Installing Brake Controller on 2008 Toyota Tundra

Question:

Hello I have a 2008 toyota tundra that I have a tekonsha trailer brake controller already installed and pluged into the drivers side connector, the truck I believe did not come from factory with the tow package but it was installed at the dealership when I bought it brand new so I dont know if there is a difference from the factory and dealership installed tow packages. But I installed the teknosha trailer brake controller with the adaptor I purchased from you to connect to the factory pin connector on the drivers side kick panel but still not turning on, it is grounded to a good ground in the cabin also. I do see that there is a 4 pin connector in the back that is spliced to the wire harness in the back for the tail lights etc, and I intalled a 7 pin to that 4 pin connector. The trailer lights operate great but not getting any brake controller assist, I noticed that there are two wires not in use from the 7 pin, the blue and purple wires. Wanted to know if you have an idea of what I need to make the brake controller work, I read that the blue wire is the feed to the power brake unit but Im not sure what I need. Any help will be very much appreciated, feel very unsafe towing my trailer without the brake controller hooked up. thank you

asked by: Erick B

Expert Reply:

It sounds like you're just missing the brake control connection from the 7 way like the # ETBC7 you installed on your truck to the adapter that is located inside the truck's cab. If you only had a 4 way plug installed at the time of purchase, it's likely that there was no brake output wire ever connected to the adapter in the truck and run to the rear bumper with the rest of the wires needed.

You can test this by using a circuit tester like the # PTW2993 on the brake control pin (5 o'clock when looking at the vehicle connector) and applying the manual override on the brake controller. If you get power coming through when the manual override is engaged, everything is connected on the truck. If not, you will need to complete the wiring connections into the vehicle and splice them into the truck's adapter plug. I would also recommend checking to make sure that the plug is receiving 12v power (the 1 o'clock pin).

I'm linking a helpful article on 7 way wiring, as well as some videos of installation on a 7 way connector as well as a brake controller for you to have a look at and refer back to so that you can confirm that all of the proper connections are made. If you're getting a signal on the 5 o'clock pin of your 7 way connector, it actually is more likely an error on the trailer wiring, so let me know if that is the case

expert reply by: Erik B