Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes that Engage when Headlights are Turned On, 2000 Chevy Silverado
Question:
trailer brakes engage when tail lights or head lights are turned on. Brake controller wiring adapter is in fuse block in cab, top row second from left. The wires on the adapter are Red-cold-side of brake, Blue-Runs to back of truck supplies power to electric brakes, Black-Power to controller, and White- ground. 2000 Chevy Silverado. The pins test-out properly with the trailer un-plugged, but with the trailer plugged in,both the brake peddle and the light switch activate the brakes???
asked by: David A
Expert Reply:
It sounds to me like you may have a brake controller wiring harness that is pinned out improperly. Check out the pins in the port under your dash with a circuit tester, item # PTW2993 if needed. The middle right pin should be hot at all times, the bottom right pin should go hot when the brakes are pressed the top right pin is the trailer brake feed circuit and the bottom left pin will be the ground wire.
Now looking at your brake controller connector as if you were ready to plug it in to the vehicle, the blue wire should be on the top right side, the black wire should be on the middle right side, the red wire should be on the bottom right side and the bottom left side should be the white ground wire. I have posted a link to instructions that show the proper pin locations for you. The connector can be re-pinned to the correct wiring by removing the blue locking clip and moving the wires to the correct locations in the plastic housing.
If the above recommendations do not fix the situation, you may have some corrosion in the connector at the rear of the truck or in the trailer connector that is causing a short across the tail light circuit and the brake feed circuit. Usually these two connections are not susceptible to this type of short because they are across from each other in the connector but it is worth a look. If you need a new connector the Pollak Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring, item # PK11898, is designed to work on your vehicle.
While checking out the connectors make sure that there is not a wire connection problem in the back of the connectors that could be causing the problem.
If none of the above situations helps then test the brake controller itself. Sever the blue wire coming from the back of the brake controller and test it for power with the manual brake lever. Next press the vehicle brakes and check for power. Next turn on the vehicle lights and test the blue wire for power. If the controller is functioning properly with the blue wire severed then the problem is on the brake feed circuit between the controller and the trailer brakes and will need to be ran down with the circuit tester.
If the taillight circuit shows power is coming through the brake controller at the blue wire then there is a problem in the vehicle wiring that needs to be addressed. You may end up hard wiring the brake controller to the appropriate circuits to get around the tail light situation.
Products Referenced in This Question
Pollak 7-Pole, RV-Style Trailer Connector Socket w/ Wiring Harness and Mounting Bracket
- Trailer Wiring
- Trailer Connectors
- Vehicle End Connector
- 0 - 5 Feet Long
- Plug and Lead
- 7 Round - Blade
- Pollak
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