Troubleshooting Tekonsha Prodigy P3 Having 0.0 Output When Brake Pedal Is Pressed

Question:

When I use the manual brake lever the power output rises as I pull on it e.g. from 0.0 to 3.5. When I hit the vehicle brakes the output always reads 0.0 - even when braking. Is that correct? Also the unit lost power and wont power up when vehicle is on. Just stopped working while driving. Circuit breaker? Anything else I should check? Thanks

asked by: Brian S

Expert Reply:

It sounds like there is a few different issues going on with the Tekonsha Prodigy P3 # 90195 in your vehicle.

Starting with the output you should see output on the controller when you are applying the brakes on the vehicle. Since the output goes up with the manual override lever engaged it is likely that the red wire from the back of the controller is not corrected to the correct stop light switch wire.

The red wire needs to connect to the cold side of the stop light switch that only has power when the brake pedal is applied. Using a circuit tester like # PTW2993 will help you to find the correct wire to connect to.

Moving on to the controller not turning on, that would be an issue with the black 12v power wire on the controller. You will need to trace the wire connected to the black wire. It should go to the battery of your vehicle with a 20 amp or 30 amp circuit breaker. Check all of the connections and make sure the nuts on the circuit breaker did not come loose and are causing your issue.

I would also go ahead and check that the white ground wire is still securely connected.

You could also just run new wiring if you cannot find the issue using # 12-1-1, heat shrink butt connectors # DW05745-5, three ring terminal # DW05741-1, and 20 amp circuit breaker # 9506P if your trailer has 1-2 braking axles or 30 amp circuit breaker # 38630 if your trailer has 3-4 braking axles.

I included a video review of the # 90195 for you to take a look at.