Hardly a day goes by on this forum where someone does not post a question about some problem they are having with the Integrated Brake Controller and sometimes it is the controller, but for my money more often than not it is an issue of connections.

Here is a graphic of what I think is one of the most common problems with the Ford trucks, the seven-pin connection at the bumper. Because the plug does not seal tightly on the side facing the underside of the truck, moisture rusts out the backside of the pins. What that means to me is I seldom pay much attention to the pics folks post of the shiny pins facing the trailer-side of the seven-pin. That is not usually where the problem lies. You will note on the attached graphic the ground pin, which is crucial to all seven pin functions is completely rusted away.

 

Is there any way of sealing it before it starts to corrode, maybe dielectric grease around the area of the seal.

Denny

 

Denny,

I don't know the answer to that. My thought would be almost anything is worth a try dielectric, electrical tape, etc. I posted the graphic so folks know what really happens to the plug.

Steve

 

Steve,
What do you do to replace the plug? Ford says harness is one piece the entire length of the truck.
That end of the plug on mine looks much cleaner/newer and there is no visible corrosion--but at one time previous, an RV tech cleaned these contacts with a small knife, then put the grease in and reconnected. That is when it began working again, but only for about a day. And each time after getting it 'fixed' the problem resurfaces at the first hard stop.
Thanks,
Joe

 

Joe,

First of all do not replace anything until you are sure it will solve your problem. Your first step is to verify whether you brake pin on your seven-pin on your truck is getting any power. You can do that with your multi-meter while having someone manually activate your brake controller. Having voltage means you have a connection from your controller to your seven-pin. That doesn't mean the connection is good, but it is a start.

If you cannot get reliable power to the seven-pin while operating the controller manually, you will want to check at the back of the seven-pin where the lead feeds the brake pin, so you are ahead of the pin. If you do not have reliable power there, it is possible it is your wiring, but in my experience that is far more likely to mean a bad controller or the connections to the controller, unless somewhere along the line someone did a hatchet job on your wires. You can usually tell that by simply looks.

Does this problem only start when you are moving?

On my 02, the seven-pin is connected to a short bundle of wires that plug in further up. It does not run the entire length of the truck. I am not sure about yours. I have replaced just that short section in the past ordering it from Ford. I will take a look at my 2010 in the morning.

I know this is frustrating, but the cure is most often simple once you know what to fix. When the RV tech worked on our truck, did you see what type of test equipment he was using?

As an added thought, you said "after the first hard stop". Electrically a hard stop can be duplicated by simply fully activating the controller manually while static. Can you duplicate the problem that way?

Steve

 

I was replacing my 7-pin on this and all previous trucks about every 2 years because they would corrode up on the inside. The last one I put on was 4 years ago. After I made all the connections (with dielectric grease), I completely filled the back of the plug with Sil-Bond RTV 4500 silicone. No water, salt, air, or anything else can get into the back of the plug now. This has lasted twice as long as any other trailer plug so far, and still going strong.

 

The Sil-Bond RTV may be hard to find. Just make sure you use non-conductive silicone.

 

Thanks for checking in on this one. Sounds like a something worthwhile to try!

Steve

 

thombabb,
Did you ever have to replace the underframe 7-pin that RV Tech has in the picture? If you did, what type of connector did you replace it with?
Joe

 

Joe,

There are a multitude of aftermarket suppliers who make that receptacle and it is available everywhere.

Steve

 

Steve,
My sources are limited to O'Reilly/Auto Zone type outlets. Not sure they would even have a person who would understand this without having the old one in hand. In the DFW area, what type of supplier would have this and would they mess with a single retail sale?
I am having difficulty getting my simple MM attached to the contacts to get a reading--same with test light, alligator clip is so wide it may short with another contact. If you haven't already figured this out, I am not very good with wiring/electrical problems.
Joe

 

It is not unusual for any automotive store to carry them as does Northern Tool quite often and an RV dealer will have them on the shelf or show them to you in their catalog. The RV dealer does not need to see it to know what you are talking about.

No probes for your meter?

Steve

 

Here' what I have done: took truck to hitch shop that installed the bed plug (earlier, they had replaced the first harness that was connected by 3m clips and loose) with soldered connections. They have a test box with all lights and one for the controller--it showed I had weak current with brake and high with the manual lever. That was all they could test. Came home and checked for myself with a test light that I still had power to the bed plug. Then took my knife and scraped all the contacts on the trailer harness and bent them inwards a little. Then connected the trailer plug and had wife apply the manual lever while I checker for current at the junction box--good.
Hitched up and test pulled--brakes are working. Message center says "Output 10.0"
The actual problem seems to have been the plug on the trailer, possibly just dirty and not making good contact, altho it looked good. Closer inspection showed that the contacts were dirty with a black deposit, and had lost pressure to push against the pins in the bed.

Steve, the MM probes are almost impossible for me to handle when the plug itself is moving and I have two probes to place. I know, you do it all the time...

Thanks, Steve, for not letting me buy another controller.

Right now, I have the underframe connector zip-tied together since the lock clip is gone. Will shortly tape it all.
This is certainly a poor setup for being under the rear of the truck with all the mud and water that flies up there.

Thanks tons for everyone who has helped me on this. Steve, wish I was near to you, need to shake you hand and buy you a beverage.

Joe

 

There is always a lot of help from folks on this forum. I am glad you got things straightened out. The setup is a horrific design that is bound to periodically fail, no two ways about it.

Good luck in the future,

Steve

 

AH! new information...

I've noticed that there are substantially more problems with the systems that have a secondary in-bed plug...

personally I always just run the pigtail over the tailgate, and I've never had a single false problem. If it says "TBC fault" or "trailer disconnected"... it's correct.