Brake controller issue...

Had something weird going on with the brake controller; a first for me...

Using the headlights or the turn signals seemed to activate the brake controller.

With the headlights on, I was getting a steady 3.8 when off the brakes, higher when braking. I turned the headlights back off thinking I was going to burn up the trailer brakes by leaving them on.

In the case of the turn signal, the controller would flash from .c. to 3.8 repeatedly.

Would you suspect a short or dirty connection in the pigtail, or should I be looking for something more serious?

TC

I think you're probably right. A dirty plug, loose wire or bad ground will do what you describe. A bad ground will do all sorts of strange things.

John

Seems to me that at one time, somebody was talking about a product they used to clean and treat their connections. Anybody recall what that was?

TC

Last time I cleaned a plug, I used brake clean spray. Then put a light coat of dielectric grease on the contacts. I think Radio Shack sells a contact cleaner if you want to try that. Also remember that someone wrapped a small piece of steel wool on a small drill bit and used that to clean the plug.

That's why I finally installed a plug inside the bed of my truck. Around here, the snow, ice and road salt beat the devil out of the bumper plugs.
John

AVid wrote:That's why I finally installed a plug inside the bed of my truck. Around here, the snow, ice and road salt beat the devil out of the bumper plugs.
John

My plug is also inside the bed of my truck. And, this is also my first wiring problem since getting the Cat in 06.

TC