar Electric/Hydraulic Actuator

Question:

I purchased a boat trailer with a Carlisle Hydra Star electric over hydraulic braking system. When I connected it to my 2010 F350 with a factory brake control system, I kept getting a message on my dash saying trailer disconnected and then trailer connected, trailer disconnected etc. I could use the manual trailer gain control in the truck to slow the trailer. I could hear the HydraStar gold box running. Is there an additional part I need to get the system to work? I heard that I needed to change the Carlisle to a Dexter system on the trailer. I was told Fords system is compatible with Dexter only. I was also told I could add an aftermarket controller to the truck and by pass the factory system. Im leery of putting an after market system on the truck, because I use a performance tuner on the truck.

asked by: Lee M

Helpful Expert Reply:

The factory brake controller should be compatible with the # HBA-10 brake actuator. The first thing I'd recommend you do is closely examine the 7-way connector on the vehicle and on the trailer. A corroded or damaged connector would explain the intermittent problem your controller is having reading the trailer. If you need to replace the connector on the truck, part # HM40975 would be a good replacement, or for the trailer, you'd use # HM48510.

Since the actuator is working with the override switch, it would tend to rule out the actuator as being the problem. It sounds to me like the controller isn't getting the input that the brakes are being applied. You could have your Ford dealer troubleshoot the controller, but I'd recommend simply bypassing it and installing a more reliable aftermarket unit like the Tekonsha Prodigy P3, part # 90195. Hearing about Ford factory brake controllers that malfunction is a routine occurrence around here.

To install the aftermarket controller, I'd begin by resetting your tuner back to the factory settings. Then, you'd unplug the factory harness from the rear of the brake controller, and plug the # 3034-P brake controller wiring adapter into the factory wiring harness. Mount the controller to the underside of the dash, preferably to the right of the steering column and plug the other end of the wiring adapter into the rear of the P3 brake controller.

When you start the vehicle, it will show a warning message on the dash display saying that the brake controller has been disabled. The aftermarket controller will be working at this point but if the warning bothers you, your dealer would be able to get into the computer and remove the warning.

Once that's done, you can use the tuner to set up the truck the way it was before.