Trailer Brakes Stopped Working with Prodigy P3 Brake Controller on 2004 Dodge Ram

Question:

Hello I have a 36foot Kaufman trailer which I pull with a 2004 Dodge 2500 equipped with a P3 controller. It is loaded with 2 cars. Normally when the controller is set to 5 we can lock up the trailer brakes. On the last tow we couldnt lock them up when we set it to 14. But they did seem to have minimal application at 14. I buy all my parts from etrailer so I thought you would be the guys to help. I could get the elsewhere but you all are the BEST! The grease seals on the trailer were leaking and one of the brakes had grease on it. We have replaced the seals and cleaned the brakes with brake clean and also adjusted the trailer brakes. Wondering if this could have damaged the brake, but only one was like this. Also I replaced the entire brake assembly on each wheel about 2 years ago. We have had maybe 4 - 6 tows since then. Also the truck had repairs done that included removing and reinstalling the 7 pin connector in the bed. So all that said any ideas on where we should be looking for the problem. Also a second question - what is the correct way to grease these hubs. We pump grease in until we can see it start to come out of the front bearing and then call it good. Is the correct? Thanks,

asked by: Gary J

Helpful Expert Reply:

There are a variety of possible causes for the brakes on your trailer suddenly not providing adequate stopping power, going from the brake assemblies themselves up through the wiring and to the Prodigy P3 Brake Controller # 90195 in your Ram 2500.

I first recommend checking to make sure the brakes on the trailer are adjusted properly as they may simply need a readjustment. I have attached a video demonstration for you to check out. You can see how to manually adjust the brake assemblies at the video's 4:35 mark.

I also recommend checking both the vehicle and trailer side connectors for any dirt or corrosion that may be causing a short. The brake feed circuit and ground are located at the bottom of the connector, so any moisture will typically affect these connections first.

If everything checks out fine, I recommend moving back to the brake assemblies again and checking the wiring to the brake magnets. Inspect the power wires to the magnets and look for any damaged or pinched wires, fixing as needed. Make sure the ground wires from the assemblies are attached to clean and corrosion free bare metal surfaces.

Lastly, I suggest checking the brake controller wiring in your tow vehicle. I recommend cutting the blue brake output wire and using a circuit tester like # PTW2993 to see if you get output to the trailer brakes. Check to make sure both the manual slide on the controller and the brake pedal in your vehicle activates the brake output properly.

I also attached a brake controller troubleshooting article that might be of some help. If you are still unable to find the cause to your issues, please let me know and I will be happy to look into this further.

If you have EZ-Lube hubs on your trailer, you will grease them as you described. Just slowly pump grease into the spindle, occasionally rotating the hub while doing so to prevent grease from building up in one spot. You will just continue to pump grease until you begin to see the outer bearing move or you see grease seeping through the outer bearing, as you mentioned.