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electric brake controller wiring advise


lockmup68

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So, I bought blunozers 2003 International 9200i. Picked up the trailer in Casper, WY and drove it home.

 

All the lights work and function properly on the trailer through the wiring harness. Brakes work when applied. However, one problem, sometimes, not all the time, when using the left turn signal, the brakes get applied full on. It has a tekonsha controller that shows the voltage level applied to the brakes. When right turn signal is used, 0.0 level shows. When left turn signal activated. 70% of the time it shows 0.7, but the other 30% it hits max load that is set to 6.0. I have no idea even where to start with tracking this down. Advise is appreciated. Not too fun when the trailer brakes hit hard when signaling to pass or move over. Upside is the disk brakes on the trailer seem to work pretty good.

 

Thanks,

Shannon

2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline

2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4

 

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Upgrade to a directlink

 

No direct link for International.

 

However, the Hayes air to electric controller might be the ticket. All the lights work properly in the wiring as is. Just getting this intermittent application of brakes through the left turn signal.

2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline

2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4

 

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I agree it SOUNDS like a wiring issue, EXCEPT....wire touching on the way to the trailer should not make the controller go to full output. So either its before the controller (how?) or the controller is actually just reading the voltage on the brake wire and saying its high output due to a short on the wire to the trailer. If you disconnect the trailer and apply 12V to the "brake output" wire of the controller, what does it do? Does it show High amps or none. If it shows High amps, problem is in the output wiring to the trailer brakes as suggested.

 

Are you using a Jackalopee or some other converter...problem could be in that??

 

Assuming it is to wires shorting together between the controller ans trailer brakes, watch your controller when the trailer is not connected. Hit the turn signal a bunch of times, see what it does. If the controller goes to full Amps, then the short is in the truck, if not, the short is in the trailer.

No camper at present.

Way too many farm machines to maintain.

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"Are you using a Jackalopee or some other converter...problem could be in that?? "

 

no clue, Jay didn't know and I haven't found any converter box anywhere. I'm going to trace the wires this weekend.

 

"Assuming it is to wires shorting together between the controller ans trailer brakes, watch your controller when the trailer is not connected. Hit the turn signal a bunch of times, see what it does. If the controller goes to full Amps, then the short is in the truck, if not, the short is in the trailer. "

 

Just tried this, the brake controller says "no trailer connected" but I used the manual button to apply and it showed 6.0. When I put the turn signal on, nothing happens, no numbers are displayed. I'll do some further troubleshooting this weekend.

 

I just went over to the truck to get something out of it and since arriving home yesterday, there are considerable puddles of oil under it. I checked the oil and it is not down to the add oil level on the stick yet. I crawled up under the truck and something is definitely slinging oil around and it is dripping from multiple locations since it was slung all over the place. Add that to the list...

2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline

2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4

 

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"Are you using a Jackalopee or some other converter...problem could be in that?? "

 

no clue, Jay didn't know and I haven't found any converter box anywhere. I'm going to trace the wires this weekend.

 

"Assuming it is to wires shorting together between the controller ans trailer brakes, watch your controller when the trailer is not connected. Hit the turn signal a bunch of times, see what it does. If the controller goes to full Amps, then the short is in the truck, if not, the short is in the trailer. "

 

Just tried this, the brake controller says "no trailer connected" but I used the manual button to apply and it showed 6.0. When I put the turn signal on, nothing happens, no numbers are displayed. I'll do some further troubleshooting this weekend.

 

I just went over to the truck to get something out of it and since arriving home yesterday, there are considerable puddles of oil under it. I checked the oil and it is not down to the add oil level on the stick yet. I crawled up under the truck and something is definitely slinging oil around and it is dripping from multiple locations since it was slung all over the place. Add that to the list...

Well you may have just given another clue to the issue, if wiring is covered in oil, you've got a path to conduct electricity - or a shorting problem. I'd get them cleaned up first, resolve the oil issue, and then work on troubleshooting the wiring ... If it is still present.

Good luck on the hunt!

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Well you may have just given another clue to the issue, if wiring is covered in oil, you've got a path to conduct electricity - or a shorting problem. I'd get them cleaned up first, resolve the oil issue, and then work on troubleshooting the wiring ... If it is still present.

Good luck on the hunt!

 

Yes, I will check this, but it was doing the right turn/brake thing before the bad oil leak. I check every morning and usually just a few drips, so this is new since Walmart parking lot somewhere in IL after I left Monday morning on the last leg home.

2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline

2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4

 

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Do you know if all of your stop/turn lights are working correctly on your trailer? How about clearance lights?

Do you have incandescent or LED bulbs on the trailer?

Shorted bulbs can act very strangely...... just a thought!

 

Have you verified how you are "adapting" the "truck" lighting to the "trailer" lighting?

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Do you know if all of your stop/turn lights are working correctly on your trailer? How about clearance lights?

Do you have incandescent or LED bulbs on the trailer?

Shorted bulbs can act very strangely...... just a thought!

 

Have you verified how you are "adapting" the "truck" lighting to the "trailer" lighting?

 

All lights on trailer are working. The clearance/marker lights are all LED. The turn signals and tail/brake/turn are all incandescent bulbs.

 

Nope, no clue how they adapted the truck lighting to the trailer lights.

2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline

2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4

 

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Next time you "check" the lights on the trailer try something.... turn on your clearance lights and apply the brakes on the truck and look for anything strange concerning the clearance lights when the brakes are applied. Sometimes mixing LED's on older trailers with incandescents can cause some interesting results.

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Nope, no clue how they adapted the truck lighting to the trailer lights.

 

Being that the truck is a 2L conversion I am betting they used a Hoppy adapter to convert the truck lights/signals to the trailer.

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My money is on the wiring and hoppy install. If they even used a hoppy. Some have made their own conversion and others wired to truck tail lights instead of using the trailer supply cord.

 

Don't dismiss the hoppy though. I have one that's been in ops for 9yrs! Wired right they can work well. If a jackalope was on the market when I built our truck I would have put one in.

 

I'm might be simpler to just get a jackalope and wire a new trailer supply plug. Then you know what you have.

 

Using the stock trailer supply cord to set up rv cord OK. Splicing into truck lights and other wiring NOT OK.

 

Told to me by some very wise HDT gents

 

Follow Mark Bruss's wiring examples.

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ON a 2003 International, they may have just tied the RV trailer plug into the taillights wiring, rather than thru the truck "trailer" plug. ANother thing to test.

 

I doubt if the oil on the truck is the issue. The fact tthat you can't get this to happen with the trailer disconnected is telling me the wiring problem is in the trailer somewhere....quite possibly a shorted Left turn to brake wire. I'd check the trailer plug for frayed wires.

No camper at present.

Way too many farm machines to maintain.

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ON a 2003 International, they may have just tied the RV trailer plug into the taillights wiring, rather than thru the truck "trailer" plug. ANother thing to test.

 

I doubt if the oil on the truck is the issue. The fact tthat you can't get this to happen with the trailer disconnected is telling me the wiring problem is in the trailer somewhere....quite possibly a shorted Left turn to brake wire. I'd check the trailer plug for frayed wires.

 

Im thinking it is the trailer also. I'm going to hook up a friends 5ver and test soon to see if same results. I also bought a trailer test plug to see if I get same results before tearing everything apart.

 

In thinking about it, when we were adjusting the telescoping pin box all the way out, the guy took off the trailer wire box plate (like a residential double box size) and the wires were just hanging from there and he was moving them all around to get his hand down the pin box to get a wrench on the back side of the bolts. Might have moved/loosened something in there. I'll check that as well.

 

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline

2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4

 

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Being that the truck is a 2L conversion I am betting they used a Hoppy adapter to convert the truck lights/signals to the trailer.

 

 

Rule 1 of electrical troubleshooting: When searching for a problem, always start at the point of last human (or rodent) interference...

Must, ... bite...tongue.

I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 

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Must, ... bite...tongue.

Been thinking along those lines myself.........

 

That said, when dealing with DC electrical problems, check your grounds first. Especially if there are splices involved.

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In thinking about it, when we were adjusting the telescoping pin box all the way out, the guy took off the trailer wire box plate (like a residential double box size) and the wires were just hanging from there and he was moving them all around to get his hand down the pin box to get a wrench on the back side of the bolts. Might have moved/loosened something in there. I'll check that as well.

 

There's your answer.... Check all the wiring in that box. Something has gotten crossed.

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