Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes That Stop Working When It Rains

Question

Question:

When raining and pulling my 2014 Montana fifth wheel with my 2016 3500 ram I get a alert that I have no brakes check trailer wiring or trailer disconnected. After it stops raining they come back on. They work good when dry. It show no gain when you hit the brakes but only when raining. It stated after I had new spring put on the Fifthwheel. I have the wire to rewire the axles, wondering if I should change the trailer emergency disconnect switch and the 7 blade male end with wires to the junction box?

asked by: Wayne B

0

Expert Reply:

I'll start this off by saying that I don't think the issue has anything to do with the breakaway switch or junction box, It sounds to me like the rain is causing a short on your wiring and this is what is causing your brakes to go out; since you just had new leaf springs put on the 5th wheel trailer it's possible that something was damaged during the repair process.

I would first examine the ground wire connection on your trailer-just because that's an extremely common cause of shorts like this. Once you've checked the ground, you'll want to start looking in the area of the frame near the springs for damaged wires that run to your brakes; ultimately you'll want to check the entire length of the brake wire (usually blue) but since you just had some repairs done in that area it's possible that a wire got nicked during the process and it's causing the short. You'll want to look for any frayed or cut wires that would be exposed to water when it rains and replace the wire as needed.

If you haven't located any issues on your brake wire, make sure that none of the wiring on the breakaway switch and junction box is damaged, as well as checking the trailer connector for any issues such as corrosion, loose connections, etc.. If you can't find an issue on the trailer side, I would have a look at the vehicle side to make sure that the (blue) brake wire on the vehicle hasn't been damaged in the same manner you did on the trailer.

If all of these steps still haven't located any problems, let me know and I can give you a couple of other issues to have a look at.

expert reply by: Erik B

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Answer 1

I can help you troubleshoot your brake controller issue. Sounds like water is getting into the 7-way connector between your connection. You will want to find a way to seal that off better, I have heard of people using electrical tape to wrap the…

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Answer 2

The Dexter 12K oil bath axles can be changed over to grease without any issues. The oil does keep the bearings lubricated well, but there is a much higher risk of leaking which leads to a much higher risk of failure. I'd personally move to grease…

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Answer 3

Your best bet to eliminate corrosion in your 7-way connector is to use some Dielectric Grease for Electrical Connectors, item #11755. Use this on the wiring connectors inside the connector when installing the connector and occasionally on the…

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Answer 4

It sounds like you have an intermittent short somewhere in your braking system. The readings you are seeing are correct, because the short is intermittent. An intermittent problem can be very difficult to find, but your best bet is to physically…

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Answer 5

To supply a maintenance charge to an auxiliary battery you would connect the 12 volt circuit from a 7-Way trailer connector to the positive terminal of the battery. If the battery is mount on the trailer you would ground it to the trailer frame and…

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Answer 6

The first error code, SH, you are seeing on the Prodigy Brake Controller (instructions linked below) means the brake wire sees a short circuit during idle condition. The second code, OL, indicates an overload condition during operation. For the first…

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Answer 7

If you check out the attached instructions for the Curt TriFlex Trailer Brake Controller #C24VV you can see that the OL code you are getting means that there is an "Overloaded output circuit, trailer brake system fault". Whichever…

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Answer 8

Without knowing what brake controller you have I will venture to guess that the OL code you are seeing is an over load code. The OL or overload error code indicates a short in the brake output circuit. Start by examining the trailer connector. Make…

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Answer 9

I would disconnect the connector before testing so that you do not back feed power to the Prodigy controller. This is the best way to ensure there is no damage to the controller and to be sure the breakaway system is functioning properly. The…

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Answer 10

On most breakaway kits such as the Hopkins Brake Master part #HM20001, you will not need to cut or splice any of the wires to move the trailer with a dead battery. If your power supply is not active, then the only effect is that the breakaway system…

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Answer 11

Your trailer's brakes will not lock up from the battery in a breakaway kit, like the Hopkins Brake Master #HM20001 being dead. If the breakaway battery is dead there won't be any power supplied from the system and it wouldn't have any…

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Answer 12

You said you checked the brake magnets. When inspecting them did you notice if the windings inside the magnets are showing? If so this is most likely the reason that the short is showing up on the controller when the vehicle is moving. This would…

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Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes That Stop Working When It Rains

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