Troubleshooting a Curt Venturer Brake Controller on a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500  

Question:

Expert Reply:

I agree that there is most likely something causing a short in the system. Since you are seeing the same problem if the trailer is connected or not I believe the issue would be with the wiring on your truck and not on the trailer.

I suggest checking the connectors and make sure that there is no corrosion present at the either the vehicle connector or the trailer connector that might be causing a short to the system. If there is corrosion present then clean the surfaces and reconnect and this might solve the issue. If the problem is not resolved there might be other issues that are causing a short and you would need to proceed to testing the wiring.

The first step in testing the wiring is to use a circuit tester like part # PTW2993 and check the wires leading to the brake controller. You should show constant voltage on the black wire the brake controller throughout testing. The red brake controller wire should show voltage only when the brake pedal is pressed. The blue brake controller wire should only show voltage when the brake pedal is activated or when the manual brake switch is activated or the brake pedal is depressed.

If you are using the OEM brake controller pig tail that that was included with the vehicle (usually located in the glove box at time of purchase from the dealership) and removed the plug on the controller and wired it to the pigtail, please be aware that the factory brake controller pig tail does not match the brake controller functions color for color. For your 2000 Chevy Pick up the vehicle wiring function is: Red - 12V, needs to be connected to the black wire on brake controller; Light Blue - Stop light, needs to be connected to the Red wire on brake controller; Black - Ground needs to be connected to white wire on brake controller; Dark Blue - Brakes, needs to be connected to blue brake controller.

I have confirmed with my technical contact at Curt and he said that the if the wiring at the back of the brake controller checks out the next item to check would be the brake controller output wire, the blue wire on the brake controller. It is possible that there is a short on the wire running to the back of the truck to the 7-way plug. You can check to see if there is a short on the blue brake control wire by severing the blue wire a few inches behind the brake controller. If you then run through the functions and the lights on the brake controller respond normally, then you have confirmed that the short is in the blue wire leading to the 7-way on your truck.

If you have confirmed a short on the blue wire leading to the 7-way you can either run a new wire using some # 10-1-1 and route this new wire to the 7-way and replace the wire in the 5:00 position on the vehicle connector 7-way. Or you can trace and inspect wiring to the back of your truck. Pay close attention to the blue brake signal wire and make sure that there are no cracks, corrosion, or signs of damage on the insulation. Also make sure that there is no exposed wire that might be causing the signal to ground out on the vehicle and loose connectivity. If you find the damaged portion of wire you can then remove and splice in a new section of wiring at that point.

I have provided links to the parts listed above as well as several helpful articles that should help you find and fix the brake controller wiring issue.

expert reply by: Rachael H

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