Troubleshooting 7-Way and Brake Controller Wiring on a 1997 Dodge Ram 2500

Question:

I am from Columbus, Ms I have tried every shop in my town. I showed this truck to a local HandH truck sales business and when the guy saw how bad my wiring was He refused to work on it. Somebody has spliced into about every wire You see but The system works correctly with the 4 way plug. I am trying to tow a fifth wheel RV and need lights and trailer brakes. I went ahead and bought the Curts C84VV used a 4 way plugged it into my 4 way but the Rv lights still dont work. I saw your notes that showed a Modulite type system might have to be used but Im lost. Please Help.

asked by: Wade B

Expert Reply:

To have a brake controller function properly you will need to have a 7-way on your vehicle instead of the 4-way. Don't worry, I can help you get your Ram equipped for your RV.

Thanks for sending your images, they really helped explain the situation. The simplest way to install the brake controller is to hardwire the vehicle. The part you will want to do this is the # ETBC7, this will adapt your 4-way harness that you currently have and provide you with the added wiring to make the connections for this to adapt into the 7-way trailer connector. The # ETBC7 will include a tester and allow you to identify the correct wire for the correct function. I have included a diagram as well as a Help Article on this to help out with routing the wire and making the connections.

The notation you saw was for a harness like # C59496; this harness will be necessary if your RV has more than one taillight. If it does you would just want to wire it into your current 4-way and make the added connections needed.

It also looks like your in bed 7-way isn't fully connected with more than just the standard 4-way wiring. If you want to wire this up to be a full 7-way, you can simply do so by splicing in some 10 gauge wire to the connections as you run them to the front of the vehicle for the brake controller.

To make the final connections to your Curt Time Delayed Controller # C84VV, you will need the universal wiring adapter # C51515. This will plug into your controller and give you an open ended wires to connect to.

I have linked all the above mentioned products to this page for your convenience.