PRODIGY BRAKE CONTROLLER SHOWING S.H & n.c. CODES IN RAIN

[JWChessell]

My Prodigy brake controller intermittently shows "S. H. " (Short) while towing in the rain -- this has occurred on the last two trips. Braking doesn't seem to be affected however; step on brake, S. H. code disappears and trailer brakes normally. This does not occur at idle, but at 60 MPH. Am also getting "n. c. " (not connected) code under same conditions. But trailer still brakes normally when pressure applied to brake.



Have any of you experienced this problem? Is there a cure, such as electrical grease in all the contacts of the trailer wiring plug? Could the problem be elsewhere other than where the male trailer plug meets the female receptacle on the truck's rear bumper?



Thanks.

 

[wcjp]

Some of the early model Prodigy's had a problem with Diesel engines. They sensed the grid heaters switching which would throw a code. Not sure if this applies to your situation.

 

[Slow Six]

Those intermitents can be a real PIA. I had one that ended up being a small bare spot in the wire through the axle tube and would show a code when it rubbed and than clear up. The NC code I would suspect is at the connections in the plug. I have found that over time the female part of the connection gets spread and make for poor connection, especially on trailers that are used a lot. Good luck.

 

[BDeMartile]

I fought this code also with one exception my brakes worked intermittantly. I tried everything imagineable and as a last attempt I soldered all the connections on the trailer brake circuit (no small task). Problem solved and brakes never worked better or smoother.

 

[RustyJC]

My Jordan Ultima 2020 would have the "trailer connected" LED glow faintly with no trailer and the truck shut down. The problem was that the 7-pin plug on the receiver was full of water and road grime, which caused a high resistance short between pins. After taking it apart, flushing it out with WD-40 and packing it with dielectric grease, I've had no further problems.



Rusty

 

[BigBadDodge]

I have found that over time the female part of the connection gets spread and make for poor connection, especially on trailers that are used a lot. Good luck.

Ditto, mine did the same thing, loose wire in the plug conection fixed it and the problem went away. I think mine was my son pulling on the cord and not the conector, he has been educated on the use of the conector



BBD

 

[Andersonville]

The junction box on the trailer connector has usually been the problem. It will be in the pin box on a fifth wheel. The box where the 7 pin cord connects with the trailer wiring.

 

[JWChessell]

"The junction box on the trailer connector has usually been the problem. "



The same thing occurred to me when I awoke in the middle of the night. Those connections are wire-twist, and the box is probably one of the wettest places on the trailer while towing in the rain. I'll solder all the connections and see what happens. Plus, I'll follow the other advice and pack the male/female connector with silicone electrical grease.



BTW, I sent an e-mail to Tekonsha yesterday, and received a fairly useless reply:



"The controller is sensing a problem in your wiring and that is why it is flashing these codes. The wire nuts on the trailer also could be causing this concern. If you get these things fixed properly, it should work great. "



Obviously, I'm in their debt.

 

[jelag]

Let me add that we chased a brake problem for several weeks... we have axles that have electrical wires cross over inside the axles... . we got so mad at the thing we pulled all the wiring out... and found that some of the wires crossing through the tube had worn through the insulation and were sometimes hitting the tube and causing braking problems and blown fuses... .



So as you look at the brakes think about this... we pulled the wires from 2 other trailers and found the same problem starting...



Just a thought that threw us...

 

[Ragain]

I have had that problem several times w/my Prodigy... ... in my case I know then to check my brake magnets on the wheel brake assy. When a magnet burns out or gets worn to a certain point it will short circuit and my Prodigy will intermittently flash those codes.

 

[Beast2B]

Found this on a search, so I thought I'd bring up my dilemma. With NO trailer attached the SH is flashing constantly, but whenI hit the brakes it comes up with oL (overload). I will check the connector and plug, but I am hoping to get the electrical gurus thinking about this as well!

Thanks in advance.