Troubleshooting Loss of Voltage When Measured at Trailer Brakes

Question

Question:

Good Morning, Im trying to trace down a electric brake issue on my car hauler. At the connection at the truck, Im getting 8.6 volts which is what my Tekonsha P3 is set to. However, at all 4 wheels, Im getting 6.2 volts when I use the test switch on the controller. Are all 4 wheels supposed to be seeing 8.6 volts ? Any help would be appricated. Thank you.

asked by: Anthony A

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Expert Reply:

The more brakes you have the less voltage is available for each part. Since you have 4 brake assemblies you are going to have slightly lower voltage regardless. One thing you can do to help out is make sure you are using adequate wire for the brakes. You want to at least have 10 gauge wire like the # 10-1-1. This will help as the power travels the length of the trailer and to the different brake assemblies. I would make sure that each brake assembly has its own ground to help as well.

expert reply by: Robin H

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Answer 1

There are many things that can affect the voltage on the brake output wire from your brake controller to your trailer brakes such as the power setting on your brake controller, how you are testing the wire and if you are testing it with the brakes or…

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Answer 2

The easiest way to determine exactly what brake assembly you have is to take the hub and drub off of your axle an measure the diameter of the inside of the drum and then measure the depth. This will tell you what size brake assemblies you need. I…

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Answer 3

Are there any visible signs of wear on the magnets like exposed windings then that would indicate they need replacing. Magnets can go bad without showing visible signs of wear though. To see how to troubleshoot them check out the help article I…

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Answer 4

To check the pins on the vehicle side 7-Way, you can use a circuit tester or the volt meter. The circuit tester will show you if a signal is coming through on the pin you are testing while the volt meter will tell you that and how much voltage is…

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Answer 5

In order to determine the torque rating for the lug nuts on your trailer you will need to know check out the chart I attached that shows all of the torque specs for all the trailer lugs available based on stud size, wheel material and wheel size.

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Answer 6

A 4-Way trailer connector has the basic lighting functions only; running lights, left turn signal and brake lights, right turn signal and brake lights, and ground. A 7-Way has these functions and a 12 volt circuit, a circuit for electric trailer…

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Answer 7

The difference between the Class II and Class III hitches has to do with their Gross Trailer Weight (GTW), their Tongue Weight (TW), and their Hitch Receiver Size. Class II trailer hitch receivers have a 1-1/4 inch receiver and can be rated up to…

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Answer 8

Even though I cannot comment specifically on the grease you used because I am not familiar with it, I can tell you the best grease for trailer bearings is a a grease with a rating of GC-LB, which just means it is made to withstand very high…

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Answer 9

To determine the size of the brake assemblies you need you have to measure the depth and width of the hub drum on the axle like what you see in the picture I attached. The most common size is 2-1/4 inch wide like the #T4071600-500 that you…

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Answer 10

To determine the size of the hub assembly you need to purchase you have to determine which bearings are in the old assembly. If the old assembly has L44649 inner bearings, you would use the hub you chose #8-258-5UC1. If the inner bearings are marked…

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Answer 11

To find the load capacity for your axle you should look on the trailer VIN plate or sticker that lists the VIN number. The weight rating of the axle should be listed on that same plate or sticker. Also, the axle could have a tag or plate on it that…

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Answer 12

You will have to go with a sliding hitch to allow the trailer to make tight turns. For a trailer 8 feet wide the only bed length that's going to allow 90 degree turns without a slider is a stationary hitch. That being said you have two options.…

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Troubleshooting Loss of Voltage When Measured at Trailer Brakes

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