Electric brake controller

[JR]

Do the factory controllers need to be levelled properly like an aftermarket controller does?

 

[SnoKing]

Do the factory controllers need to be levelled properly like an aftermarket controller does?

Yep, don't turn you truck on it's nose or tail when setting it up! Snoking

 

[JR]

The reason I asked is because if they're not leveled properly you will experience similar symptoms as the OP is describing.
Had this problem one time on my truck, one day the trailer brakes worked fine and literally the next day they were virtually non existent. I had the multeter out probing the truck and trailer harness and was getting lower voltage than I should have had. Then it dawned on me about the controller so I checked it and sure enough it was way out of wack. It confused me how this could have happened...figured I must have bumped it or turned the wrong knob on accident.
About a week later my son who was 3 or 4 at the time was sitting in the truck playing with the radio while I was changing a burned out light bulb. I walked around to flip the turn signal to check the bulb and found the perpetrator...playing with the brake controller :-laf

 

[SnoKing]

JR. I do not believe any of the IBC use the old pendulum to activate trailer brakes. Snoking

 

[Larry Willard]

Do the factory controllers need to be levelled properly like an aftermarket controller does?

No, you just go into the settings and select the type of brakes (electric or electric over hydraulic) and how heavy a setting, and then adjust the gain.
Larry

 

[Cummins12V98]

No, you just go into the settings and select the type of brakes (electric or electric over hydraulic) and how heavy a setting, and then adjust the gain.
Larry

Only applies to the 13 and newer trucks.

 

[MattandLana]

JR. I do not believe any of the IBC use the old pendulum to activate trailer brakes. Snoking

I think this is correct. If you sit stationary (I'm talking a 2014 here) and gradually depress the brake pedal while watching the braking screen in the EVIC (if you have it), you will see the gain rise as you depress the pedal further. It seems to be measuring pedal position directly - no inertial input needed.

 

[RustyJC]

Only applies to the 13 and newer trucks.

Actually, I believe you could select the brake type on the 2012 trucks - I remember when it came out because I was really hoping for a software update on my 2011. No such luck....

Rusty

 

[SnoKing]

Even the newer after market controllers with accelerometers are not effected by angle like the old dogs. Chris

 

[Cummins12V98]

Actually, I believe you could select the brake type on the 2012 trucks - I remember when it came out because I was really hoping for a software update on my 2011. No such luck....

Rusty

Brain fart! You are correct. I knew that since we took my Dad's controller out and installed it into my truck and it could not be programmed. His is a 12.

That's when I bought my MaxBrake from Dutch and Di.

 

[SMasters]

I have a 14 Mega 3500 DRW with Aisin. I was testing the brake controller because the 5th wheel brakes feel weak (brakes adjusted). I plugged the 5th wheel into the bumper plug so I could test the voltage on the plug in the bed. With the truck running and using the foot brake pedal fully pressed I get 7.5V at the plug with the heavy electric brake setting. When I change the setting to light electric and perform the same test I get 9.4V. Doesn't that seem backwards? Also shouldn't I be getting 13v or so at the plug? Thanks for reading.

 

[SnoKing]

Bad connection somewhere that is breaking down under higher setting? SNOKING

 

[JDean]

I have a 14 Mega 3500 DRW with Aisin. I was testing the brake controller because the 5th wheel brakes feel weak (brakes adjusted). I plugged the 5th wheel into the bumper plug so I could test the voltage on the plug in the bed. With the truck running and using the foot brake pedal fully pressed I get 7.5V at the plug with the heavy electric brake setting. When I change the setting to light electric and perform the same test I get 9.4V. Doesn't that seem backwards? Also shouldn't I be getting 13v or so at the plug? Thanks for reading.

When correctly set up, the brake controller should almost lock the trailer brakes up when traveling in a straight line at approximately 20 mph and fully squeezing the ITBM's brake paddle (no truck braking). The set up requires both a range (e.g. Light Electric) and a gain (for the ITBM, I believe this was a number from 1 - 10). I wouldn't expect to get full braking from the brake controller by just using the truck's brake pedal position when not moving. I would expect to see more voltage at the heavy setting compared to the light if both ranges have the same gain, so check to see if the gain changed when you switched ranges. And while you're at it, check to see if the no brake condition is close to zero volts. To check full on braking, use the brake controller's paddle. Full braking will be battery plus. With the trailer connected, the trailer's battery is also in the circuit, so keep you trailer battery maintained also.
- J Dean

 

[SMasters]

I used both the hand control and the brake pedal, it didn't change the output. All testing was done with the gain set at 10. No brake condition was less than .5V. The 5th wheel stays plugged into the house year round so the trailer battery is maintained. Also I get the same readings at both the plug in the bed and at the bumper.

I wonder if the integration takes into consideration the speed of the vehicle. Since it isn't moving the truck thinks it doesn't need full power. Just a thought.

Has anyone else checked their voltage at the plug?

 

[SnoKing]

Pull the emergency pin on the trailer and see if the locks the brakes. Unplug the electrical cable to the trailer first, however! plug it and see if the trailer brakes are locked up. On gravel you can verify that all four wheels skid along!

SNOKING

 

[JDean]

I checked my P3 at the plug with the truck on but not running. The P3 is set up for electric over hydraulic, but I'm not sure at what gain (the display will only tell me the trailer is not connected). Battery + is 12.5 V. Full on braking using the controller's paddle is 6.3V (I expected to see 12.5V so it must put out a max signal based on the range and gain). With the wife pushing on the truck's brake pedal I saw 2.0V. No breaking was 0.0 to 0.02V.
- J Dean