The_Real_Santa Posted February 14, 2023 Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 I saw a post from back in 2016 about this same issue. I have an issue that is the same and can not figure it out. 2018 F250 with OEM brake controller. 2018 jayco travel trailer. This is an intermittent issue. I can be driving 10 min or sometimes 2 hours and then I will get the message Trailer wire fault as I start to press the brake pedal. The trailer brakes go out. I press deeping into the pedal and they sometimes come back on and very hard. Sometimes they don't come back on. I have had the 7 pin checked, I have replaced the pig tail from the trailer, I have cleaned up the wiring in the box on the front of the trailer. I have had new brakes and pads and hub replaced 4 times. I have pulled the break away and re seated it. Still never know what the brakes are going to do until I start towing. Sometimes it never happens, then the next time I go out 30 min down the road all the sudden without even pressing the brakes I will get the error message. It seems to happen a lot when coming off the highway on an exit ramp and you have to slow down faster than normal, or get deeper into the brake. RV dealer said trailer is fine, Ford dealer said truck is fine. HELP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrknrvr Posted February 14, 2023 Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 What vehicle are you towing with. If it is a GM truck there maybe a connection on the frame on the drivers side at or behind the rear wheel... it has been 4 years or so since I had that situation on a service call. Now I have to think back 4 +- years. The farther I go back the slower it is getting. Vern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrknrvr Posted February 14, 2023 Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 Well I guess I forgot what I already read today. Age related I must say. F250. Meters now needed with shake, rattle and roll under the truck, trailer wiggling things. To find a possible loose connection. A starting guess, Vern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Schneider Posted February 14, 2023 Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 Check the connections under the trailer, where the wire from the front branches off to the axles. Not conducting and then breaking through under higher voltage is the classic sign of a corroded connection. The last trailer I owned used regular non-weatherproofed wire nuts where the axle wires fanned off from the main harness and of course the connections became corroded over time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Real_Santa Posted February 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 Yes it is a Ford F-250. The problem is it does not do it all the time. I can hookup and town 2 hours before it will do it. Other times I get 1/2 a mile down the road and it starts doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted February 14, 2023 Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 That sure sounds like a problem with bad connections. Have you checked out the connections inside of the socket on the truck and the plug of the trailer? Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Real_Santa Posted February 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 Yes we actually took it to Ford and they said the 7 pin had a loose wire they fixed it and still didn't fix the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrknrvr Posted February 14, 2023 Report Share Posted February 14, 2023 (edited) I will tell you a trick i leaned years ago. But be careful doing it. I am not at fault if there is a problem. First of all install a q-tip in a small drill. Yep it works. Careful install the q-tip in the female trailer plug end. Rotate the q-tip medium speed. Move from from one hole to the next. Do it carefully. It can clean the holes up nicely. Then clean the outside of the male ends on the outside. With say 1500 grit sand paper. Just get them bright on the sides. Now for the final trick. This must be down very carefully. The male ends should have a slot in the pin. This gives the pin the ability to compress, but still keep tension on the female receiver. Now take a really small screw driver, or utility knife and spread the pins just a small amount. Through years of rv repair I have used that trick on several frustrating wiring issues between vehicles. And it did fix several problems like you are seeing. Vern Edited February 14, 2023 by Wrknrvr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenp Posted February 15, 2023 Report Share Posted February 15, 2023 Check the ground connection(s). Both trailer and truck. Find them all and clean them up! Don't ask how I know that! Lenp Quote USN Retired 2002 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom 2012 F150 4x4 2018 Lincoln MKX 2019 HD Ultra Limited Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RV_ Posted February 15, 2023 Report Share Posted February 15, 2023 17 hours ago, lenp said: Check the ground connection(s). Both trailer and truck. Find them all and clean them up! Don't ask how I know that! Lenp X2, been there done that, when a wheel bearing burned up in Washington State on our return from a season in Alaska. We had a "bad but looked good" connection in the electric brake wiring. As well had ground issues with brakes or lights with boat trailers as well as fivers we found after buying used. More were easy to fix but like the old Lucas Electrics on old MGs I have had to disconnect every connector/clean/replace and sometimes never know which one it was. I restored classics so it was expected. Tedious but always fixable replaceable. Hang in there. Quote RV/Derekhttp://www.rvroadie.com Email on the bottom of my website page.Retired AF 1971-1998 When you see a worthy man, endeavor to emulate him. When you see an unworthy man, look inside yourself. - Confucius “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” ... Voltaire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray,IN Posted February 17, 2023 Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 (edited) Then even after doing all that cleaning and tightening, you may come to find the controller is faulty. They do wear out too. The way I discovered a controller was bad, I installed a temporary voltage meter in the brake wire coming out of the controller. That was an old rheostat type brake controller, not a newer electronic controller. Edited February 17, 2023 by Ray,IN Quote 2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickeieio Posted February 17, 2023 Report Share Posted February 17, 2023 I suspect that if you crawl under the trailer and trace the brake wires, you'll find either wire nuts or "Scotch-Locs". If you find either, take them apart and be sure the wires are clean and bright. If you find a scotch loc, place it on a solid surface and hit it with a big hammer, then throw it away. Re-assemble using good connectors and some type of water-proof sealer. Also, the above advice to check your grounds is correct. Far more than half the time, the issue is a poor ground. Quote KW T-680, POPEMOBILE Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer. contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clydro Posted March 9 Report Share Posted March 9 I dealt with a similar problem of intermittent brake fault for several years. It was solved by installing electric over hydraulic disc brakes a Prodigy 3 brake controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven@146 Posted March 11 Report Share Posted March 11 (edited) We had kind of the same problem with our RAM getting a "Check Trailer Brake Wiring" (intermittent short to ground) or "Trailer Brakes Disconnected" (hard short to ground) messages from our truck. The problem was the trailer brake wires running inside the axle tubes. The wires inside the axle tubes had frayed down to bare wire rubbing on the inside of the axle tubes and caused an intermittent or hard short to ground in the trailer brake system. I replaced the brake wires on the RV axle tubes, running the new wiring on the outside back side of the axles. I soldered the wire connections and covered them with sealer heat shrink tubing. I used corrugated plastic split tubing to protect the wires and used tie straps to attach the wires to the tubes. Solved all our problems. Here is a link to a YouTube video I made repairing our brake wiring, it might help you. https://youtu.be/iF4wVd_MCs8 Disclosure - Our Youtube channel is Non-Profit so we don't make any money from them. Edited March 11 by Steven@146 Quote Steve & Tami Cass, Fulltime Somewhere 2018 Ram 3500 DRW / 2019 Grand Design Solitude 3350RL S-Class. Texas Class A Drivers License Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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