Tekonsha P-3 Brake Controller # 90195 Installation on a 2004 Dodge Dakota

Question:

I have the tekonsha p3 brake controller and the adapter harness 3020-P and the factory harness that the dealer would install for the trailer tow package part number 82208816. The factory tow package harness includes the blue wire that will be the brake controller power to the brakes but I dont see the plug that would have the brake switch feed and the ground or 12v power that harness would normall plug into. Am I missing it or am I going to have to do a long install and splice into my brake pedal switch and run ground and power dircectly from the battery through the firewall? I just did this for my Jeep and it took hours to do and I thought that it would be easier on the truck since it was newer and listed as having only to connect it to a pre-existing plug. I figured that I would run the blue wire into the cab, connect it to the four pin factory connector, plug in the adapter and be done on this one.. Thanks

asked by: shawn s

Expert Reply:

If your 2004 Dodge Dakota is equipped with a factory 7-Way, then you should not need to run any wires. You would simply use the # 3020-P wiring adapter to plug in the P-3 brake controller # 90195.

Dakota models without the factory 7-Way require hard wiring in order to install a brake controller, meaning you would need to run the wiring as you did for your Jeep, as well as installing 4-Way and 7-Way plugs, if you have not already done so.

The # 90195 brake controller includes a wire pigtail that you would use to hard wire the unit to your vehicle. It sounds like you have had experience with wiring on your Jeep, and the installation on the Dakota should be really similar for you. The four standard brake controller wire functions are:

White: Ground, attached to a clean piece of unpainted metal.
Black: 12v lead, attached to the vehicle's positive battery terminal with a 20amp or 30amp circuit breaker.
Blue: Electric brakes, attached to the blue electric brake wire on the 7-way plug.
Red: Stoplight switch, normally located directly off the vehicle's brake pedal.

To wire the rear of the vehicle, you will need to first install a 4-Way plug, if you do not already have wiring for a trailer. We offer custom wiring harness # 118323 for Dakota models without the factory tow package, or # 118381 for models with the tow package.

In order to power the electric brakes, you will next need to adapt the 4-Way plug into a 6-Way or 7-Way connector. The 7-Way style is most common, so I would recommend brake controller installation kit # ETBC7 to adapt the 4-Way and to complete the brake controller installation. The included adapter would plug right into the 4-Way, and you would connect the additional wires as follows.

White: Ground wire, connected to a suitable grounding point on the vehicle frame.
Blue: Electric brake wire, connected to the electric brake wire coming from the back side of the P-3.
Black: 12v power wire, connected to the vehicle positive battery terminal with a 40amp circuit breaker, included with the kit.
Purple: Used to power reverse lights on the trailer if present, or to power a reverse lockout function or other auxiliary power function. If not needed, this wire can be tied up.

For a 6-Way plug, you would use kit # ETBC6, but the installation would be very similar.

I have included some links below that should be helpful for you, including the instructions for the brake controller, and some extra information on wiring your vehicle to tow with electric brakes.