Troubleshooting Factory Integrated Brake Controller Not Getting Power to Trailer Wiring Connector

Question:

I have a 2013 HD with the factory integrated trailer brake controller. Today when I plugged in the fiver, NO brakes. The DIC shows nothing but the the gain set point. I can adjust the gain up and down. No messages such as trailer connected or trailer disconnectinch nor any chimes. There has been an occasion when I plug-in in the umbilical cord that I have had to jiggle it or unplug it and re-plug it to get a connection but that is rare. Once its connected I have never had an issue. In addition I do have the in-bed plug as well as the one near the bumper but neither would work today. I looked underneath but all the wiring looks fine. All of the trailer lights work - turn signals and brake lights. I connected a tester to the vehicle end plug to test the function of each blade. When I tested the brake blade, there was a very, very slight pulsing of the test meter needle even without pushing the brake pedal OR the manual brake control on the ITBC. Pressing the brake pedal or manual control made no change. I do have e/h Dexter disc brakes on the fiver with the HBA-Cam adapter for the disc brakes. I checked all the wiring connections and they all looked fine. I pulled the trailer on Friday with no issue. The trailer and truck were parked until today and now in 3 days, now no brakes. Am I correct in that this issue is on the truck end since I am not getting any output with the test meter when testing the brake Blade on the vehicle end? I checked 3 fuses......number 19 ITBC, 58 Stud 2, and 63 Stud 1. Number 19 is ok. The other 2 are fuses Im not familiar with, however, compared to the others like it there was no difference in their appearance. I plugged-in the RV again and no change. No messages at all on the DIC. Plugging and un-plugging the umbilical cord creates no messages or chimes. Thanks

asked by: Phillip

Expert Reply:

You are correct that the issue is on the vehicle side because you are not getting the brake controller output even when using the manual override. It definitely sounds like you have a short on the brake controller output wire that connects to the 5 o'clock position of your 7 way. I recommend using a circuit tester like # PTW2993 to test for signal along that wire and replace as needed. Since both your 7-way plugs function the same way, a short has to be between that connection and the brake controller itself. I recommend starting close to the controller and tracing the wire checking every few feet until you find the short. Replace wire as needed with # 10-1-1 sold by the foot.

expert reply by: Jason S