Brake controller issues

[mopar_man72]

The other day I took my car trailer in for an inspection. Before I dropped it they had me go thru the lights, and then asked me to pull forward and manually engage the trailer brakes. As I pulled forward and activated the stock controller nothing seemed to happen. We tried it in reverse with the same results. I thought it was the trailer, but when I went back to pick it up they said the mechanic got them to work and it had passed. As I left the lot I tried again with the gain turned up almost all the way. They seemed to grab slightly, but I'm not entirely sure since I have a caliper dragging on the back wheel of my truck. Where do I need to start looking to fix this?

 

[18CrewDually]

Did you try it above 15 mph?

 

[BossHogg]

The other day I took my car trailer in for an inspection. Before I dropped it they had me go thru the lights, and then asked me to pull forward and manually engage the trailer brakes. As I pulled forward and activated the stock controller nothing seemed to happen. We tried it in reverse with the same results. I thought it was the trailer, but when I went back to pick it up they said the mechanic got them to work and it had passed. As I left the lot I tried again with the gain turned up almost all the way. They seemed to grab slightly, but I'm not entirely sure since I have a caliper dragging on the back wheel of my truck. Where do I need to start looking to fix this?

I'm confused about what is broken.

If it is the trailer brakes you are concerned about, pull the trailer's brake away switch, which should put full power to the trailer brakes.

If it is the truck's ability to control the trailer brakes then there are several questions. Is the trailer new? Has the truck towed a trailer with electric brakes before with correct operation? Is the truck's trailer brake controller factory and factory installed?

As a reference, I have an 18-foot car hauler with dual electric drum brake axles. If the trailer is unloaded, I can lock up all four trailer wheels easily.

 

[2003F350]

I'm in the same boat as BossHogg - though after reading OP's post a few times it seems as though he's saying that, with his gain cranked up to 10, pulling the brake controller lever doesn't put much power to the brakes, but that the trailer itself seems to be fine per PA inspections.

When you manually activated the brake controller, did you squeeze the lever ALL THE WAY or just barely activate it? That will make a difference - squeezing it all the way should lock up any wheel on the trailer that has a working brake on it.

If all of the above is true then you potentially have an issue with the truck.

It could be a wiring issue, it could be the plug, it could be the controller itself. The quickest way to check is to either hook up to another trailer and see if everything works properly, OR go to a local trailer/hitch company - they should have a plug tester (which is little more than a plug with a circuit board wired to it) to test the plug to see if everything works. If you're mechanically/electrically inclined then you can do some testing yourself.

 

[mopar_man72]

18CrewDually no, I don't think I tried it over 15mph​

BossHogg the trailer is a 2016. I pulled it a few times before I bought it and I think things worked then. It has the factory brake controller. I have not tried to pull the break away and move it, but I will try it this weekend.​

2003F350 I did squeeze the the tabs all the way together. I'm going to take the trailer over to a friends and have him look it over. He has the same truck so I'll have him hook up to it and see if he can lock up the wheels. I would try my truck with his trailer, but I don't have a 5th wheel for mine.​

 

[BossHogg]

When/if you pull the breakaway, make sure the battery or whatever power source is used is up to providing the trailer brakes with ample power. Each trailer brake will consume about 3 plus amps at 13 volts, I got tricked by this once. Also, don't leave the break-away connected too long because of heat build-up in the brake magnets.

Travel speed versus the operation of the integrated trailer brake controller (ITBM) is only valid during normal stopping. The way RAM implemented the braking is, when the travel speed falls below 30 MPH, the ITBM will reduce the amount of brake signal going to the trailer brakes (I'm clueless why as this behavior seems to undermine the concept of proportional braking). Using the ITBM's tabs is not affected by travel speed but only by the gain setting.

It is difficult to test the trailer brake output because it is no longer a simple variable voltage DC value but a pulse width modulated signal. PWM puts out a series of square waves, each having an on-time and off-time period which results in a power value going to the trailer brakes. Typical voltage meters can't measure this correctly and you will get reading errors causing one to think it is functioning. I know this is a bit pricy but it is the best solution. I keep one in my truck and found it quite useful at campgrounds helping folks figure out a trailer braking issue.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B073FJ5NVL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[nekkidhillbilly]

clean the contacts on the plugs at the hitch. i have one that gets a film on it and it makes mine work halfass.

 

[smittyd174]

Lots of good info posted , before ripping the truck apart start on the trailer . Trailer brakes don't work great in reverse . Check each brake on trailer for adjustment, the simple way is jack each trailer wheel off ground , 1 tire or side at a time . Pull break away switch , spin wheel , it should lock up solid within 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn . If it doesn't, brake is out of adjustment or magnets are bad or no power . Volt meter won't work because of voltage fluctuations.
If brakes need adjustment they are drum brakes with a star wheel adjuster. Good luck