Troubleshooting Weak Trailer Brakes with Prodigy P2 Brake Controller

Question

Question:

I recently purchased new brakes from you and am very happy with them. The old brakes had the magnets broken off as well as all four wheels had seals that failed. My question is about how my brake controller should work. I have a Prodigy 2 and what is supposed to be the correct wire harness from them for my 02 Dodge diesel. Should I get voltage readings with no trailer plugged in at the back of the truck? when the brakes are applied? I have pulled the breakaway switch and all four wheels lock like they should but when applying the brakes with the trailer plugged in I get maybe 10 braking and that is with the controller set as high as it will go as well as the boost on max. The voltage readings at the brake drum, obviously when sitting still, is about two to three volts. Bad controller? or wrong wiring harness? I thought I had this fixed with new brakes but no deal, I have other troubles. Any ideas?

asked by: Mark D

0

Expert Reply:

The correct brake controller install harness to use with your P2 is the part # 3020-P.

Since this is a proportional controller it will be difficult to see voltage at the output pin when the brakes are applied since the controller is designed sense inertia and apply the correct voltage based on that. If you have a boost setting applied you will see more voltage there when brakes are applied but you will never see full voltage with just the pedal.

Since the breakaway system locks the tires up that would indicate that the problem is on the brake controller. Which makes me first think that the problem is how the controller is orientated in the truck. It will need to be positioned like in the pictures I attached.

Do the brakes lock up when the manual override lever is fully applied. If so, that would indicate that the problem is the position like I mentioned.

expert reply by: Jameson C

0

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Answer 1

The shackle strap length is measured from the center of one bolt hole to the center of the other. The Dexter Heavy Duty Suspension Upgrade Kit for Single Axle Trailers - Double Eye Springs #K71-358-00 uses 3-1/8" long shackles which are found on…

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Answer 2

If your 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 came with a factory 7-way trailer connector then you will not need to do any wiring to install the Pollak 7-Pole, RV-Style Trailer Connector Socket w/ Wiring Harness and Mounting Bracket part #PK11898. If this is…

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Answer 3

You should be getting 12 volts on the running light circuit when the running lights are turned on. If not, the problem is either in the connector or upstream from there. The first thing you should check is the trailer connector on your towing…

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Answer 4

The Tekonsha Custom Wiring Adapter for Trailer Brake Controllers - Pigtail - GM #3015-S does match color for color if you have 12V power getting to the adapter. If you do not, then they specify that the red and black are reversed for functions in…

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Answer 5

The black wire of the Hopkins 7-Way Molded Trailer Wire Connector #HM20048 carries the 12 volt accessory circuit. This is the circuit that will typically power interior lights or charge a trailer's battery. I attached a help article that covers…

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Answer 6

Grounding the white wire is an important part of any electrical wiring. Without a proper ground the circuit is not complete. If the circuit is not complete then no current is moving through the system. Without any current there is nothing powering…

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Answer 7

This is a common issue on Chevy trucks like your 2006 Chevy Silverado. There are some connections that need to be made under the hood to make everything fully functional. We actually have an FAQ article that explains what you will need to do to make…

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Answer 8

Having the factory fuse is perfectly fine for an aftermarket brake controller. The benefit of a circuit breaker is that it can reset itself so you do not have to replace a fuse should it blow. So you are good to go with the 30 amp factory fuse…

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Answer 9

You can still use the connector you have but you would need to move the red wire of the connector that plugs in to the vehicle to the opposite corner of the connector. Once you do that the brake controller will work just fine. I attached a picture…

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Answer 10

If you connect the trailer brake light circuit to the trailer brake circuit your brakes would lock up immediately since 12 volts is max braking voltage for trailer brakes. You'd need a brake controller that can vary voltage so that you can apply…

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Answer 11

For a trailer with 4 brake assemblies (10 or 12 inch assemblies) you should be seeing 15 to 16.3 amps at 12 to 13 volts. If the trailer has 7 inch assemblies it would be lower, 12.6 to 13.7 amps at 12 to 13 volts. Individual magnets on 10 or 12 inch…

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Answer 12

The wires exiting the rear of your controller serve the following functions. The blue wires carries the brake output from the controller, the white wire is the ground, the black wire supplies 12 Volt power, and the red wire is tied into the vehicle…

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Troubleshooting Weak Trailer Brakes with Prodigy P2 Brake Controller

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