curveballer98
Home
New Member
Joined: 09/07/2008
View Profile
 Offline
|
I have a 2008 Keystone Springdale 267 BHSSR. Brand new rig, just picked up from the dealer about 2 weeks ago. Tow vehicle is a 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport, Quad cab, 5.9L V-8, with the heavy duty tow package.
We picked up the rig from the dealer on our way out of town on about a 1500 mile trip. We made the trip in it's entirety without incident until about 10-15 miles from home. Then I noticed that the indicator on the brake control, BTW, it's a Tekonsha Voyager, was not lighting up upon braking, that that I could also feel no trailer brakes engaging. I'm not too well versed in how these are installed. So far, as for troubleshooting, I had a buddy come by and we hooked up his truck to my trailer, and his controller worked, could hear the electric brakes engaging. This was with the trailer battery connected, next we tried it without the trailer batter connected, still worked fine. We then hooked up my truck, without the battery and all I got was the green indicator light on my control. No orange or red, indication the brakes activating. Next we hooked the battery back up on the trailer, and now my control worked.
So I guess I'm not sure if there is a short somewhere, if I have a bad controller, or what the issue may be. I would love to take it to my dealer, but..... They are about 3 hours south of me, and there other store is about 90 miles, still to far to traverse without brakes.
Any one have any suggestions as to what the issue may be, or how to remedy it. Any suggestion would help. Thank you
|
Gary n Vicky
Piney Woods of Texas
Full Member
Joined: 07/26/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
The first thing to do is check the fuses in your TV. There should be a 30a or 40a under the hood. Don't rely on your eyes, check them with a meter. Check for any in-line fuses that may have been installed when the controller was installed. While you are bent up in that funny position, check for good connections on your controller harness. Sometimes if the harness is not tied up anything can catch the wires. Did you ask you buddy to let you put his controler (provided you have the same harness) in your TV? You may try a truck accessory shop if you have one locally.
Good luck
2008 Silverado 2500HD
2009 North Trail 31BHD
1955 (Me)Retired USAF
1953 Bird Loving Wife
1995 Computer Geek Grandson
Be a leader, Be a follower, or Get Out of The Way!
"Happy North Trails"
|
campercajun
Central Texas Hill Country
Senior Member
Joined: 08/09/2007
View Profile
 Online
|
If you don't have a blown fuse, as Gary n Vicky suggest, then the most probable cause of your non-working brakes is an OPEN in one of the wiring connections to your brake controller, underhood or under vehicle wiring harness, or at your trailer connector. This can be caused by corrosion, a broken wire, or it can be caused by a defective twist-on, squeeze-on, or clamp-on, wire connector/wire tap/ wire splice. The trouble will usually be found where the wire has been cut, spliced, tapped, or connected, not inside the wiring harnesses themselves. An OPEN is NOT a SHORT, which is two separate defective wires in contact with each other, or one defective wire in contact with a ground, where it shouldn't be. Grounds and shorts blow fuses. Opens do not, because there isn't any current flow in the incomplete circuit.)
If your truck and brake controller use plugs to connect the brake controller wiring from the truck to the controller, check those for continuity, too. You will need at least a 12v tester with a light, but you really need, a volt-ohmmeter with an audible continuity tester to troubleshoot your wiring.
EDIT: It's also possible that your controller has become defective, if all connections are found to have continuity. This type of problem can drive a good electrician to drink, so if you have the money and you're not experienced in troubleshooting wiring problems, you can probably save your religion and composure by letting a shop find the problem. It can be very tedious, aggravating, and time-consuming.
* This post was
edited 09/07/08 04:29pm by campercajun *
2003 GMC Sierra Crew HD; 6.0L; Prodigy
2006 Thor Tundra 30RL-DSL; Reese Strait-Line & Dual-cam HP
2001 Honda Elite Scooter
Jim & Gayle Bryant
Murphy's Law: "Anything that CAN happen, WILL."
Bryant's Law: "31 years of RVing? Probably already HAS."
|
TnJ
New Hampshire
New Member
Joined: 09/02/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
Ditto on the two previous posts. Before you get too involved, take a look at the back of the trucks 7-pin connector and make sure all of the pins are connected. You are looking in particular for the Blue one which should be the factory brake wire. I bring this up because I went through this with an '04 1500 with the "factory tow package". The blue wire was up front, but didn't make it all the way to the back, never was able to find where it ended (probably one of those late Friday things), so I cut it up front and ran a new wire to the plug. Worked fine after that.
Just something to look at.
Good luck,
Tom
Tom, Jenn, Sam
07 Ram, CTD
06 Jayco 29BHS
|
curveballer98
Home
New Member
Joined: 09/07/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
Well, I had a few extra minutes tonight, so I went outside between raindrops and took a look at the fuses. I noticed that the 40 amp trailer fuse was blown, actually looked kind of rusty colored too. So tomorrow I'll run out and get a couple fuses and see if that fixes the problem.
The outlet on the truck end looks like brand new, all the pins are in tact yet and corrosion free. I actually went to try our other vehicle, a Ford Explorer, just to see if it worked from there and that outlet was very corrored, for lack of use the last couple years, couple pins were gone even.
So, not being a mechanic myself and not knowledgeable with the electrical, I would assume the brakes worked when the camper battery was hooked up, because it was drawing it's power from there for the electric brakes and the truck was just charging the trailer battery.
Thanks for the input, and keep it coming, I'll put a quick post if it was as simple as replacing the fuse.
|
|
|
mowermech
Billings, MT
Senior Member
Joined: 06/28/2003
View Profile
Online
|
Is there any chance the breakaway switch got pulled out while the trailer plug was connected to the truck? I have heard this will damage the controller, due to the back-feed of power from the trailer brakes through the controller.
Just a thought...
CM1, USN (RET)
'94 Dodge 3500 4X2 CTD, Std. cab, LB, 5 speed, 4.10 LS diff., Jacobs Rambrake, 273,000 Miles
'99 Monaco McKenzie 32' triple slide
'95 Tioga 29H Ford-based Class C
Daily driver: '06 Jeep Liberty CRD
Towed: '06 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited
|
curveballer98
Home
New Member
Joined: 09/07/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
Well, we finally got the rig into the shop today. Turns out that there was a wire in the rear axle tube shorting out the brake system. The brakes were only pulling 7 amps, so they ran new wire inside the tube and now the brakes are receiving 10 amps. Thanks to everyone who had made suggestions. Never hurts to trouble shoot anything and everything I guess.
|
Gdetrailer
PA
Senior Member
Joined: 01/05/2007
View Profile
|
Do yourself a big favor, have the wires rerun on the OUTSIDE of the tubes. The wires will chaffe again and you will have the same problem in the future. This is a very common problem when run inside the tube.
|
|
