Re: [VAC] Brake controllers - HELP?

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mary,
 Champion Trailers (http://www.championtrailers.com) has a great
explaination of how electric brakes work and the common connector wiring
schemes.

With any luck, the plugs will match up, but it's quite easy to change
one or the other if they don't. It's probably easier to change the
trailer plug than the connector on the tow vehicle, and here's how you
do it:

Get a 12-volt test light and connect it to a good ground, then check
each pin on the vehicle connector. You should find: Left Turn, Right
Turn, Taillight, and Brake prongs. The latter will only go "hot" (make
the light come on) when the brakes are activated and the vehicle is
actually braking. Tekonsha has a web site that might tell you how to
activate the line without actually moving the vehicle. One of the prongs
will be Ground, but you need to find that AFTER you find the others;
you'll connect the test light to the "taillight" prong, then poke at the
so-far unidentified prongs until the test light comes on at full
brightness. One of the prongs might be Hot all the time to be used for
charging the trailer battery.

You should now have a diagram of the vehicle's connector.

Get a 12-volt battery, connect the '-' side to the trailer frame. Use a
length of light-guage wire and lightly brush one of the pins in the
connector. If you get heavy sparks, stay away from that prong, as it's
probably the Ground pin. If you get only light or no sparks, connect the
wire and see what lights up. You should find Left Turn, Right Turn, and
Taillights. On one pin, you'll get some sparks, and if someone is
listening at the wheels, they'll hear the brake magnets 'click'
slightly. Or if they hold a compass near the wheel, it'll swing around
when you power up the 'Brake' pin. If the battery is in the trailer, you
might find that your test light will come on if you ground it and hit
one of the trailer plug pins; that's the "Battery Charge" line.

You should now have a diagram of the trailer plug. Compare it with the
vehicle wiring and see if they're the same. Also compare the plug and
connector to see if they're physically the same. Change the trailer plug
to match the vehicle connector if they're not physically or electrically
the same.

This is actually much easier than it might sound at first, and any
number of people can help if you get confused. I've heard that most
U-Haul places will do the necessary wiring, as they're used to
connecting their trailers to any ol' tow vehicle. It's not a mystery,
and an Airstream trailer is no different than any other trailer.

Good luck, and keep in touch!!

                          <<Jim>>