Intermittent Trailer Brake Connection

[tmcIlwain]

I've been having a problem for the last 3 months of driving along and getting a trailer Brake disconnected message. Then, usually within 3-5 seconds, I will get a message of trailer brake connected again. In an hour of driving, this may happen 2-3 times, but sometimes not at all. (Only one time did it stay disconnected for 15 minutes while I descended a steep grade! Then reconnected again)

Sure signs of a loose connection somewhere... I've have the factory 5th wheel prep. I've inspected the plug and lubricated it, checked the bed receptacle, tried to use the bumper receptacle (the one time it was disconnected for the 15 minutes) and found nothing.
As for my camper cord and plug, I've had it since 2009 and towed all over this country with my 2002 Ram with no problem. Only after obtaining the new 2014 Ram did I begin to have trouble.
An intermittent trouble is the worst kind to trouble shoot! And of course, traveling in the boonies makes it tough to contact a dealer. And when I get to a dealer, of course it will work fine!!!!

Anyone else have or heard of a problem or solution?

Tom

 

[MLee]

Do you have brake wires inside the axle? or outside? If inside they might be shorting out because of chaffing on the rusted interior of the axle. One way to check is next time you have your trailer attached stretch the wire in the axle and anchor it so it is tight and not touching the inside of the axle, and then apply your brakes as before, And see if that helps. My older trailer did just as described.

 

[mpaulson]

Sounds like a poor ground in the trailers plug or within the trailer. Or the trailers brake wiring is bad somewhere because that is the only line the truck monitors to know if a trailer is connected or not. If you pull a trailer that doesn't have brakes, the truck doesn't recognize that it has a trailer connected. I would check the ground and brake wires from the plug back to the axles for bad connections or a spot where it's been rubbing and intermittently shorting out which would give you the disconnected warning that you're seeing.

 

[sag2]

I'm not sure this will work, but the way I know it will may not be so easy for you. Measure the resistance of the trailer brakes from the brake connector pin to trailer ground. Then get a test lamp and measure it's resistance. Add Radio Shack resistors to the test lamp to equal the reading on the trailer brakes. Wire the light and resistors to a 7 way plug using the brake and ground terminals only and plug it in WITHOUT stepping on the brakes. If the trailer connected message comes up you are part way there. Now step on the brakes for just a moment and see if you let the smoke out of anything and if the truck thinks there are brakes back there. If everything works, go for a drive with the 7 way and test light. If it does it then it's the truck, if it doesn't it is the trailer.
The correct way is to use an old blower motor instead of the light. When not on the brakes the motor will duty cycle in very small increments all the time and it should show trailer connected. When you step on the brakes the motor will spin so have it secured. I keep one set up to test the controller as there is no other reliable method. Most dealer have an old blower motor lying under someones bench so it is an easy set up to do.

 

[woodynorman]

It's the trailer brakes. Just happened to me. Swapped me out complete and it went away

 

[CBari]

I had a similar problem but it turned out that my plug in the bed's quick attach wiring harness that plugs into the back of it wasn't plugged all the way in.