Constant Power on 12 Volt Circuit After ETBC7 Installation on 2001 Toyota Tundra

Question:

Hello, I installed the ETBC7 along with the Prodigy P2 in my 2001 Toyota Tundra. I followed the informational video for the 2002 Tundra to the T. Thank you for the great video. Made the install easy. Everything seems to work flawlessly except that when I turn my truck off, key out of ignition, my trailer still draws power from my truck. Heater fan comes on, stereo is on, lights all function. I currently do not have my 12v batteries in the trailer so the only way it can be pulling power is from being plugged into the trucks wiring harness. I wouldnt think this is normal operation. Is it? Is there supposed to be constant power to the wiring harness? I would think this would not be wanted because of the possibility of draining my truck battery when parked during a lunch break or any extended period away from the tow vehicle while its not running. Any suggestion or help is greatly appreciated.

asked by: Brandon

Helpful Expert Reply:

Your ETBC7 and 7-Way is functioning properly and I can explain what is going on. The # ETBC7 is a hardwire installation that is connected directly to the battery via a circuit breaker. The circuit breaker does not act as a switch so there is always power on that circuit. The easiest solution is to just unplug the trailer from the vehicle. Having power just at the connector without it going anywhere will not drain the vehicle battery. Its like a wall outlet. There is always power to it but nothing happens unless you plug something in and turn it on.

If you do not want to unplug the trailer every time then here is what you can do. You will need a battery isolator # PK5231201. On the power wire, instead of running from the BAT post on the circuit breaker to the battery, you will run it to the output side of the isolator. Then the input side of the isolator would run to the positive battery terminal. And the center post would need to connect to a power source that is only hot when the truck is running.

With this, if you turn off the truck it will cut the power to the 12 volt circuit.

expert reply by: Michael H