Okay folks I know this might have been brought before but my search resulted in no finds. I just picked up a '10 F-250 and it has the IBC. Hooked up my trailer and the truck is not reading the brakes and the manual slide doesn't work either. I have lights on the trailer so I know something is getting there. I probed the 7 pin, power there. Had Ford look at it, good to go there. Pulled the plug on the trailer apart, everything was hooked up and clean. Hooked up two other trucks, a '10 F-150 with the IBC and a '08 F-350 with IBC, trailer brakes worked. So what in the world is going on here? I need this fixed by August as I have a trip down the ALCAN pulling my '73.

 

Have you checked all of the fuses? Have a solid connection with the trailer? That's the only things I can think of off the top of my head.

 

You have established the trailer is good. Leave that out of the equation.

Since you have nothing to the seven pin testing when the controller manually, there are three possibilities, all truckside. Either you have no power to the controller, the controller is bad, or the wiring from the controller to the seven pin is bad.

Since I have seen so many posts on this forum with statements regarding variations in Ford technicians' understanding of IBC, I would get verification from an RV tech that controller is in fact working. Your problem has to be truckside as your truck's IBC is the only one that doesn't work with your trailer. This takes less than five minutes. At this point, the fact Ford said it is working means they are saying it is your trailer. Given your report, that seems not to be the case.

I did a step-by-step on the IBC in my 2010 truck noting output at various setting on this forum a good while back. It may be in the tech tips at the top of this forum.

If you wish to troubleshoot a little on your own, first check for voltage on the brake pin of your seven pin while someone works the controller manually. Do you have voltage? If you do proceed with the trailer, assuming a bad seven pin cord causing an intermittent problem. On your trailer, you will find a metal junction box where the seven pin cord joins the trailer circuits. With your trailer tethered to your truck and with someone operating the controller manually, what voltage reading to you have at the blue lead?

Break it down in steps.

Steve

 

See here:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...11-12-a-3.html

That will have the referenced tips

 

Mudfuel, I have checked all fuses, relays, plug truck and trailer side. I even threw a little of the dio grease on the plug just to make sure.

RV, my trailer is weird. The wiring goes from the plug along the frame rail, splits off the blue (brake) and ground wire at the axle, and the wiring continues to the lights out back, no juction box, no battery, just wires.

FYI, It's a 15+3 ft flat bed car hauler. Don't know if that makes a difference.

 

Oh man,

I have worked on a few of those as well as some dump trailers and they follow no code at all! On some, they even changed colors as the wires were connected along the run.

If you have voltage at the truck seven pin, you can check at the trailer anywhere past the plug.

Steve

 

It sounds like your EBC (electric brake controller) isn't lit, showing your adjustment level or pedal pressure when applied. Did you Check your 15a, fuse # 20 for the EBC under your steering wheel?
You also have a trailer tow EBC logic fuse in location #28, as a 10a fuse and a trailer tow EBC fuse in #101, 30a also to check.
Not necessarily relevant but you might just check the other towing fuses at the same time. #38 tow parking lts, #107 trailer tow battery, & 301 tow battery relay.
Under the hood you have the #9 trailer turn signals, #12 brake pressure switch, #201 & 202 left/right blinker relays.
If used, #20, trailer tow back up lts.
Hope it helps.

 

Bob,

What's throwing me here is the OP's statement Ford said it was good to go when he took it in.

Steve

 

does the iTBC scream at you when you use the manual slider?

if not, somebody disconnected power from it.

 

Steve,
I hear you, but it wouldn't be the first time everything was "okay" and found out later it was just their way of blowing you off without a thorough check.

He indicates two other trailers "brakes" worked and with his trailer, he had lights working okay. He doesn't say if the EBC lit up with the other trailers but if it did, could the brake pin location be wired incorrectly on the truck side.
Does the EBC have to recognize the trailer to lite up? I think it does except just after start up.
If that's the case, the blue wire might "open" prior to the truck connector.
Do the brakes hum when pedal applied? Probably not.
My guess is the truck brake pin is placed incorrectly in the connector or he has sufficient corrosion to not make the proper connection if wired correct.
Spray some WD 40 into the connector and plug/unplug a half a dozen times.

Also, We tried to play some trivia as I'm sure you saw here but very little interest. I bet you have some doozies in your years of experience. Want to share any challenges with us?

 

r2millers, with the other trucks, the brakes did work. The EBC showed connecting with the trailer. With mine, when I hit the manual slider, it showing on the dash, no trailer connected. I have checked every damn fuse in that truck, all good.

TexasRebel, I wonder if you're on to something. But why would somebody disconnect the power to the EBC? I'm going to check the voltage and AMPs again this weekend. Been busy replacing the wheel bearings on the trailer and this is next on my to-do list.

 

In a number of these problems, the most common problem was corrosion INSIDE the 7 - pin plug at the rear of the truck. You have to remove the shell of the 7 pin plug and repair/replace the connector.

 

If the iTBC tells you that no trailer is connected, it does have power.

My next guess is that somebody rewired that pickup for their trailer, now the Brake pin is not where it ought to be. Do you have another working trailer you can check?

 

Pretty easy to check the wiring. Get the little plug-in tester for the seven pin at any automotive store. Less than $20 and you will know in two shakes if the plug is wired correctly. I am betting on pin corrosion.

Steve

 

I guess I know where my next stop is.