Troubleshooting Overheating and Melted Brake Wire on a Trailer

Question

Question:

I HAVE A STOCK TRAILER HOOKED UP TO A FORD TRUCK EVERY THING WORKS ON TRUCK. HOOKED UP TRAILER AND APPLIED BRAKES WIRES GOING TO LEFT SIDE MAGNETS STARTED SMOKEING AND MELTED.

asked by: RON K

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Expert Reply:

It sounds like there was either a short on the electric brake power wire or the wire gauge running to the brakes was not big enough. Since the wires are already damaged, I recommend running 10 gauge wire, like part # 10-1-1, from the trailer connector to the brake magnets. Smaller wire, such as the wires running to the lights, cannot handle the amperage draw of the brake magnets and will melt.

Replacing that entire wire should also fix any potential short problems as well. Just to be safe, I recommend replacing the wire running to the right side brake magnets as well. I would also inspect the brake magnets inside the hub. If the brake magnet looks worn or if you can see the copper windings on the face of the magnet, I would replace the magnet too.

We experienced a similar issue in our shop recently of the brake wire overheating. We found that the electric brake power wire was pinched at one of the brake assemblies causing a short. This was overheating the wire and once we fixed the short, the problem went away.

expert reply by: John H

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Answer 1

If your Tekonsha P3 Brake Controller, part #90195, displays the error message OUTPUT SHORTED NO BRAKES, the potential causes are a short in the brake output circuit somewhere between the brake controller and the trailer brake assemblies, or a shorted…

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Answer 2

We have an entire help article dedicated to testing trailer brake magnets that I attached for you to check out. You can test for resistance like you described. There is a specified range of Ohms that should be present depending on brake assembly…

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Answer 3

We have an article to assist with checking your brake magnets like you are stating. The resistance will go down because the brake magnets are connected in parallel. Since the voltage doesn't change, the amperage draw needs to increase to power…

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Answer 4

Easiest way to fool a brake controller into thinking a trailer is connected is going to be by installing a brake magnet on the circuit as that's the "draw" it's looking for. For that you could use the part #AKBRKR-M12 and you'd…

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Answer 5

The only wires that could be hot all the time on a trailer connector is the 12-volt hot lead, which is usually a black wire, and, if applicable, the auxiliary power wire, which is normally yellow or purple. The blue wire is usually for electric…

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Answer 6

The blue brake wire should not always be hot; what that means is you likely have a short somewhere that you will need to find. To do this and look for wires that may be pinched or otherwise damaged and fix as necessary or replace it with 10 gauge…

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Answer 7

Melted wires is typically due to a short. It's hard to say exactly what caused your short but you will need to check wiring of your breakaway setup, specifically where the wires connect to the battery, to see if you can find a short and fix as…

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Answer 8

Trailer breakaway batteries are usually rated for 5-amp-hours and are designed to keep your four brake assemblies engaged for 15-minutes in the event of an accidental disconnect. The only way the breakaway battery could heat up your drums is if it…

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Answer 9

No, it does not matter which wire you use for the ground and which is used for power when wiring electric brakes. Each can be used for either purpose.

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Answer 10

If you are referring to two white wires from the brake magnet that are coming from the rear of each electric brake assembly, then it would not matter which wire is connected to ground and which wire is used for the brake feed. The magnet that…

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Answer 11

The blue wire coming from the brake controller to the trailer brakes is the brake power output wire used to tell the trailer to apply the brakes once given the response from the brake controller. Therefore, you should not have a constant charge to…

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Answer 12

I reached out to my contact at Curt Manufacturing and asked them if it would indeed be safe to use the hitch receiver as a mounting location for a floor jack and they stated that only on a Class III or above receiver would they recommend using the…

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Troubleshooting Overheating and Melted Brake Wire on a Trailer

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