Troubleshooting Brake Controller that Says It's Not Connected to Trailer

Question

Question:

All of the lights on my trailer work but not the trailer breaks I get a messages saying the brakes are disconnected and check trailer brakes wiring

asked by: Robert M

0

Expert Reply:

This is a fairly common problem that is almost always due to corrosion on the trailer connectors. Check both the connector on the tow vehicle and on the trailer for corrosion and/or a bent pin and fix as needed.

I attached a help article on troubleshooting brake controllers for you to check out as well.

expert reply by: Jameson C

0

Answer 1

You can certainly add a 7-way trailer connector to your trailer with 6 wires. You would simply have 1 pin on the 7-way connector that did not function. I recommend adding a 7-way molded trailer wire connector like part #H20046, and a junction box…

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Answer 2

If you are getting the error message "Trailer Not Connected" when using the Prodigy P3 #90195 trailer brake controller there are several potential causes. You should only need to have the trailer plugged in to avoid seeing this…

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Answer 3

There are a number of reasons why the brakes on your trailer may not be working. Lets start with the easiest things to check. First, check the vehicle and trailer connectors for corrosion. This can cause a short inside the connector and the brake…

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Answer 4

Just to make sure that I am understanding correctly, you installed the Hopkins Engager #20099 on your trailer and it doesn't activate the brakes on your trailer when you pull the pin, but your trailer brakes are working when you send power back…

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Answer 5

Are there any visible signs of wear on the magnets like exposed windings then that would indicate they need replacing. Magnets can go bad without showing visible signs of wear though. To see how to troubleshoot them check out the help article I…

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Answer 6

Trailer brake magnets actually are not polarity sensitive. That means either wire lead can be the positive as long as the other wire is grounded.

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Answer 7

When a trailer with electric brakes is connected to a vehicle that has a brake controller that brake controller is sensing the draw of the brake magnets by sending back a small amount of voltage on the blue wire. The brake controller also get's…

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Answer 8

If the controller is working fine with one trailer and not with the other then the problem is most likely with the trailer and not the truck. I would start by checking all of the ground connections on the trailer, especially the ground at the coupler…

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Answer 9

That is definetly unusual for all of the lights on the Hopkins 7-Way #HM48503 to be on at the same time, as that would mean that power is getting sent to all of the pins on your vehicles 7-way connector at the same time. Since there are no lights…

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Answer 10

Since you have an older trailer, the brakes could have possibly been switched from electric to hydraulic or the other way around. Even on newer campers, unless it is just purchased from the manufacturer, it would be just a guessing game for someone…

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Answer 11

I am not entirely sure what process you took so I'll give you some other things to try, or maybe a different way to test the Prodigy P3 #90195. First, sever the blue wire a couple inches from the back of your controller. Then use a circuit tester…

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Answer 12

In order to deliver full 12 volt power to your brakes while performing a pull test you can also use the override functions on your brake controller. This will avoid installing any switches, or disturbing any of the existing functional wiring.…

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