Troubleshooting P2 Brake Controller Installed in 2004 Chevy Silverado with P.L. Code when Starting

Question:

I have a 04 Silverado which I recently purchased. The gentleman I purchased it off of had installed a drawtite brake controller and said he pulled a small camper with it.. I assume should be a simple conversion over to my Prodigy 2 which I had in my other Silverado 03. I unplugged the controller and plugged in the Prodigy2. Nothing no lights nothing..so I compare the 2 plugs that goes into the underdash power supply. red/white and blue are all in the same location but the black is on the other side of the plug. So I pull the blue wire retainer on top of the plug pull the black wire and move over to the left, reinstall the wire retainer and plug and and sure enough I have power and everything seems to be working..but I dont think it is...for instance, when I pull the key the Prodigy shuts completly off, it never did that before. Also if I have my foot on the brake when I start it P.L. is displayed? Please help!

asked by: Paul S

Expert Reply:

It sounds like the power source that is being used to power the P2 Brake Controller # 90885 is a keyed power source that only has current when the key is turned on. This is not ideal, you would want the power to come straight from the positive side of the battery through a circuit breaker.

You may need to repin the connector still. It almost sounds like you found a keyed source on the port under your dash and you should move the black pin to find the 12 volt power source. Check out the picture I attached to see how it should be pinned.

The P.L. code means power interruption when the brake pedal is pressed. Which makes sense because typically keyed power sources cut power when the engine is cranking so that the starter gets more juice.

expert reply by: Jameson C