I have just purchased a 2004 E-350 Club Wagon (V-10, if it matters) and am looking to install an electric trailer brake controller. The truck has the factory tow package, so I understand that there is supposed to be some sort of under dash plug, perhaps blue in color, that I can plug the controller into. Does anybody have any idea where this plug is, and if I am even on the right track?

TIA....

PS - I have done a search on the topic, and either I have no idea how to phrase the question, or I can't make the search engine work properly, because I am coming up with squat.

 

the plug is in the left hand side drivers footwell right behind the emergency brake- i believe my plug was brown.
the van came with an adapter that plugged into this plug and my brake controller wired into the pigtail off it.


Frank
2004 E-350 6.0L SD

 

if you go with a Prodigy Brake controller, you can buy a pre-built wiring harness that plugs right into the factory plug and the controller. It is a really good inertia-activated brake controler.



http://www.tekonsha.com/prodig.html
http://www.tekonsha.com/tbsabrakeconwireharn.html
http://www.tekonsha.com/files/BC%20W...20Rev.%20A.pdf

 

[QUOTE=wreckerboy]I have just purchased a 2004 E-350 Club Wagon (V-10, if it matters) and am looking to install an electric trailer brake controller. The truck has the factory tow package, so I understand that there is supposed to be some sort of under dash plug, perhaps blue in color, that I can plug the controller into. Does anybody have any idea where this plug is, and if I am even on the right track?

WB, I just had a Prodigy installed in my 98 V-10 CW. The connection is 4-prong under dash. The factory wiring is under the rear with 4-prong also. If you will be using the 7-prong adapter (you have to purchase one) you have to get the wire connected to the electric brake wire on the adapter. Are you going to be using 4 or 7 prong? I made the mistake of taking the first installation to Camping World. Don't go there. Instead, find a U-Haul dealer that does hitch installation and controller wiring (not all dealers do this). Their prices are much lower that CW.
Eddie

 

When I bought my E350, it had a class 3 chassis hitch, but I don't think the factory tow package was installed - the previous owner probably just had the hitch installed and was using a trailer with no brakes or hydraulic surge brakes. I went to a hitch shop and had the wiring done for a Prodigy controller, and multiple parallel sockets by the receiver so I can use 4, 6, or 7 way connections. It didn't cost that much to do, and I can tow anything now.

 

wreckerboy-
Did you purchase it off of the dealers lot?
If so, the brake controller plug should have been in the glovebox.
If it's not, then go back to the dealer and tell them that you want it.
I know this is the case with the F150's and Superduty's if they have a tow package.

Patrick

 

I just put a Prodigy on my '05 E-350 which has the tow package.

The van came with a box that included a wiring schematic, pig-tail (Ford plug w/ wires to splice to your controller) and relay.

I didn't need the pig-tail because I used the Priodigy Ford adapter. The relay goes under the hood to allow the alternator to feed charging juice to the trailer battery.

Mount the Prodigy
Tug off the plastic face plate under the steering wheel (this is optional but really opens up the area to find the Ford recpticle)
Plug one end of the Ford Prodigy adapter into the controller and the end in the Ford recepticle near the emergency brake
Push the face plate back on

No other wiring is necessary if you have the tow package.

My camper plugs directly into the back of the van; for my boat, I have an adapter ($9 from WalMart) that lets me marry the boat trailers flat 4 connector to the van.

Don't ya just love that V-10?

 

Wreckerboy,

I also have a Prodigy that I use with the factory towing package wiring. The plug under the dash is the only one that the pig tail will fit. It's easy to find. You have two choices on the wire between the controller and the plug under the dash. Your van came with a pigtail that fits the van plug under the dash and the Prodigy includes at no extra chare a pigtail that fits the plug on the controller. You can splice these two together to create a connection cable or you can order one with your Prodigy that already has the Ford plug on one end and the Prodigy plug on the other and is about three feet long. A word of caution. If you decide to splice the two free pigtails together, be sure to follow the instructions that come with the Prodigy because it isn't a direct color for color match. The color matching scheme is different for different vehicles. The custom cord at about $11.00 is a good value.

The rear of the van should already have the seven pin plug in place if you have the heavy duty towing package.

One thing that is seldom mentioned is that the brake activation circuit requires an auto reset breaker to replace the fuse that is in the power distribution box so that a circuit fault will not kill your brakes at an inopportune time. I haven't found one that is a direct replacement for the fuse so the only solution I have found so far is to place the circuit breaker (of a lower value than the fuse) in line with the controller. They are available at auto parts stores.

Also remember to never test your breakaway switch while the trailer is plugged into the van. It can fry the controller.

Gene

 

Thanks for all of the good information!

To clarify -

Crash687 - I am going to use the Tekonsha. Thanks for the links.

Veetener - The truck came with the factory tow package, so it has the 7-pin connector installed, along with the hitch. Thanks for the pointers, though.

ACESN8S - sorry that my original post wasn't clear. I bought the truck used (from a dealer). I had to darn near sell my soul to get an owner's manual, so I am not holding out any hope for the wiring you mention!

Jeffnick and Gene W - thanks for the detailed instructions. As I noted, the Prodigy is what I'll be using, and I'll probably get to play under the dash next weekend (spent this weekend working on the racecar and lugging gardening supplies around). Thanks for the pointer about the breaker and not testing the breakaway.

Absolutely love that V-10 power and torque. This thing should have no problem moving (and not being moved around by) a 3800 lb. open trailer / Spec Miata combination. We'll find out in three or four weeks on the way to the first event. More importantly, gotta love them big **** brakes! (To a road racer, stopping is sometimes more important than going!)

 

I bought the brown connector, bat can't seem to locate the wiring in the rear, we already have been using the 4 pin, it was strapped up on the bumper out of site, where is the rest? I like how Prodigy offers the prewired Ford conector on their brake controlers, but they seem expensive for the every once in a blue moon use. I heard the relays for the box under the hood are not installed, you have to go get them, and they are high, dealer item.

 

Not all vanscome wired for the seven pin connector. My 2004 E-350 only had the connection for a four pin connector. The schematic shows a seperate three pin connector for hooking up brakes and battery charge and ha a note that says "some vans equipped." If you have it, the other connector is on the drivers side just behind the axle. It should be right next to the connector where the wire you already ahve is plugged in. On my van the funny thing is that every other part needed for towing is there. I have the brake controller connector under the dash, and all required relays and fuses are in place, I just don't have the last three wires for hooking up the seven pin connector. I already have the schematic so I'll just run my own wires when the time comes to use a seven pin connector.

 

maples01,

As al-e.-gator said, you should find the wiring harness dead ends into two plugs that are about two feet from the bumper on the driver's side. One has four pins, the other has three. The factory seven pin connector has a pigtail on it long enough to reach from the center of the bumper to these two plugs. It has all of the wires in a plastic cover that breaks out into two separate plugs to match the harness. You may be able to find one like that at a salvage yard along with the relays.

I don't understand why Ford quit actually installing the relays and opted for putting them in a plastic bag in the glove compartment. My '94 had everything fully installed. Maybe the dealer did it.

They used to offer a towing package and a heavy duty towing package. Mine came with 130 amp alt, larger battery, larger radiator, trans cooler, wiring and I choose the step bumper which is rated as a class III hitch. I later added a class IV receiver as well. I think back then the standard towing package just had the four pin wiring an none of the other items. It may be that most, if not all, of those items are now standard equipment so there is no need to add them to the towing package, I don't know.

Gene

 

I already located the plug at the E-brake under the dash, brown socket, I bought the end needed for the actuator to plug into it. No one has looked really hard for it yet, the wife thought she saw a small round socket around the wheelwell on the drivers side, far from the rear since it's the Ext SuperDuty version. I have the towing pacage, you can see the tranny cooler up front really easy.

 

maples01,

I got my Prodigy on eBay. Here's one for less than $110 including shipping. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...spagename=WDVW

I got my Prodigy Ford harness at Camping World.

I was told that all E-350's have the tranny cooler, even without the towing pkg. My F-150 didn't have a towing pkg, but DID have the 4 pin flat connector on the bumper. Maybe ALL 350's come with the 4 pin, and the ones with the towing pkg have the 7 pin?

jn

 

I know it has it, because the brown connector is under the dash by the E-brake, I bought the end for it at the dealership when I found it, so yes it has the wiring. I may go by the trailer shop and have him locate the rear wiring, but I'm sure Ford wouldn't put the harness up front, and not in the rear.
I got a controller around here somewhere, a cheap one, but it's no big deal, I don't plan on towing alot till I can get the axle swapped with a dually one running 4.10 gears, the 3.50 isn't low enough. Once it's a dually, I plan to get a good controller, I still gotta coax her dad into letting me fix the wiring on the car hauler, her family think it's ok to haul vehicles behind a 1/2 ton truck without using the trailer brakes.