Brake Lights Stay on After Fixing Short to Ground on a 2008 Dodge Ram 3500

Question:

I have a journey hd 52740 brake controller installed to factory wiring in a 2008 dodge 3500,I was blowing the fuse for electric brakes and found the wire for the stop lamps broken and grounding out thus blowing fuse.repaired wire and now brake lights stay on constant,could it have damaged controller by grouning out stop lamp wire?

asked by: Doug

Expert Reply:

From what I understand, the stop lamp had a short to ground issue but once you fixed it and replaced the fuse, the brake lights stay on. Is this the truck brake lights, or the trailer brake lights (or both)?

To determine if the controller is damaged you will want to sever the blue wire a few inches from the back of the controller. Then use a circuit tester like # PTW2993 if you do not have one to test the end coming out of the brake controller. It should only show power when you apply the manual override. If it shows power at any other time, then the controller is damaged and will need to be replaced.

You will also want to make sure that the lights are not connected to constant power. Use a circuit tester to test where the lights are connected and if there is a constant power draw then the issue would be with the wiring or lights themselves and it will need to be examined to determine the issue. Also test the brake controller red wire for a constant power draw. If there is a constant draw on the red wire it will need to be reconnected to the brake light switch wire (if hardwired) or cleaned (if plugged in under the dash).

expert reply by: Michael H