Brake control problems?

[sandawilliams]

About half way through my 5500 mile camping trip my trailer brakes quit working. After getting home I started testing everything from the plug on the truck through the trailer. Everything was fine but no brake power to the truck plug. I tested the fuse and it was OK. Anyone had problems with the factory brake controller? I bought this truck new in 2014 and have towed over 60k with no problems. Wondering if the controller is worn out.

 

[crash68]

I'm not sure the 2500 fuses are the same numbers as on the 1500 but did you check both these fuses:
F11 J Case 30 amp Brake Lever
F87 ATR 10 amp ITBM module
Maybe the brake controller failed, it's not something you hear of happening too often.
Some people have had problems with the wiring harness for the trailer plug wiring that runs by the driver front wheel.

 

[sandawilliams]

I'm not sure the 2500 fuses are the same numbers as on the 1500 but did you check both these fuses:
F11 J Case 30 amp Brake Lever
F87 ATR 10 amp ITBM module
Maybe the brake controller failed, it's not something you hear of happening too often.
Some people have had problems with the wiring harness for the trailer plug wiring that runs by the driver front wheel.

I did check the 30 amp but not the 10 amp. I will check it out. I have found it will work slightly about 5% of the time but with very little braking even on a high gain setting. I will also check the harness by the front wheel. Thanks

 

[crash68]

Keep in mind that the brake output is PWM, so testing the output without a load and a meter that's not capable of "reading" the PWM voltage signal may not read correctly.
Try the truck on another trailer with brakes to see if it is the truck. Check the trailer break away switch(if equiped), those can fail not allowing the brake signal to get to the trailer brakes. Also check the trailer brakes, you can verify the break away battery has a good charge and keep the break away switch pulled. If you try to pull the trailer with the truck it should struggle or the wheels will stay locked up. If not pull the trailer drums.

 

[sandawilliams]

Keep in mind that the brake output is PWM, so testing the output without a load and a meter that's not capable of "reading" the PWM voltage signal may not read correctly.
Try the truck on another trailer with brakes to see if it is the truck. Check the trailer break away switch(if equiped), those can fail not allowing the brake signal to get to the trailer brakes. Also check the trailer brakes, you can verify the break away battery has a good charge and keep the break away switch pulled. If you try to pull the trailer with the truck it should struggle or the wheels will stay locked up. If not pull the trailer drums.

I was wondering about the break away switch being bad. That will be my next step. i did try testing at the truck plug with a meter but could find no signal with the brake circuit. i thought it may not have enough load to trigger the meter.
thanks

 

[stevenP]

Be aware that the break away switch creates a dead short, and puts the entire capacity of your on board battery across the brakes. Mine accidentally was activated one time and it melted the switch body pretty quickly. Had to replace it after one time use. They are usually a cheap plastic housing with brass contacts. Test it, but dont leave it "on" for very long.

 

[sandawilliams]

So still trying to wring out my TT brake problem. I have isolated the problem to the truck. While testing the wiring my truck gave this error message. Is there a common fix for this? If not can the pitiful dealers figure it out? Should this throw a code?

This all began with my last trip. With 2700 miles to get home my trailer brakes stopped working and just showed no trailer connected. Once in a great while they would work but with reduced braking. After days of testing this light came up on the dash.
Thank you for your support.

 

[RandomRam]

Not a Ram but I had a Chevy with an integrated brake controller that would occasionally flash a “service trailer brake” message. Fix was to take apart the 7 pin plug, clean all the trash out of it, and then lube with dialectic grease. The Chevy was about the same age as your Ram was and the 7 pin was pretty nasty inside.

With your symptoms of intermittent issues my suspicion it’s a bad connection and the plug is a good place to start since it sees the most wear and tear from both plugging trailers in and the elements.

 

[sandawilliams]

Not a Ram but I had a Chevy with an integrated brake controller that would occasionally flash a “service trailer brake” message. Fix was to take apart the 7 pin plug, clean all the trash out of it, and then lube with dialectic grease. The Chevy was about the same age as your Ram was and the 7 pin was pretty nasty inside.

With your symptoms of intermittent issues my suspicion it’s a bad connection and the plug is a good place to start since it sees the most wear and tear from both plugging trailers in and the elements.

Thanks- I'll give it a shot.

 

[2003F350]

Try plugging in your trailer, make sure it is fully engaged (notch on cover is behind the flat on the plug), and then wrap 2-3 times tightly with electrical tape.

It is VERY common for RV plug-ins to wear quickly and get loose. I have been using one of the small ball-and-loop bungies around my RV plugs for years now, and haven't had an issue with losing lights or brakes in some time.

I have even shown this trick to a few guys at work. We have several road crews, and one crew kept losing lights on the trailer and was getting error messages in the truck. I wrapped the plug in electrical tape, and they went on a 700 mile trip with no more issues.