Truck is a 99 Ram 1500, not sure if it has factory tow package. The truck has an aftermarket hitch and a 7-wire plug on the hitch (plug faces rear, not to side). I purchased the plug adaptor to go from the brake controller to the connector under the dash. Installed adaptor and red light on brake controller comes on when pressing brakes or holding slider on controller. However, I don't have any current to the trailer brake prong and do not have any current to the auxillary power prong. I connected the plug to my trailer and all lights work properly. The brake controller came from my former truck and I know it works properly. Is there another wiring harness that I have to install? I'm not sure how things are wired at the hitch, since it was installed when I purchased the truck used.

Another question. I installed a brake controller in my neighbor's 01' 2500 CTD Ram last night. All prongs had power, but the trailer brake prong was only putting out about 3-4 volts when applying the brakes. What is the range of output for the brakes?

 

the voltage all depends on what your gain (how hard or soft they are set) is set at if its low youll have lower voltage if its high and you mash the brakes ittl be high

make shure you have
black to power
red as the imput (gets power when you setp on the brakes)
white to good ground
blue to the traler brakes

 

Found a portion of the problem on my truck. The plug wires for the electric brakes and the auxilliary power are no longer connected too anything. They had been at one point because the crimp connectors are in place. The truck has the factory 4-wire plug, which is why the lights work. There is a blue wire coming from the truck wiring harness, but it does not have any current when I apply the brakes. Also, it is a light guage, possibly 14, which seems too small for the trailer brakes. I can not find any wire from the factory harness that would supply the auxillary power.

So where do I go from here? The truck had the addaptor under the dash for the brake controller, but I am not sure where I can hook into the factory wiring for the brakes and the auxillary power. I will be towing a pop-up camper most of the time, although not heavy I definately want the brakes to work. I also want the auxillary power so I can keep the battery in the camper charged and run the refrigerator while traveling down the road.

 

I think I realize what happened. The hitch is pretty rusty, so it probably came off another truck that was wired for brakes. When the previous owner of my truck installed the hitch on this truck, he never wired in the brakes or the auxillary power, so that is why I can't find those wires on my truck. I just assumed that since I have the connector under the dash for the brake controller, that the truck would have the brake wire in the wire loom running to the back of the truck. From what I've researched, I have to splice into a harness at the front of the truck and run a wire back. For those running into a similiar problem, here is a good site with instructions and pictures: http://www.etrailer.com/faq/dbc.asp

I'm still looking for help on the best way to setup the connection for the auxillary power and a numerical range of output voltage for the brakes. I'll soon be joining shot8283 in the window licking class if I keep talking to myself here. [sm=laughat.gif] Have to bust on you a little Shot, that was a hilarious thread about your gas mileage.

 

I just went by the local U-Haul shop and let them crawl under it. Hour later it's done. I bought the controller and plug from them and for 40 bucks it was on.
That site is good info though.

 

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Thanks for the link Ash. Will come in handy getting mine ready to tow next month.

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Here's an update. After studying the wiring diagrams, I found the blue wire for the brake controller and the orange/red wire for the auxillary power. They dead end at two plugs that are located behind the drivers side front wheel, as the website that I linked to shows. I looked in my PDC and found a fuse for the trailer tow and also a relay for trailer tow. I pulled the 40 amp fuse for the trailer tow and discovered that the trailer brakes and auxillary power run through this fuse. So I ran two wires to the trailer hitch from the connectors at the front, soldered the connections together. At the connections at the front of the truck, I simply cut the wires right before they went into the plugs, then soldered the new wires into the factory wires. So now I have the auxillary power and brakes at the seven pin plug. I had left the fuse out while I soldered the connections.

One thing that I discovered now, my Reese brake controller will put out 0.2 volts even when the brakes aren't applied. I'm not sure why it does this, it should be 0 volts. I've checked the range, it will go all the way up to 12 volts when I have the controller set on the maximum setting. Hopefully 0.2 volts isn't enough to apply the trailer brakes, or I could wear out the brakes quickly.

 

Ash, I know whenI have my trailer hooked up my controller has a green light to show good connection. That might be the .2 volts you are getting, the contoller seeing the trailer. I already had all wires in so I didn't have to check voltages.

 

I have a 2001 Ram 1500 SLT that has a factory hitch and a seven pin plug. It does not have a brake controler. I bough the truck used. I'm about to install an electronic controler and I figure there should be a stock wire under the dash that goes all the way to the plug. Does anyone know where and what to look for under the dash? What brand of controler do you recommend? Thank you.

 

If the truck came with the factory "trailer hitch" package then the harness is already set up to recieve the brake controller. The hitch package is not to be confused with the trailer TOW package which consists of heavy duty cooling, alternator etc. Ash, thats where you ran into trouble with the harness as you found out. I orderd my Ram with the TOW package and Not the hitch because I could install the hitch etc. cheaper than what the dealer wanted. When I installed the brake controller, I ran new separate wiring back to the plug. Also, depending on the weight of the trailer you may have a break-away switch for the trailer brakes in case you become un-hitched. That will have its own separate fuse and wiring on the trailer but not at the truck. So you would have 2 fused circuits. One for battery charging etc. and one for the brakes (break-away).
WC