How hard to add a brake controler on 3rd gen?

[hammersley]

My son has an 06 - that the dealer added the tow package..... how do you add a brake controler - my son tows a light trailer - under 5000 lbs - what controler would you recommend... ... without killing the bank - AND then how easy are they to install - I mean is it something you plug in or have to wire up?????

 

[MoparBob]

If the truck came with the factory tow package, you should have a Brake Controller wiring harness with the truck. You take the connector and wire it up to your choice of brake controller and plug it in to a receptacle near the brake pedal on the firewall. The only other thing to do is mount the brake controller wherever you choose. The whole process is very easy. If you can properly connect an electrical wire, you can install a brake controller. I believe it took me about an hour to install mine and that is only because I am anal and take all kinds of unnecessary steps for my own peace of mind.



I personally use a Tekonsha Prodigy P3 brake controller which I paid about $120 with shipping to the house. You can certainly buy them cheaper and more expensive, but in my opinion, this was the best brake controller for the $$$. Plus it has a cool LCD screen :-laf.

 

[CKimball]

as mopar bob stated... piece of cake... and couldnt agree more about the prodigy... probably the best bang for the buck out there right now

cameron

 

[DonTX]

MoparBob, I had been led to believe ALL Dodge trucks had the plug under the dash, not just the tow package ones, is that not so?

I have tossed a Kelsey and a cheap Tekonsha, now have a Prodigy and think I will like it lots better.

 

[wcjp]

Here's my 06' SLT. There's a small factory hole I routed the wires through. No drilling. The factory plug is near the Ebrake. I think it's a blue connector(?). Also running the Prodigy. I've seen the new one with LCD screen. Looks nice. Bought my Prodigy on Ebay for $85 shipped to my door about 2yrs ago.





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[hammersley]

Thanks guys

that's exactly the poop I needed... ... ... .

 

[BDeMartile]

Prodigy works great for me as well and its easy to wire in you can use the dodge pigtail or for about 12 bucks buy the dodge/prodigy harness from camping world and it is a total plug in operation. mounted mine at about my right knee on the under column panel. Its a direct view through the lower spoke of the steering wheel and an easy reach with my right hand without taking my eyes off the road. BTW i didn't know the dealer could add the tow package???

 

[Grizzly]

For a few dollars more you can get the BrakeSmart, which many on TDR feel is the best. No offence Prodigy owners.

 

[DThorsen]

This is not like rocket science... it is worse!



One other forum I came upon while tring to figure this out had messages, a whole chain of messages, going back and forth with no real answer to the question.



I've got a 2004 2500 6 speed ST (Stripped Truck) It has the flat four trailer connector at the back end and one (1) white wire with a male bullet type connector on the end just hanging out of the wiring harness a foot or so forward of the rear bumper on the left side.



I have added all the stuff for trailer brakes except for the final three wires to the new 7 pin circular receptacle.



I opened up the fuse box lid to see if secret instructions were posted there... nothing. However I did find that in position #1 labeled Trailer Brakes there is already a 30 amp fuse installed. A logical assumption therefore is that there must be a connector somewhere anxiously awaiting a new wire to be plugged in.



My question, which it seems there is no easy answer to or "it's a piece of cake" depending on who you listen to, is; where, exactly, on the truck do you attach the three new wires that have to go to the new 7 pin receptacle?????????????

 

[jeeping_0]

under dash between ebrake & main harness plug if its there it

will be a blue plug if not you will have to wire it in to the brake

switch wire

 

[DThorsen]

Thanks for your input but that is not the answer to the qestion posed!

That part has been done as part of the addition of all the components.

Think about it. The controller has 4 wires that plug into the blue plug under the dash. Ther are four wires that are at the back end of the vehicle that are used only for lights.

In order for the brakes to work you need two ro three more wires to attach to the 7 pin connector.

I found one other post here fcrom a couple of years ago tthat said there is a 14 pin connector (No. C129) located above the front body mount that is where the brake wire connetion is located. Can anyone be more specific about this 14 pin connector. Post a picture or something. The only wiring diagrams I have seen do not list this C129.

 

[DonTX]

I think I see what is confusing you, of the four wires to the controller, only one goes back to the trailer plug connector.

Of the other three, one is ground, one is battery (hot), and one goes to the brake light.

 

[DThorsen]

No it does not go back to the trailer plug... yet. It only goes as far as the aleged C129 pin connector. I have to extend the wire to the end of the truck if I can find the C129.

I searched the forums and think I found what I need to know.

Over and out

 

[DThorsen]

I'm copying tbrudder's post from 2003. It seems he found and detailed what I now need to do to make this work.

"Basically, it would seem that even though my truck didn't have the trailer tow package (just a Mopar hitch, I'm thinking), the front end of the wiring harness was still in place. I'm going to go so far as to assume that all trucks are wired like this. Checking my PDC, the trailer fuse (40A, IIRC) and relay were in place. Using what I read here, and some info from the dodgeram.org site, I found that the wires for the trailer running lights, electric brake, and B+ ran down to one of two connectors (C128 & C129, I believe) located at the very back-rear of the engine compartment on the driver's side, just about opposite from where your feet are on the inside. The rear part of the harness does not carry these to the back. I just tapped the wires I needed on the front side of the connector (I believe brake was blue, running lights orange/red, can't remember B+--maybe black) and ran wires along the wire loom back to the connector, and re-wired the trailer plug. "

Thank you Mr. tbrudder

 

[Bob4x4]

My son has an 06 - that the dealer added the tow package..... how do you add a brake controler - my son tows a light trailer - under 5000 lbs - what controler would you recommend... ... without killing the bank - AND then how easy are they to install - I mean is it something you plug in or have to wire up?????

Since he has thedealerinstalled tow pkg there will be a blue wire,most likely ty-wrapped to the add on harness to the 7 way at the back of the truck that is the output to the trailer brakes. You will tie the controller brake output to this wire. The 4 way connector under the dash will have power and ground and the brake switch out put. You can use all of those. Just run the output to the blue wire I mentioned earlier.



Bob

 

[hammersley]

Since he has thedealerinstalled tow pkg there will be a blue wire,most likely ty-wrapped to the add on harness to the 7 way at the back of the truck that is the output to the trailer brakes. You will tie the controller brake output to this wire. The 4 way connector under the dash will have power and ground and the brake switch out put. You can use all of those. Just run the output to the blue wire I mentioned earlier.



Bob

are you saying that the dealer plug will not have the brake wire in the harness???? I mean it isn't then just a plug in - you need something else? Also - I went to a trailer shop and they gave me a Dodge plug for the Tekonsa and it looks like it's for my old 01... ... must be a difference in the new 3rd gen ones.....

 

[Bob4x4]

are you saying that the dealer plug will not have the brake wire in the harness???? I mean it isn't then just a plug in - you need something else? Also - I went to a trailer shop and they gave me a Dodge plug for the Tekonsa and it looks like it's for my old 01... ... must be a difference in the new 3rd gen ones.....

The wire to the trailer brake will be in the 4 way at the connector,but does not go to your 7 way. You can take the blue wire in the add on dealer installed harness and attatch it to the appropriate wire at the back side of the 4 way connector and you will be in business.



The connector has been the same for many years it will work fine.



Bob

 

[hammersley]

you won't believe it BUT

the dealer installed the hitch and wiring but DID NOT CONNECT THE BLUE WIRE ---- it was under the hood in a bundle - in tape... ... we hooked up the controller and couldn't get any juice to the back - it had power to the plug... . we thought the brake controller was bad - after taking to a dealer for a few min to look at it - this was a Sat - they couldn't gigure it out ---- we ran a long wire from the controller to th etrailer - worked fine - so we knew it was in the wire - checked and discovered PEDRO or whomever worked on it did the SNAFU ----well WTF WAS HE THINKING??????? This was from a big dealer in Portland... ...

 

[CRuth]

Okay, I also had the stripped model. Yes, it had the four wire plug to plug the controller into, but, the wire that actually runs back to the trailer brake plug was not there. Not hard to add one in.



Believe me, I made sure there wasnt a wire run to the rear that was maybe just not connected.



Now I just need more than my car trailer. I had already run a hot to an aux plug and had a relay back there for my backup lights so went ahead and wired all seven wires. Good to go if ever tow something that needs that stuff.

 

[DBoyd]

etrailer.com is where I found my Prodigy and they also sell a harness that plugs into the Prodigy and into the truck harness. Simple, clean and goof proof.