I was looking for a wiring package for my new 2014 Journey. I found the one on Mopar and although a little pricey it seems to be fairly complete even sporting a 7 pin connector. Problem is that I cannot find much information on what's supported. Is it just lights or does it support the other pins. Does anyone have more information on this?

I was looking under the backend to see how much work it's going to take to install the receiver and wiring my self when I spotted a 5 pin connector that was plugged into a shield. It looks like it may be a trailer lighting connector but I cannot find any information about it. Does anyone know anything about this connector? Pictures below.

Thanks in advance

 

Links seemed to be broken so I relinked to my dropbox account. Should be viewable.

 

Most likely, even if it came with a 7-pin connector, only 4 would be supported. My tow harness that came with the tow package only has a 4 pin connector. The DJ is not a "tow machine" and is not rated for anything that even remotely comes close to needing a 7 pin connector. If you got that cable, you'd, more than likely, find that only the 4 pin is usable and it will be the usual 4 pin connectors; lights.

 

Can't say that I totally agree. The three remaining connections would be for trailer brakes, backup lights and aux 12V. Trailer brakes are good for any trailer over 1,000 lbs and the Journey V6 is rated to tow 2,500. Backup lights is something I'd add to most any trailer and aux 12V is just plain handy to have.

Trailer brakes are seldom part of the harness since it comes from a brake controller so it need not be in the connector. Aux 12V would come directly from the battery and would need to be routed. That leaves the backup lights so it would depend if ground comes from the connector or the frame as to if it could be on the connector.

 

I've been towing for 40 years; currently a 35' 5th wheel and a 40' gooseneck flatbed and a 6x10' utility (no brakes - GVW <3,000 lbs). You'll find that most states do not require trailer brakes until the GVW reaches the 3,000 lb mark and that is probably why the newer models are rated for under that. While trailer brakes are "nice" for any trailer, lighter trailers do just fine without them; that's why you find so many of the "utility" trailers have a single axle...that keeps the weight to under 3,000 lbs and no brake system required. Trailer brakes, whether from an add-on controller or through a built in (as in the newer models of "towing" vehicles) are required to be routed through the 7 pin connector; a DOT requirement so that all connections are made at one point. As for backup lights? I've never had a trailer with backup lights and you'll be hard put to find one that came with them standard. Even "big rigs" are sans backup lights, however, on 7 pin harnesses there is a wire that can be used for that purpose. The 12v out is also not necessary for anything that the DJ is rated to tow; no trailer brakes means no 12v battery required so there is no vehicle charging necessary. Your 5 pin connector is probably 5 pin to make the ground connection for the harness; leaving the 4 lights; left and right brake and turn and left and right running with the 5th being a ground connection if needed or a feedback line for the CANbus. My wiring harness is still laying in the trunk of my DJ...a five pin connector to connect to the vehicle's harness via the 5 pin connector behind the bumper (as shown in the picture in the OP's post), 3 relays and a single 4 pin trailer connector. If you are planning on trailer brakes, back-up lights and a 12v charging line, you aren't going to be using the DJ's trailer harness or connector.

Sorry, forgot that you are the original OP. That being said; a trailer that requires brakes, in addition to, the running lights reqires a 7 pin connector at the vehicle. The DJ does not come with a 7 pin harness (you can't get 7 pins from 5), so, no brakes, no backup lights and no 12v supply. Look up trailer wiring on the internet. You will find that a 4 pin only enables lights, nothing more.

 

webslave, totally agree trailer brakes are not a requirement. That said I had a horse trailer with them years ago and was curious to see just how much they helped with a light load. It's been a while but I think the trailer empty came it at something like 1,000 lbs so with a couple of large hours could hit the 3,000 point easily. I disabled the trailer brakes and took it for a spin and although the truck handled it nicely I could definitely tell there were no trailer brakes. Tossed a single horse back then and took another spin so at about 2,000 lbs it was totally obvious there were no brakes. Never tried two horses but I felt that it would have just been stupid to do so and nothing to gain by trying. Anyway from that time on I figured any trailer I got that could be loaded up near or over 2,000 lbs I'd want trailer brakes. May be only a personal preference but that's just how I felt on the subject. I've also had a trailer start to whip a bit and being able to lightly manually apply a little trailer brakes would help stop the whipping.

On that same trailer we added the Aux 12V just so I had lights in the trailer tack space. That was very handy at night when you needed to get something out of it without having to play with a flashlight.

As far as the backup lights I can see those being a bit unneeded for 90% of the time although I can remember many occasions at night in the parking lot of a horse show backing up that trailer and turning on the rear spot line I installed at the top of the trailer so I could see in the dark. If I was doing it again I might have wired that so it could be manually turned on or switched to the backup lights.

I sure would love to get my hands on the installation manual for the harness but so far no luck on the Internet finding it. If I was closer I'd love to inspect yours but that's a long drive from California.

I have found the older harness which does not use that 5 pin connector but instead connects into the lights and uses a totally different controller. It is a 7 pin design and comes with the 7 to 4 pin adapter. You still have to add the brake controller wire into the 7 pin connector if you going to use one. Down side is that it runs about $225 and takes a couple hours to install but no flashing required for it to operate. It's still listed for the 2014 Journey so maybe they figure the cheeper one for those that only need to tow a trailer from the local rental yard and the larger one for those that want all the extras. However if the dealer want $150 just to flash to enable it you lost all of the savings.

Anyway, thanks for the information about what comes with the harness. Knowing that it has three relays says a lot. My initial take is that there is a ground ring on the harness and the connector has 12V, Left Turn, Right Turn, Stop and Tail lights. The 3 relays would be for Left Turn, Right turn and Stop. The strange thing is that normally there is a relay for the Tail lights So either there is a forth really, one of the relays is really two in one package or the tail light relay is built into the Journey. I'm guessing it's the last option.

My Journey also has the Oil cooler listed so other than the cable it looks like its tow ready.

 

I won't argue the point about brakes being nice on any trailer, however, the reason they aren't required for the lighter trailers is that when you add brakes, you have to have a breakaway disconnect added and an onboard battery to power the disconnect. Couple that with the requirement to have the said brake system inspected annually in most all states on trailers above the 3,000 lb threshold with brakes and most people run far away if they can get the lighter trailers without the brakes. Both of my trailers with brakes require inspections (brakes, lights and bearings) annually and they were required in both the states that I've lived in. So while there are lots of "nice" reasons to have brakes, they aren't really required on lighter trailers and the added regulatory hassle for someone that just wants to haul some mulch or tree trimmings every few years, along with the added initial cost are the reasons they aren't provided. Technically, if you check your state (especially California, the home of "regulations") motor vehicle regulations, you'll probably find that if you modify any trailer to add brakes, you'll come under the inspection mandate since you've "modified" an approved design that isn't described by the vehicle (trailer) title.

The DJ is not designed for towing; that's why it only comes with a factory wiring harness to support a 4 pin, lights only, utility trailer connection. Can you add a 7 pin connector? Sure, you can buy adapter trailer wiring kits and add a 6 pin or 7 pin connector harness, but, since the vehicle itself isn't capable of utilizing a trailer with those needs, the factory doesn't provide the onboard capacity for it. Vehicles designed for towing, such as my RAM CTD, come with the proper wiring for 4 pin and 7 pin (and I have a 6 pin adapter), but, even then the backup light pin-outs on the 7 pin connector are empty...as I said, even larger trailers that might benefit from backup lights, don't come with them, so, the pin-outs for those on the vehicle are empty. You can add the wiring straight from a fuse block to power backup lights, but, then you need the wires both for the vehicle and for the trailer, light installation on the trailer, etc. to have backup lights that really aren't necessary; an added cost that most don't bother with. I've had the need for lights when backing up in several instances. I have magnetic LED flashlights with huge amounts of light output that I turn on and attach to the trailer's bumper or frame. Very little cost, high light output, aimable and there when I need them without having to run wires anywhere (and wire starts getting expensive when you are talking about 35 and 40 foot long trailers.

When I have the time to dig some more I'll look into it, but, thinking about the current harness design, the 5th line may be a 12 volt power source and the relays may supply unregulated 12v power for the trailer's lights. The new DJs come with LED tailights and the CANbus is designed for supplying adequate voltage and current for them. That CANbus supplied current may be inadequate for incandenscent lighting on a trailer (most don't come with LED lights; I've spent a fair amount of money and time converting all of my trailers to LED) and the relays may detect the signal and then control 12v, unregulated power, in the proper sequence (flash or on) to the proper lights. Maybe someone from Dodge (the Dodge Cares Group) can shed some light on the need for the relays and 5 pins for a 4 pin output. Common trailer harnesses don't require relays as they splice into the lighting circuit's output or use adapters that plug in between the vehicle's wiring harness plug at the tail light assemblies. There must be a current issue for needing 3 relays on a 4 pin cable assembly.

 

One of those big LED lights would do well for backing up especially if its one that you can control the beam angle.

It's been a long time since I had a trailer with brakes and it was the horse trailer I was talking about. That was back in the early eighties and I don't remember any requirement about inspections at that time. Maybe something that came in to play later.

We mainly looking at small tent or ultralite trailers ones that we can rent in the area we're visiting so the Journey was a good fit. I really didn't want to look at a huge truck like a F250 or 350 and have it sit around most of the time. I've got a V6 Ranger with a tow package that will cover the times I need higher towing but don't need to take the dogs and luggage. If we bought one this one is one or this one that look quite interesting. Both fit the Journey towing weights even when heavily loaded. Some how I cannot see packing up 1,000 lbs of crap even with food and water.

No argument about California the nanny state. I'm a native Californian and I hate what has happen to this state. The liberals are running it into the ground. Business are leaving the state in droves. Toyota, who employes a lot of people in Souther California is leaving as are many others. It's so sad what happening to this once proud state. Getting off my soap box.

 

Nice, compact rigs, but, if it were me, I'd go with your first choice...more counter space, and from experience, you can never have too much counter space. Especially when it rains, if you have to be stuck inside, you'll find the counters get smaller and smaller...