question about installing a brake controller
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question about installing a brake controller
i've read through some of these posts, but have a question or two.
i just purchased a 99 F250 V10 for towing a car. it has the towing package but nothing else. i installed the 4 pin to 6 pin hookup conversion last night, so the trailer lights work fine.
i need a brake controller for electric brakes. under my dash, i see 5 free wires......red, blue, white, black, and blue with a red stripe. the label says "customer access circuits." I'm guessing these are the wires I use to install a brake controller? is this correct?
also, what is the feeling about the off-the-shelf brake controllers available at autozone and those type of places? i plan on towing the car once a month, distance of about 200 miles each way. load is about 5000-6000 lbs and will not change (ie, i won't be pulling different types of loads)
Thanks for the help
i just purchased a 99 F250 V10 for towing a car. it has the towing package but nothing else. i installed the 4 pin to 6 pin hookup conversion last night, so the trailer lights work fine.
i need a brake controller for electric brakes. under my dash, i see 5 free wires......red, blue, white, black, and blue with a red stripe. the label says "customer access circuits." I'm guessing these are the wires I use to install a brake controller? is this correct?
also, what is the feeling about the off-the-shelf brake controllers available at autozone and those type of places? i plan on towing the car once a month, distance of about 200 miles each way. load is about 5000-6000 lbs and will not change (ie, i won't be pulling different types of loads)
Thanks for the help
CO River Rat
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Lake Havasu City AZ
If that connector under the dash is 6-pin (3 over 3), it should be the controller hook-up; if you have a VOM you can check it to make sure.
If that '99 F-250 has the tow package it should have a 7-pin connector next to the hitch, so I'm not sure why you had to change from 4- to 6-pin.
I've used 4 different controllers from 2 different companies over the years, and Tekonsha's Prodigy is the best I've had; I highly recommend it.
Steve
If that '99 F-250 has the tow package it should have a 7-pin connector next to the hitch, so I'm not sure why you had to change from 4- to 6-pin.
I've used 4 different controllers from 2 different companies over the years, and Tekonsha's Prodigy is the best I've had; I highly recommend it.
Steve
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From: Home Base Nebraska
The consumer access wire are not what you want, the plug for the controller is more toward the center of the dash (its hard to get to). It should be a grey plug with 6 pins. Its best to get a controller harness from Ford to hook up the controller.
The consumer wires have a wire thats hot with the ignition and some I believe radio wires.
Denny
The consumer wires have a wire thats hot with the ignition and some I believe radio wires.
Denny
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From: Burnsville, MN
There's another option, and I'm only mentioning it so you don't get frustrated if this happens to apply. I can't speak to a '99, but on the '05 there's also a bundle of 5(?) wires that does nothing other than run a couple of feet to the other side of the firewall. So if you don't find any voltage on yours, look on the engine side and you'll see the other ends, also going nowhere. This is what is called "Customer Access" on the '05's.
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i have the original window sticker which has "tow package" on it, but the connector is a 4 pin, not a 7 pin.
i've looked under the dash for a loose plug like you guys are describing, but can't find anything. is it fairly obvious?
thanks for the help
i've looked under the dash for a loose plug like you guys are describing, but can't find anything. is it fairly obvious?
thanks for the help
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2004
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From: Upstate NY
if you take the cover off under the steering column, if you look toward the center of the truck you will see a metal divider/support. Look into the opening toward the front of the truck, the bigger opening(i think???) and you sould see a grey plug in thier. If you do not have a pigtail to plug into that plug you will need to purchase one. It is hard to locate, but if you have the pigtail it will show where to plug it in.
Posting Guru
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From: Texas
A lot of the SDs have the 6-pin connector pinned to the metal/divider with a plastic bayonet wire holder. The connector is usually on the passenger side of that divider, and way the heck up there. I would wonder about a "tow package" that doesn't include the 7-pin plug on the bumper, but I'm not sure what they did in '99. Just about every SD I see, has the 4-pin/7-pin plugs on the bumper.
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Senior User
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From: East Central MN
I found this picture on Ebay. You can search 'Ford brake Controller' there are many people selling the wire harness for a simple & clean hook-up. I'm a little concerned that you don't have the 7 way hook up on the back of your truck, I thought all Superdutys with the tow package came form the factory with one. 
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All these guys are right... I've installed quite a few brake controllers on the 99>up SD's. The factory "Tow Package" connection is under the dash almost right below the right side of the radio. To access it, remove fuse panel and look in toward the center of the vehicle. There is a grey metal divider as stated above. It has a larger square opening toward the front of the truck and a smaller square opening behind it (toward the back of the truck). You have to buy a pigtail for your controller to connect it to the truck. It is a royal PITA to get to even with the pigtail unless you have really tiny hands and are extremely flexible. I would suggest a Tekonsha Envoy if only towing about 5-6k lbs. This controller works with up to 2 axle braking systems. Anyways, feed the pigtail in through the smaller square to get it lined up with the connection and work it up until you can mate the two. It's tough, but not impossible. Run the pigtail down to the controller... should have 4 wires --- red, white, black, and blue. Red is your turn signals, white is the ground, black is hot at 12 volts, and the blue powers the brakes on your trailer. A tow package should have a 6 or 7 pin hookup underneath the bumper... hmmm....
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thanks for all the help. i'll look at it later today or tomorrow.
i don't know how to explain the lack of a 7 pin connector. i certainly didn't see one. maybe it had previously been removed? all I saw was the 4 pin connector with the protective cap removed so maybe someone else removed the 7 pin connector some while ago, although that wouldn't make any sense.
on the other hand, the F250 single cab i traded in for this truck did have the wiring all messed up in the back because someone just yanked out whatever was there before.
i don't know how to explain the lack of a 7 pin connector. i certainly didn't see one. maybe it had previously been removed? all I saw was the 4 pin connector with the protective cap removed so maybe someone else removed the 7 pin connector some while ago, although that wouldn't make any sense.
on the other hand, the F250 single cab i traded in for this truck did have the wiring all messed up in the back because someone just yanked out whatever was there before.
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Steve,
Thanks for the correction! You're right, I always say that. Just a habit I guess... red is responsible for running lights and brake light activation.
Thanks for the correction! You're right, I always say that. Just a habit I guess... red is responsible for running lights and brake light activation.
Last edited by sglynx1; Nov 13, 2006 at 01:22 PM. Reason: wrong information
Senior User
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From: East Central MN
The biggest issue with not having the factory light plug is running of the electric brake wire. The factory 7 way has the wire run back already, kind of a 'plug & play' hook up. You may want to look under the hitch to see if someone else cut the 7 way off, maybe theres some bundled wires taped off somewhere.
Posting Guru
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My 97 F250 had 7 pin plug and in the glove compartment I found a 7 to 4 pin adapter that came with the truck. The brake controler wires on it were near the middle of the dash just above where the carpet ended. I bought a controler and the connector on it was the same as on the truck, so I just plugged it in and trailer brakes worked grreat.
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Originally Posted by jlande
The biggest issue with not having the factory light plug is running of the electric brake wire. The factory 7 way has the wire run back already, kind of a 'plug & play' hook up. You may want to look under the hitch to see if someone else cut the 7 way off, maybe theres some bundled wires taped off somewhere.