Solution for Brake Circuit Wire of 2020 Dodge Caravan that Gets Hot with Override Lever Slid

Question:

I have a technical question regarding a tekonsha p2 I bought from you guys. I wired it per the instructions and per your 2017 dodge caravan video. It is installed on a 2020. When you pull the manual switch to test things the red stoplight wire that is connected to the cold side brake wire that is 20ga gets hot and actually burns the wire. And the 20amp breaker trips. Has this happened to you guys before. What am I doing wrong no wires are chaffed. I have 20 years of experience being a mechanic and this one is killing me. Have not even hooked up the camper yet.

asked by: Jonathan L

Expert Reply:

It's not a typical problem I would say but based on what we know the issue would be due to the 20 gauge wire that is on the vehicle that is just too thin to handle the amperage and causing it to get hot and melt. The simplest solution would be to install a one-way diode between the 20 gauge wire and the red wire of the controller like part # RM-790 which will prevent the circuit from getting amperage from the controller when the lever is slid.

expert reply by: Jameson C