How to Troubleshoot P3 Brake Controller 90195 Not Recognizing a 2004 Wildwood Travel Trailer

Question:

I have a 2004 Wildwood 28BH travel trailer that we recently purchased from a friend. It has sat for the last 3 years in storage. Prior to this it had no problems with the brakes and very low mileage. A few trips a year on the highway and less than 100 miles from home each. So we are talking a few thousand miles at best. I got my trailer brake control installed and it doesnt show any connection to the the trailer. The controller is a P3 that you sell on your site. It is working with another trailer so I know that isnt the problem. I took a multimeter and tested the bottom two connectors brake and neutral right? on my 7 pin connector on the trailer and it shows no ohms. Can I troubleshoot the broken circuit without taking the wheels apart? If I do have the wheels taken apart should the bearings be repacked at that time? Thanks

asked by: Dan

Expert Reply:

I would not go as far as taking apart the hubs just yet. When you get the "Trailer Not Connected" error message on the P3 brake controller # 90195, this means that the controller is trying to send out a diagnostic pulse to confirm a trailer is connected, but the pulse does not have a complete circuit to make it back to the brake controller. This means that is a short or break somewhere along the line, from the brake controller in the cab back to the brake magnets on the trailer.

The best thing to do will be to figure out where exactly power is stopping along the line. You may not need to take off the hubs at all. The electric brake signal wire is usually blue, but if your trailer wire colors are different, this function is most commonly run to the 5 o'clock in the vehicle plug and the 7 o'clock pin on the trailer plug.

Since the brake controller works fine with another trailer, I would start on the electric brake signal wire coming out behind the trailer plug. Have a helper sit in the cab and use the manual control on the P3 while you test along the wire at different points until you reach the brake assemblies. Use a circuit tester like our part # PTW2993. I am including a link on troubleshooting brake controller installations that addresses the issue specifically.

If you see power stop at any point, look for damaged wiring in front of where you are testing, especially in areas where it might have gotten pinched. Once you have repaired the damaged wire sections, confirm that power continues back to the brake assemblies and that the brake controller can now recognize the trailer. It sounds like this is probably the issue if you are not seeing any resistance on your multimeter.

If power reaches all the way back to the brake assemblies, check the ground wire going to the brake magnet and make sure it is securely attached to clean metal on the trailer frame. To prevent problems bleeding across other circuits, it is best if each brake assembly is grounded separately If the grounds to the brake assemblies looks good but you still get the "Not Connected" error, that would be the point where you would need to remove the hub to inspect the brake magnets. Sometimes one or more magnets will have a short inside or be worn to the point where the circuit breaks. Take a look at the link provided for information on testing the individual magnets, if needed.

If you do need to remove the hub, you would re-pack the bearings upon reinstallation.