Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes that Only Activate with Manual Override Lever on Brake Controller

Question:

Not sure how to go about this but my 1998 Chevrolet 2500 has a draw tite break controller. The controller has been failing as in when I press my breaks the little red dot wont turn on nor will the breaks for the trailer activate. It randomly does work but for the most part it doesnt. I recently came to find that my break lights to my truck wont turn on when I press the breaks. But will turn on when I hit the manual trailer break on the controller while not pulling a camper. What do you think would be causing this? Thanks in advance for the help!

asked by: Jose

Expert Reply:

There are a couple possible reasons as to why your Draw-Tite brake controller is only applying the trailer brakes when using the manual override lever.

I first recommend making sure that the red wire from the controller is connected to the cold side of the truck's brake light switch. You can use a circuit tester like # PTW2993 to ensure you have the correct wire on the vehicle, which will only receive power with the brake pedal pressed, and no power with any other vehicle function. If you have the correct wire, just make sure the connection is secure and the wires are in good condition.

If everything looks good there, it's possible that you have a blown stop light or CHMSL (Centre High Mount Stop Lamp) fuse that needs to be replaced. I recommend checking your Chevy's owners manual for the fuse locations.

If you are still unable to find and resolve the issue, please let me know and I will be happy to look into this further.

expert reply by: Chris R