If I understand correctly, most SD's have a factory harness and plug under the dash for trailer brake controllers. Looks like someone has cut the plug on mine. I just have a bundle of what looks like 4 wires cut off. Is there a replacement? Also my puppy has also chewed some wires off my rear trailer harness. Is there a good how to on trailer harness installation?

 

I moved this down to the towing and trailer section for more help.

In the tech folder there is a wealth of info.

Those four wires are the pass thru wires. You still have not located the place where the wires for the trailer brake controller goes. It is way up in the dash.

 

Ok thanks for moving it. I'll look again tomorrow and see what I can find.

 

Is this for the '84 F-150 in your profile?

You didn't say what your truck currently is.

Pop

 

Well shucks no, I didn't think about that. I now have an '01 f-250 with the 7.3.

 

OK, that makes it different (and you outta' change your profile).

The loose wires you have already spotted have nothing to do with your trailer brake controller. They are the "spares" that ford has put into the wiring harness to "pass through" the firewall, and there are unterminated wires of the same colors on the other side, near the master cylinder. You are not going to use these at all.

When you pop off the fuse panel cover at knee level below the steering wheel, you will see a metal brace to the passenger side of that opening. Ford, in its wisdom, put the plug you're looking for on the other side of that brace, tucked up against the firewall. It makes it damn-near impossible to get to it without disassembling the instrument panel.

Fortunately, that's not all that difficult to do.

If you need assistance with that, report back and we'll go through that with you in greater detail.

All-in-all, getting to that plug and putting it all back together shouldn't take more than about an hour-and-a-half, start to finish.

Just be sure you have the Ford-specific "pigtail" for your brake controller, a couple of "Ford radio removal" tools, and a small set of metric sockets or wrenches, on-hand when you begin.

See THIS to get started. That was written for a different project that also needed the panel removed, so it's just a reference.

Be sure you get a "click" when mating your pigtail to the panel's plug. That ensures that they are truly locked together and won't vibrate loose some day.

Oh, one more thing: Use something like plastic split-loom on the pigtail to add abrasion resistance to the wires.

Pop

 

Well, did that do it for you?

Hope you are happily towing away, and have trailer brakes.

Pop

 

Oh no, sorry, to be honest I haven't had time to check between over time at work which I'm thankful for, sickness in the family and troubles on the farm I just haven't had time to really dig into it. As it turns out the trailer I had to tow had the wiring harness and lights all messed up anyway so my harness was usless anyway. This is a great site and I'll be back and surely let y'all know what got it fixed. I do thank you all for the info though.

 

And as far as what my pup chewed off of it, I'm not even sure what it's for. My harness intact and judging by the voltmeter what ever I plug in should work.

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Steve

 

And...... we never heard another thing about whether it worked out or not.

It's been two months, now.

Sometimes we just never get to know if we actually helped out or not. :-((

Pop

 

Sorry guys, I did hook up a horse trailor a couple weeks ago and all the lights worked. The funds haven't been availible for brake controller right now though. However, I don't believe the previous used the factory harness, front or rear. There is a hole in the trans tunnel by the the accelerator pedal, and a lot of those piggy back electrical connections at the back. Anyway, my birthday is in October. Maybe I'll get a controller then :-)) on the bright side the truck brakes themselves are awesome. They have no problem slowing the truck.