Adapting 4-Pole Flat Connector on 2004 Subaru Outback to Tow Camper with 6-Pole Square Connector

Question

Question:

Hi Guys. I have a new to me 98 Viking pop-up trailer w/ a 6 pole square wiring hook-up. My Subaru has a 4 pole flat wiring harness. From what Ive read and what I think I know, the 6 pole female end to my trailer means that my trailer has breaks, but I am not using them, so I will have to install a brake controller. I have a 4 pole flat to 6 pole square adapter that was given to me with the trailer and it works to run the lights on the trailer. When I opened the tape to expose the wiring on the adapter, I see that my adapter is not attached to two of the wires on the 6 pole side of the adapter. The wires are blue and pink in color. Everything Ive read and watched tells me blue is brakes. My first question is, what is the pink wire for? My main question is how should I go about wiring my breaks from here? Should I keep the adapter and wire the breaks from the extra wiring? Any advice would be great. Thanks

asked by: Jesse P

0

Expert Reply:

If you are wanting to utilize the brakes on the pop-up and install a brake controller on your Outback, your best bet would be to remove the current 6-pin square connector on the camper and install a 6-way connector like part # PK11604. I will provide a link to a wiring diagram that shows how the 6-way should be wired. This will provide a more standard connector on the trailer.

We offer a Brake Controller Install Kit, part # ETBC6 which includes a 4-pole to 6-way adapter. The adapter would plug into your existing 4-pole. The kit contains everything else necessary for installing your controller, including wire, circuit breakers, connectors and even the zip ties.

If you do not already have a controller, you cannot go wrong with the Tekonsha Prodigy P2, part # 90885.

After plugging the adapter into your existing 6-way, there will be three additional wires to be connected. The white wire would ground to a clean metal surface on the vehicle frame, and the remaining wires would connect to a length of the duplex cable included in the install kit. The duplex cable has a white and a black lead. The black lead would connect to the black lead from the adapter (which supplies accessory 12-volt power to the trailer), and the white lead connects to the blue lead from the adapter (which carries the output voltage from the brake controller). The pink wire you mention in the adapter probably provides a maintenance charge to the battery on the trailer or powers interior lights.

The cable would then be ran under the vehicle to the engine compartment (be sure to avoid any moving parts like suspension or steering components or anything hot like the exhaust). The black lead connects to the positive battery terminal via the 40 amp breaker included in the install kit, and the white lead from the duplex cable would run through the firewall (look for an existing grommet).

The controller itself would mount to the underside of the dash within easy reach of the driver, typically to the right of the steering column. The controller will have four wires exiting the rear. The black wire attaches to the positive battery terminal using the 20- or 30-amp breaker (depending on which the manufacturer of your brake controller recommends). The white wire connects to the negative battery terminal, and the blue wire attaches to the white wire ran through the firewall earlier. The red wire needs to tap into the cold side brake stoplight switch circuit. The brake stoplight switch will be located at the top of the brake pedal. It will have several wires exiting it. Use a circuit tester like part # PTW2993 to locate the circuit that only shows voltage when the brake pedal is pressed. Once you locate the correct circuit, use the scotch lock included in the kit to tap in the red controller wire.

I will provide links to more information about brake controllers, details about how to use the install kit, and an install video that shows a controller being installed. The video shows a different vehicle than yours, but the procedure would be similar.