Notices
All Things Towing Conventional, 5th Wheel, Toy Hauler, Flatbed, Gooseneck, Electrical/Brakes/etc.

Brake controller not detecting trailer

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jul 28, 2014 | 01:40 AM
  #1  
blackgold50's Avatar
blackgold50
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
Brake controller not detecting trailer

Ok I just pulled the crappy brake controller (pretty sure it was not working) out of my new to me 2000 f-250 and installed my prodigy p3. With the old one I wasn't sure it was working and had no idea how it worked. The old brake controller harness bypassed the controller plug by running a white wire back to the battery. I connected the new tekonsha adapter normally (all wires connected to plug) and am getting a message no trailer detected. In the rear, there is a square plug with a wire harness that goes to a round one. I bought a round plug to 7pin and found that the clip on the tori& side round plug is broken. Are there any decent square plug to 7 pin harnesses out there? Are there any tests that I can do to further track this issue/verify it is the harness?
Thanks,
Brian
 
Reply
Old Jul 28, 2014 | 06:35 AM
  #2  
RV_Tech's Avatar
RV_Tech
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10,060
Likes: 491
From: Bristol, TN.
Originally Posted by blackgold50
Ok I just pulled the crappy brake controller (pretty sure it was not working) out of my new to me 2000 f-250 and installed my prodigy p3. With the old one I wasn't sure it was working and had no idea how it worked. The old brake controller harness bypassed the controller plug by running a white wire back to the battery. I connected the new tekonsha adapter normally (all wires connected to plug) and am getting a message no trailer detected. In the rear, there is a square plug with a wire harness that goes to a round one. I bought a round plug to 7pin and found that the clip on the tori& side round plug is broken. Are there any decent square plug to 7 pin harnesses out there? Are there any tests that I can do to further track this issue/verify it is the harness?
Thanks,
Brian
Okay, when you are tethered to the trailer do you have trailer lights, etc. so we know if anything in the harness is good.

If you have trailer lights, unplug from your truck, and with a good battery on the trailer, pull the break-away pin on the trailer, and try to pull the trailer with your truck. if you can easily pull it, there is a problem with the trailer, so troubleshoot that first.

If the trailer is stuck fast as it should be, the problem is with the truck. Can you take a picture of what is broken as I am having a hard time following. :0

Steve
 
Reply
Old Jul 28, 2014 | 09:48 AM
  #3  
BPofMD's Avatar
BPofMD
FTE Legend
Veteran: Navy
15 Year Member
Liked
Community Favorite
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 65,938
Likes: 1,432
From: Millersville, MD
Club FTE Silver Member

Don't keep the brake-away cable disconnected for long. If it IS working you can burn up the wires going to the wheels.
 
Reply
Old Jul 28, 2014 | 10:35 AM
  #4  
blackgold50's Avatar
blackgold50
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
Ok. Yes I have light but at least one is intermittent. My brother in law told me I had a light out thn he called back and said it was good. The trailer worked fine on my gmc so I'm not worried about the trailer side. I will get some pics shortly. Thanks. There is also a green wire that isnt attached to anything (looks cut) near by.
Brian
 
Reply
Old Jul 28, 2014 | 10:50 AM
  #5  
blackgold50's Avatar
blackgold50
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
Ok. This is the plug that is broken on the truck side.
This plug that I just bought fits loosely in it.
This is the plug under the truck that the broken round plug connects to

This is the green wire not connected to anything.
Thanks
 
Reply
Old Jul 28, 2014 | 05:01 PM
  #6  
meborder's Avatar
meborder
Moderator
10 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Shutterbug
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 6,508
Likes: 657
From: Sioux Falls Area
Club FTE Gold Member
looks to me that this might fix you up:
Tow Ready Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring for Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty 2000 - 118243

plus you would get a couple of extra relays and fuses to boot ....
 
Reply
Old Jul 28, 2014 | 11:04 PM
  #7  
blackgold50's Avatar
blackgold50
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
I saw that harness on amazon but it had some bad reviews. I went ahead and ordered it. Will be here Wednesday so we shall see if that was the problem.
Thanks
 
Reply
Old Jul 30, 2014 | 10:30 PM
  #8  
blackgold50's Avatar
blackgold50
Thread Starter
|
Junior User
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 92
Likes: 0
I wanted to close this out. I ordered the above wiring harness and it resolved my issue. I did find that my truck did not have the fuse in place for charging the battery. That is probably why I couldn't lift the electric jack when the battery was dead a few weeks ago.
Thanks for the replies, my wife and I are slowly getting there. Hoping to hit Lake Murray OK this fall!
Brian
 
Reply
FTE Stories

Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

 Brett Foote
story-2

Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

 Brett Foote
story-4

Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-5

Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

 Brett Foote
story-8

2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-9

10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!

 Joe Kucinski
Old Jul 31, 2014 | 05:11 AM
  #9  
senix's Avatar
senix
Super Moderator
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Top Answer: 1
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 37,375
Likes: 1,861
From: Frederick, MD
Club FTE Gold Member
congrats on the repair and posting back. Use some grease on the pins to keep it in good shape.
 
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
blue924.9
1987 - 1996 F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
17
May 24, 2015 06:24 PM
bigsbetter11
1987 - 1996 F150 & Larger F-Series Trucks
3
May 22, 2013 07:04 AM
Mark T-TB
1997 - 2006 Expedition & Navigator
8
Oct 5, 2011 03:52 PM
Blackwaterforge
1999 - 2016 Super Duty
7
Oct 14, 2008 04:04 PM
97 RED PSD
All Things Towing
3
Mar 5, 2006 09:55 AM




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:38 AM.

story-0
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer

Slideshow: 10 most expensive Ford trucks ever sold on Bring a Trailer.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-27 16:24:34


VIEW MORE
story-1
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)

Here's everything that has changed for the latest model year.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-27 16:17:28


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies

Slideshow: Top 10 Ford truck tragedies.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-18 19:34:33


VIEW MORE
story-3
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make

And it might be even better than that.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-18 19:26:42


VIEW MORE
story-4
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!

Slideshow: Does lowering an F-150 Lobo RUIN the ride quality?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-18 19:20:37


VIEW MORE
story-5
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home

Slideshow: Ford's bizarre fishing-themed Explorer concept has resurfaced after spending decades largely forgotten.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:07:46


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!

Slideshow: The 10 best Ford truck engines we miss the most.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 13:09:47


VIEW MORE
story-7
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?

Slideshow: first look at the 810 hp 2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road!

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-12 12:50:07


VIEW MORE
story-8
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!

Slideshow: Everything You Need to Know about the 2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-05-07 17:51:06


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 Most Surprising 2026 Ford Truck Features!

Slideshow: 10 most surprising Ford truck options/features in 2026.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:17:22


VIEW MORE