I have a new to me 2001 Coachmen Clipper. I had a brake controller and seven pin receiver installed on my 2013 Ford Escape Titanium which already had a trailer tow package with 4 pin. When I hooked up the connections and started to roll out the driveway the brakes are squealing. If the connector is not hooked up the brakes are fine. Are the brakes engaging and staying engaged? The trailer battery is not on the trailer yet. I will be replacing all brakes, parts as well as the bearings. Should I replace the brake pull on the trailer as well? I do have portable lights to get me to the garage.
Electric Brakes
- Thread starter cstevens
- Start date
My first guess would be that whoever installed your brake controller switched it off of the wrong side of the brake light switch, so it's applying constant power to the trailer brakes instead of only providing power to the controller when you step on the brakes. There are other possibilities but I would look there first.
You can probably use the rest of the 7 pin controller by unplugging the connector in the back or the brake controller, or if you know where the trailer brake fuse is, just pull the fuse.
Yes, definitely replace the breakaway switch when you do your other upgrades.
You can probably use the rest of the 7 pin controller by unplugging the connector in the back or the brake controller, or if you know where the trailer brake fuse is, just pull the fuse.
Yes, definitely replace the breakaway switch when you do your other upgrades.
buy a plug in 7-pin test plug. Its a dummy trailer plug. See if the correct LEDS light up when you do not have your foot on the brake. The LED for the blue ebrake wire should not illuminate.
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Thank you. The Curt brake controller unit bulb lights up when I press the cars brake peddle, goes off when under way. I've ordered the dummy trailer plug that Anthony suggested. There is another problem I am having, the passenger brake/turn signal lights up but does not blink or gets brighter when braking. It was suggested that it could be a ground problem.
Thank you, I have ordered it, will be here Sunday.
Re: your other problem - yup - look for a grounding discontinuity.
Another issue that I thought of later, If they didn't have a full harness and had to run extra wire to the 7 pin they might have switched connections in the back between the aux/charge wire and the brake wire. Anthony's tester will tell you if that's the case.
Have you checked the bulb in in the passenger side tail light? The brake filament might just be burned out.
Have you checked the bulb in in the passenger side tail light? The brake filament might just be burned out.
at least with these kinds of problems, usually once fixed they stay fixed 
