Brake Controller Fault

[Grdsman]

I've been searching for information about my truck's issue with the brake controller. I am using the stock brake controller on my 2005 F250. This is the third trailer that it has done this on, so I am now absolutely positive that it is the truck and not the trailer. The last previous trailer was brand spanking new, too. My truck will pick the worst times to put up a "trailer fault" or "check trailer" message. I have come to the conclusion that either the controller is bad or there is a bad ground. Has anyone else run into this problem? Many times, I have completely lost the brakes when this happens.

 

[cookie]

I have a Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller in my GMC. This past winter I had a fault. It was short to ground. Turns out there was a bad magnet. Then shortly after, I had the same fault and this time it was a wire to the magnet that had rubbed on the brake actuator. All good now.
Oh, and I did loose my brakes when I had the fault.

Peace
Dave

 

[bdb2047]

I have not had this problem.Have read on Ford fourms that there can be a problem with the connector on factory 7 pole plug.They have found mosture and corosion at connector from wiring harrness.Remove connector from back of plug to check clean and use some di-electric silicon .

 

[dbylinski]

We had a similar intermittant problem with our 2005 F-250. The end result was something in the master cylinder and once that was replaced we had no further problems. The trailer fault would display in the dash but I believe our trailer brakes were locking up even at the lowest setting.

 

[Grdsman]

I pulled apart the connector that the truck company installed for me a couple of years ago and found that two of the pins were badly corroded and one of them had actually broken off inside. For now, I bypassed the plug and hard wired those in. We'll see if that fixes my problem. It's amazing it was working at all, let alone intermittently.

 

[hoefler]

Do you have one of the plug relocation kits installed in the bed of your truck?? If so, remove it and hang the cord over the tail gate and see if you fault goes away. I had one, when we had all that rain in the spring, it got wet enough, the brake wire had shorted to the ground wire. It would dry out and be OK until I drove in a rain storm again.

 

[Grdsman]

Do you have one of the plug relocation kits installed in the bed of your truck?? If so, remove it and hang the cord over the tail gate and see if you fault goes away. I had one, when we had all that rain in the spring, it got wet enough, the brake wire had shorted to the ground wire. It would dry out and be OK until I drove in a rain storm again.

I do have a plug in the bed, but I traced the wiring and it is spliced in with the original. The original plug at the bumper exhibited the same symptoms. I am second guessing whether this will fix it, but I'll know tonight when I hook up.

 

[Grdsman]

Do you have one of the plug relocation kits installed in the bed of your truck?? If so, remove it and hang the cord over the tail gate and see if you fault goes away. I had one, when we had all that rain in the spring, it got wet enough, the brake wire had shorted to the ground wire. It would dry out and be OK until I drove in a rain storm again.

I've done a lot of troubleshooting on this one and keep having issues with it. I have completely eliminated the factory plug where the new plug in the bed connects to the plug at the bumper. That is all run straight through now. The truck tests fine when the dealer plugs in their tester. The problem got worse when I used dilectric grease at the plug. I think it might have been causing a short to ground. After cleaning the plugs out completely, the problem was not as bad, but still there. I guess the next step is taking apart all of the connectors at the brakes on the trailer and re-doing them.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Dumb question. Have you checked the wiring in trailer axles to make sure there is not wire rubbed thru?? Dilectic grease causing a problem?? Never heard of that...it does not conduct electricity. Just protects from corrosion. Wonders never cease.

 

[cookie]

What Bob said is not uncommon when wires are laying in a tube.
Other than when the dealer plugged in his tester, have you checked voltage to the brakes? I would install a jumper wire on the blue wire that feeds the brakes and run it to the cab. There I would connect my meter and monitor the voltage as the brakes are applied under all situations.
And for what it's worth, I read about more integrated controller problems than the aftermarket controllers.
JMO

Peace
Dave

 

[Grdsman]

Dumb question. Have you checked the wiring in trailer axles to make sure there is not wire rubbed thru?? Dilectic grease causing a problem?? Never heard of that...it does not conduct electricity. Just protects from corrosion. Wonders never cease.

That is the next thing that I will be going to go through. I didn't think the grease would cause a problem either, but it definitely had an impact. It was almost constantly "alarming" telling me to check the trailer and "trailer fault". As soon as I cleaned all of it out, it was intermittent instead of constant. I know....it doesn't make sense.

 

[Grdsman]

What Bob said is not uncommon when wires are laying in a tube.
Other than when the dealer plugged in his tester, have you checked voltage to the brakes? I would install a jumper wire on the blue wire that feeds the brakes and run it to the cab. There I would connect my meter and monitor the voltage as the brakes are applied under all situations.
And for what it's worth, I read about more integrated controller problems than the aftermarket controllers.
JMO

Peace
Dave

I read about that way to test just yesterday. I'll post back on here when I get some results.

 

[cookie]

That is the next thing that I will be going to go through. I didn't think the grease would cause a problem either, but it definitely had an impact. It was almost constantly "alarming" telling me to check the trailer and "trailer fault". As soon as I cleaned all of it out, it was intermittent instead of constant. I know....it doesn't make sense.

Just one more fly in the ointment, but as Bob mentioned Dielectric grease will not cause a problem. If you cleaned it off, then maybe there is a problem with the plug itself and you just jiggled something in the process and that made it work some. Dunno, just a thought. Peace Dave

 

[Grdsman]

Looks like I got it figured out. I went under the trailer and re-terminated every connection at each wheel. The problem seems to be gone. Woo hoo!