Troubleshooting Electric Brake Controller Installation on 1999 Chevy Silverado

Question:

I am trying to find out if the camper needs to be hooked up in order to verify if the brake pedal being applied to the Reese brake controller is working. I thought I had a faulty Brake Force controller because only manually using it made the brakes on the camper work it turned the green light to orange and you could hear the brakes on the camper go on. So I ended up purchasing a new Reese 4 wire controller for my 1999 Chevy Silverado. The Harness was different, so I bought a new Tekonsha 3025-P that worked for the Reese connector to plug into the truck, so everything is new. I also picked up a 12V circuit tester and tested each wire and verified that the black wire was getting power, but while pressing the brake pedal, I wasnt getting anything on the red wire. I wasnt sure if the trailer needed to be attached for it to work or not. If not, I am not sure what to check next?

asked by: Alan

Expert Reply:

Thanks for the description. It sounds like your wiring adapter may be plugged into the incorrect spot. I've attached an article that will show you the correct spot. Since you don't get power on the red wire when you hit the brakes using a circuit tester like # PTW2993, you won't have proper function. I've attached and article to assist in further troubleshooting, but this is the reason why only the manual override was working before as well.

If you can't get the correct function from that connection, I suggest hardwiring the red wire to the cold side of the brake light switch. These switches are notorious for going bad on these older models as well, so that may be your issue. I've attached some articles to assist. Let me know if we need to do further troubleshooting.

It also sounds like you may have a proportional brake controller that will not show the same braking function from your brake pedal when you are not moving. These controllers have an internal sensor that helps them determine deceleration so your trailer brakes will be given the same amount of braking pressure as your vehicle.

expert reply by: Jason S