# Trailer Brake Problem



## Albertabound (Jul 24, 2007)

Hi All,
My trailer brakes are causing me concern.
Prodigy controller always shows connected while travelling.
When I apply brakes it sometimes reads no connection/short although the brakelights on trailer are working. ( I know this because my wife was driving behind towing boat yesterday and while I applied brakes she watched to see if lights were on or not). While I am braking the controller will flash from no connection to being connected and the trailer brakes coming on.
Anyone else had this problem?
thanks
Harry


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

Albertabound said:


> Hi All,
> My trailer brakes are causing me concern.
> Prodigy controller always shows connected while travelling.
> When I apply brakes it sometimes reads no connection/short although the brakelights on trailer are working. ( I know this because my wife was driving behind towing boat yesterday and while I applied brakes she watched to see if lights were on or not). While I am braking the controller will flash from no connection to being connected and the trailer brakes coming on.
> ...


 Harry, Start with visually inspecting the connectors at your TV and coming from the TT. look for corrosion, pushed or crumpled pin/tabs. If all looks okay, it is a pretty simple pin out procedure if there is no apparent problem visually.

Eric

Eric


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## mgoblue26rs (May 22, 2007)

We just had this problem fixed - the brakes wouldn't work at times, but all the lights were fine.
After 3 weeks in the shop and them telling us they were fine (we insisted they take it out not just hook it up to their tester) they found that the wiring was bad at the brakes. They re-wired the connections
and it's been fine since.


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## dancinmon (Oct 5, 2004)

I had the same problem this spring. As I was driving some times they would work fine and other times they wouldn't. I wiggled the connector several times but they still didn't work all the time. Then the next time I hooked it up they worked fine and never went out again. I'm guessing it was corrosion on the connetor pins. I would try cleaning them.


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## STBNCBN (Feb 7, 2007)

The problem is in the break drum. I don't know how to post pictures but if you PM me with you email address I will send you pictures of what mine looked like.


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## Ray C (Apr 4, 2007)

I had the same problem I checked the connector the wiring and the brakes. 
1st the groung that they use is a undersized wire nut in the 4x4 junction box replaced that with the correct size lug
2nd the wire back to the brakes was a 14 ga the manuf. of the axel recommeds a 12 ga I ran a seperate conduit back to the axels and ran 4 12ga wires in it
3rd the wire to each brake from the factory was so tight that and angle the wire was very tight
4th the wire that runs in the axel is not supported and bumps it moves around
I recommend you check all your grounds also check the wire that runs in the axel for any freying I suggest you run the wire outside the axel so it is supported it is not supported in the axel


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## map guy (Jan 11, 2007)

Dexter Axle has a good troubleshooting matrix available
TS Electric Brakes

Very good advice on where to check for problems so far.

My only comment beyond the above posts -would be to eliminate any and all unsealed wire connections where possible. Unsealed crimp wire connectors and regular twist wire connectors on the tongue and under the trailer *will* have problems sooner or later..... Use heat shrink type crimp or solder wire connectors and "wet location/underground" wire nuts in the junction boxes to prevent / impede corrosion problems. Use dielectric grease on both halves of your 7 way trailer connector too.

Map Guy


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## Albertabound (Jul 24, 2007)

Thanks for the great suggestions
I will start checking on them tomorrow and post what I find............and hopefully fix
thanks
Harry


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Last but not least the brake lights and trailer electric brakes are separate circuits. You can not use the tail lights as conformation that the brakes are being told to slow down the trailer.


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

CamperAndy said:


> Last but not least the brake lights and trailer electric brakes are separate circuits. You can not use the tail lights as conformation that the brakes are being told to slow down the trailer.


Andy stated what I was going to post. The trailer brake activation circuit and the trailer brake light circuit are two different electrical circuits. You can have brake lights working without having brakes engaging, and you can also have the brakes engaging without the brake lights illuminating.

If your brakes are working intermittently, you have a loose connection somewhere in the brake activation circuit. And if the Prodigy does not indicate a problem when the trailer is disconnected, then the loose connection is somewhere from the trailer plug back (possibly inside the brake housing).

(And just FYI - my own experience has taught me that the marker lights and tail lights are on the same circuit, also. So if there is an open or short in one of those, the other will not work, either.)

Just my $.02. Hope it helps you find the problem.

Mike


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## JohnL (Sep 2, 2004)

I had this same problem with a previous trailer (not an Outback). The cause was a bare spot on one of the magnet wires inside the brake drum. When the brakes would engage and the magnet moved, the bare wire would short out on the axle hub. It would only happen when the brakes were engaged moderate to heavy. In light braking the magnet never moved enough for the bare wire to make contact.


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## Albertabound (Jul 24, 2007)

Checked the junction box and it was ok,Took off all 4 wheels and checked inside brake wire connections and all ok. Everything shielded properly and no bare spots.
The only thing that I can think of is the connection at the truck and I am going to try something like the dieelctric grease suggestion.
Harry


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