What is the Red Wire Function on an Electric Trailer Brake Controller

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Question:

The red wire from thye controller what wire does that connect to on the truck side it shows red+ does it go to a constant hot or the wire that powers up when the brake is applied. Thanks

asked by: Glen

0

Expert Reply:

The red wire on the brake controller connects to the stop light wire on the brake switch located above the brake pedal. You will need to use a circuit tester like # PTW2993 to probe the wires. You need the one that shows a signal ONLY when the brake pedal is pressed. If you find a wire that has a signal when the headlights are on or when the turn signals are engaged, it is not the correct wire.

Brake Controller Wire Colors and Functions:
The white wire is ground
The blue wire is output to the trailer brakes
The red wire connects to the stoplight wire on the brake switch
The black wire provides 12 volt power to the controller

If you were to connect the red wire to the battery it would apply constant output to the brakes. I have included a link to our Brake Controller FAQ article for you to view.

expert reply by: Michael H

0

Michael P.

5/16/2020

I have installed and set up a trailing wiring kit, but the red wire has become pulled out of the control box. Is there a way to reconnect the power line into the control box?

Reply

Chris R.

5/19/2020

Are you referring to the actual brake controller? There may be a way to attach that red wire again, but I would need to know what specific model you have.

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Answer 1

The red wire on a trailer brake controller like the Redarc Tow-Pro Liberty Brake Controller part #RED24FR when using the Universal Wiring Harness for Redarc Tow-Pro Trailer Brake Controllers part #RED69FR will need to be attached to the cold side…

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Answer 2

You can hard-wire in a brake controller, and it seems that there are not a lot of the Sprinter 3500 models that are pre-wired, at least from what I've seen in my research. I have not seen any reports that this isn't possible, and we…

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Answer 3

No you should not have constant power on the brake output pin, the blue wire should only have power with the brake pedal depressed in the vehicle or the brake controller manual override is activated. If the blue wire has a constant 12V then it is…

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Answer 4

The best option for wireless brake controllers is the Curt Echo #C51180. It is the easiest to plug in and go when you need to use a brake controller with your trailer. Once you have a 7-way connector installed in your vehicle, all you need is to…

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Answer 5

The red wire on a brake controller signals the controller that you are stepping on the brake pedal, so it has to be connected. It does not operate the brake lights on the trailer. It attaches to the cold side of the brake switch. The brake switch…

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Answer 6

I think you are going in the right direction. I would definitely replace the 14 gauge wire going to the trailer brake magnets with 10 gauge wire or larger. Usually larger than 10 gauge is hard to get into the trailer connector though. I would also…

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Answer 7

When installing a brake controller in your 2012 Chevy Equinox you will need to access the stoplight circuit from the BCM (Body Control Module) and not the brake switch. It is located under the dash above where your left knee would be. The BCM has…

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Answer 8

I found the installation video that we did on our 2019 Chevrolet Equinox but I have not been able to locate the video you mentioned with the 2018 Equinox. Our video we did was on a Equinox that came with the factory 7-way wiring and that may be why…

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Answer 9

According to Curt there is not a plug-and-play brake controller adapter for the 2019 Chevy Equinox so the Curt Venturer Brake controller would need to be hardwired in. To do this, you would need to convert the factory 4-way on the Equinox using a…

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Answer 10

A trailer mounted battery is typically maintained by the 12-volt accessory circuit from the 7-way trailer connector. If the accessory circuit on your 7-way is live even when the ignition is shut off, it is possible that the battery on your truck…

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Answer 11

Wiring in the parking light diode #RM-690 is easy. All you have to do is locate the wire leading to the parking light bulb. Cut the wire and insert the diode in-line with the wiring. The IN side will be the part of the wire that leads to the front…

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Answer 12

On your 2017 Toyota Highlander, you are experiencing feedback from your brake controller onto that stop light switch which is causing the error messages you mentioned. You will want to install a diode on the red wire leading to the brake controller…

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What is the Red Wire Function on an Electric Trailer Brake Controller

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