What Are the Brake Controller Wire Colors for on a 1998 Dodge Ram 2500

Question:

I have been chasing this problem for months. When I put my foot on the brake pedal the control module flash 10, 20 and then stop it will not set the brakes on the trailer. I have worked on it myself by switching out controllers changing the brake actuator that sends the signal to the controller and even putting in another controller after that. What I have finally figured out is that the four wires coming out of the firewall of my Dodge a red, black and orange, red and brown and a blue wire red being hot Blue being brakes white and brown and black and orange I do not know but I do know that out of those four wires the blue the white and brown and the black and orange are grounded. I tested this by a multimeter putting one end on the ground and turning the multimeter on to ringing or continuity and touching the terminals. How do I fix this and is there a wiring diagram where I can chase these wires to see where theyre grounded at?

asked by: Josh

Expert Reply:

The factory electric trailer brake controller wires on a 1998 Dodge Ram 2500 are as follows:

Power - Red/Orange
Ground - Black/Orange
Stop Light - White/Tan
Brake Output - Light Blue

For a brake controller, I recommend using the Tekonsha Voyager Trailer Brake Controller part # 39510. It sounds like the previous owner of your truck may have cut off the old brake controller port so you are also going to want to use the Replacement Brake Control Plug-In Harness for Tekonsha and Draw-Tite Brake Controller part # 20127. The above wires will then need to be attached to the brake controller as follows.

Red/Orange - Black
Black/Orange - White
White/Tan - Red
Light Blue - Blue

If the brake controller still does not function correctly once the following connections have been made you will just need to splice into these circuits yourself with new wires from the back of the brake controller.