Parts Needed to Install a Brake Controller in a 2014 Ford E-350 and a 2004 Chevy Silverado 2500

Question:

#1-2014 ford e350 van,no factory harness,need to install 7 way plug and brake control. #2-2004 chevy 2500 4x4,no factory harness,need 7way and brake contoler

asked by: Aaron M

Expert Reply:

The good news is that the installation of the needed wiring is fairly similar between both your 2014 Ford E-350 and your 2004 Chevy Silverado 2500.

Starting off you will need to install a 4-way on your E-350. I recommend going with the T-One # 118551 as we have found Tekonsha to be the most reliable and this kit includes wiring that runs up to the battery so that your trailer doesn't pull power from the light circuits on your E-350. You may need additional wire # 12-1-1 and some butt connectors # 05732-2 to complete this installation.

You then need to install the Universal Wiring Kit # ETBC7 which plugs right into the 4-Way you just installed and includes all of the wiring needed for a fully functioning 7-Way.

The Chevy already has wires located above the spare tire so you do not need to install a 4-Way (see attached photo). Cut off the 4-Way of the ETBC7 and you should be able to match the yellow, green, brown, and white wires color for color. You can use a circuit tester # PTW2992 to ensure that the functions match up. I have linked a helpful article that shows how to install the ETBC7 on your Chevy.

For either application you might need additional wiring # 10-2-1 so that it reaches to your battery and inside your cab.

Once you have the wiring run you then need to install a brake controller. I recommend the Prodigy P3 # 90195 as it is very reliable and the LCD screen makes it easy to operate and know what is going on. The P3 comes with a pigtail that you can hardwire in to your vehicle as well as some mounting brackets. If you plan on moving the P3 from one vehicle to the next you will need another pigtail # 20127 as well as the mounting bracket # TK5906.

Using the circuit tester that I mentioned above you then need to connect the following wires to the following functions on your vehicles:

Blue - Brake Controller Output (from ETBC7)
Black - 12V Power
White - Ground
Red - COLD Side of Stop Light Switch (only gets hot when brake pedal is pressed)

I have also attached some additional helpful articles and installation videos for you to check out.