Installing Prodigy P3 Brake Controller on 2016 Forest River Forester on Sprinter 3500 Chassis

Question:

I looked over the video you sent and read the instructions. The battery on my 2016 Forest River on a Sprinter 3500 chasis is located under and in front of the passenger side seat. This is different than in the provided info. Also The hitch AND 67 pin round connector ARE factory installed. So what can you do to make sure I get this right. Thanks very much 2016 Forest River Forester 24foot on Sprinter 3500 chasis with factory installed hitch and connector.

asked by: Tom L

Helpful Expert Reply:

I can help you find the parts you will need to install a Prodigy P3 Trailer Brake Controller # 90195 on your 2016 Forest River Forester on a Sprinter 3500 chassis.

The P3 will need to be hardwired since there is not a custom wiring harness available for the 2016 Sprinter 3500. The parts you will need to install the brake controller are:

Approximately 35 feet of duplex wire # 10-2-1
30 amp circuit breaker # 38630
A 5 pack of 10-12 heat shrink butt connectors # DW05745-5
2 yellow ring terminals, 10-12 gauge, 5/16 inch inner diameter # 44-5356A
2 yellow ring terminals, 10-12 gauge, 3/16 inch inner diameter # 44-5310A
A quick splice connector, 14-18 gauge # SWC502905-1

The # 10-2-1 wire is sold by the foot and will allow you to connect the brake controller pigtail to your vehicle battery, as well as make the necessary connection to the blue brake signal wire at the back of the 7-way connector.

The red wire on the brake controller wiring pigtail will need to be spliced into the stoplight wire, using the quick splice connector, that only has signal when the brake pedal is pressed. You can use a circuit tester, like # PTW2993, to test the wires at the back of the brake pedal and find the wire that only has signal when the pedal is pressed.

The blue wire from the controller harness will need to connect, with a butt connector, to the blue brake signal wire on the 7-way connector at the rear of the vehicle. You can split the duplex wire to have a single wire to run back to the 7-way connector. Either the white or black wire can be used to make this connection.

The black wire will need to be ran to the 30-amp circuit breaker and connected with a smaller ring terminal. From the other post on the circuit breaker, you will want to run another length of wire to the positive battery terminal and connect it with a larger ring terminal.

The white wire will need to be grounded at the negative battery terminal with the other larger ring terminal.

I recommend having a large bundle of zip ties available to help secure the wiring out of the way of any moving components.

I have attached a diagram showing these connections to install the brake controller. I have also attached a help article on installing a brake controller from scratch. Since your Sprinter already has a 7-way, the last section of this help article will pertain more to your installation.