Repairing Trailer Connector on Recently Purchased Pop-Up Camper

Question:

Hi I purchased N118541 wire harness to my 2012 kia sorento your video and harness was easy to install but I do have a question ever since I installed my harness I purchased a pop up trailer that has a 6 pin male plug I guess from what I couldnt see there was no harness that has a female 6 pin plug available. The previous owner did splice the wires and added a 4 pin so I could drive the trailer home but now Im thinking might need the other wires that are not connected to the four pin harness. What do you suggest I do? The brake lights and signals work but thats about it Im sure the other two wires are necessary for other things... Thanks

asked by: Benjamin G

Expert Reply:

To answer your question, you'll need to determine the function of those other two wires. If I had to guess, I'd say your pop-up most likely has a 6-way connector. One of the unknown wires is probably for trailer brakes and the other one is likely a 12-volt accessory power feed to the trailer, most likely used to maintain an on-board battery. The power feed doesn't have enough push to charge a dead battery, but it can provide enough power to keep a charged battery topped off. You'll need to trace the extra wires to see where they lead.

If your pop-up has brakes and if you'd like them to be functional, you'll need to install a brake controller. I'd recommend a proportional controller like the Tekonsha Prodigy P2, part # 90885. A proportional controller uses an internal accelerometer that determines how quickly the tow vehicle is stopping. It will then send the appropriate amount of voltage to the trailer brakes so the tow vehicle and the trailer stop at the same rate for safer, more predictable braking action. You'll also need our brake controller install kit, part # ETBC6 which includes the adapter to turn your 4-pole into a 7-way connector. All wire, hardware and circuit breakers are also included. Since it's been altered, you'll probably want to consider a new connector on the trailer, like part # H20036. A junction box like # 38656 provides a good, weather resistant place to connect the trailer connector to the trailer wiring. I'll link you to a video showing how the box is used.

I'll link you to an article that shows how to use the ETBC7 kit, also to articles about brake controllers and trailer wiring and an install video showing a brake controller being installed on a Hyundai Santa Fe. The procedure would be identical on your vehicle.

expert reply by: Mike L