Installing the InvisiBrake Braking System on a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD with Quadra-Trac ll

Question

Question:

i want to install a invisibrake system on my 2011 jeep grand cherokee 4wd, quadratrac ll. the dealerships around this area have bad reviews, so i will do it myself. i installed the blue ox base plates bx1128. i am waiting on a blue ox aladdin tow bar. i install two led tail lights from auto parts store, on jeeps rear bumper. bob, at you place recommended keeping the lights separate. the jeep will be towed behind a 2006 jayco seneca motor home, with a seven pin eletrical/wiring/taillight connector. does the jeep battery need to be connected while in tow? does the breakaway switch have a separate hookup, is it just a cable to the tow bar or motorhome? how does invisibrake charge the battery in the jeep while in tow? what if i use a 12v power line from the motorhome to power the invisibrake system? is it electrically possible to isolate the jeep from the brake and light system. do you know if this jeep has a power down feature, i believe it does. if so what happens to the brake system if wired to the jeeps battery. i would prefer to leave the jeeps electrical system out of the loop and power everything from the motor home. if you can help, i promise to buy the invisibrake from you. carla m and bob were a big help on the baseplates. installation looks great and had to cut very little of the fascia.

asked by: Carlos L

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

After doing some research on your 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD with Quadra-Trac II, I did not find any reference to disconnecting the vehicles battery when flat towing. Jeep provides specific procedures that must be followed to flat tow your Jeep on page 455 of your owners manual. Since there is no reference to disconnecting the battery, I would not disconnect the battery.

The breakaway switch does have a separate hookup to the motor home. The pin on the breakaway switch will have a cable that attaches to the motor home, typically the trailer hitch, which will pull the pin in the event that the towed vehicle and motor home become disconnected.

The InvisiBrake supplemental braking system, # RM-8700, charges the battery on the towed vehicle using power from the running light circuit on the tail light wiring harness that you installed. The running lights on the motor home will need to be on to charge the vehicle battery when using the InvisiBrake.

I do not recommend powering the InvisiBrake system with the motor home. If the Jeep were to breakaway from the motor home, the power feeding the InvisiBrake system would be lost and the brakes on the Jeep would not activate. You would see your Jeep pass your motor home on the highway. Other than the power wire running to the Jeep battery, the InvisiBrake would be isolated from the electrical and lighting system on the Jeep. The only other electrical connections that would be required for the InvisiBrake would be a power and ground wire to the breakaway switch and you will need to splice into the tail light wiring harness that you previously installed.

I could not find any reference to a power down feature on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, but if the Jeep did have that feature, the InvisiBrake system would not be affected. The InvisiBrake would be hardwired directly to the battery, so a power down feature would not prevent the battery from feeding the InvisiBrake. A power down feature could be an issue with the transmission. I recommend contacting a local Jeep dealer to see if this could be an issue.

expert reply by: John H

1

Installing the InvisiBrake Braking System on a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD with Quadra-Trac ll

Products Referenced in This Question

Product Page this Question was Asked From

Featured Help Information

Instructions

Continue Researching