2017 factory brake controller

[Char17EL]

Hello everyone. Has anyone had a factory brake controller installed on a ‘17 EL without the max tow package? My dealer is telling me it can’t be done but I’m not convinced that is true. My dash has all the trailer options in the display center like sway controll, and add a trailer and trailer options. Thanks in advance.

 

[coolzzy]

Find a different dealer, it's easy to do, the plug is already in the dash behind the cubby where the controller goes. If you are handy, you can download forscan and apply for a free license and enable it in the software for free. Any decent dealer should know this and probably charge you 100 bucks labor to enable the feature. Being an EL, you already have the 3.73 gears and aux transmission cooler (you might double check this, it's a 7 row cooler in front of the radiator under the hood). All you need is the brake controller and the 7 pin connector wired to the hitch

 

[Black]

Find a different dealer, it's easy to do, the plug is already in the dash behind the cubby where the controller goes. If you are handy, you can download forscan and apply for a free license and enable it in the software for free. Any decent dealer should know this and probably charge you 100 bucks labor to enable the feature. Being an EL, you already have the 3.73 gears and aux transmission cooler (you might double check this, it's a 7 row cooler in front of the radiator under the hood). All you need is the brake controller and the 7 pin connector wired to the hitch

I have an EL but there is no Aux transcooler that I can see. It looks like the plastic mounting bracket it there but no cooler.
I will at least be adding the HD radiator. I’ll price out all the hoses along with the cooler and decide if I add the cooler or not.


But back to the OP.
If you want the brake controller just buy it for like $75. Remove the left cubby, fish out the wiring harness, plug it into the controller, pop the controller in the place of cubby.
Download ForScan, make the needed programming changes.
Buy a 4pin to 7pin adapter and add the capped wired in the rear and you are golden.

You’ll be about $125 all said and done presuming you need to buy an ODBII module to do the ForScan programming.

 

[Char17EL]

Ok. I have the obd2 plug coming tomorrow and i plan to download FORScan and double check that the option is there to turn on the brake controller before i go to the dealer to teach them how to do it. Haha. Thanks again and I’ll let you know how it goes.

 

[Black]

No reason to bother to teach them. They aren’t going to care how to do it with a Russian Program. The majority don’t even know it is capable of even being done with their or software.
Or at least they tend to be pretty tight lipped when you ask about programming changes.

 

[coolzzy]

Don't bother with the radiator, the easy and cheaper add is the transmission cooler and it's also the most beneficial. You'd have to be working the truck pretty hard to notice a difference in engine radiators but a transmission can overheat rapidly without you knowing it (unless you have a Guage and are monitoring it). Engine overheats, you pull over and let it cool down. Transmission overheats, it burns the fluid, which you have no easy way of checking, and eventually burns the transmission. Get a factory 7 row cooler from the scrap yard for a few bucks and plumb it in.

 

[Char17EL]

I have an EL but there is no Aux transcooler that I can see. It looks like the plastic mounting bracket it there but no cooler.
I will at least be adding the HD radiator. I’ll price out all the hoses along with the cooler and decide if I add the cooler or not.


But back to the OP.
If you want the brake controller just buy it for like $75. Remove the left cubby, fish out the wiring harness, plug it into the controller, pop the controller in the place of cubby.
Download ForScan, make the needed programming changes.
Buy a 4pin to 7pin adapter and add the capped wired in the rear and you are golden.

You’ll be about $125 all said and done presuming you need to buy an ODBII module to do the ForScan programming.

Could you guide me to the proper place to turn on the controller. I looked in forscan and i found the trailer module but it does not have anything about the brake controller.

 

[East-TN]

Could you guide me to the proper place to turn on the controller. I looked in forscan and i found the trailer module but it does not have anything about the brake controller.

Where did you look for the FORScan info? Did you try the FORScan thread on this Forum - https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/forscan-tweaks-2015.32082/page-64

 

[Black]

Could you guide me to the proper place to turn on the controller. I looked in forscan and i found the trailer module but it does not have anything about the brake controller.

https://www.expeditionforum.com/posts/295954/

The ForScan spreadsheet on google docs appears to be down at the moment but that link will bring up the post giving you the changes that need to be made.

 

[Don Plata]

Find a different dealer, it's easy to do, the plug is already in the dash behind the cubby where the controller goes. If you are handy, you can download forscan and apply for a free license and enable it in the software for free. Any decent dealer should know this and probably charge you 100 bucks labor to enable the feature. Being an EL, you already have the 3.73 gears and aux transmission cooler (you might double check this, it's a 7 row cooler in front of the radiator under the hood). All you need is the brake controller and the 7 pin connector wired to the hitch

I have a 2017 Expedition XLT EL. So I plan to Install the OEM brake controller Module that goes into the "cubby" on the dash. I have verified that I have the connector waiting behind the cubby. At the back on the receiver hitch I have the 4 flat connector. I want to add the 7pin connector for my trailer brakes. I plan to buy a 4pin to 7pin adaptor. All the other brake controllers have a power line that attaches to the 7 pole. From what I can tell the 4 pin only has a blue wire labeled "trailer brake". Do I need to run another wire for power to the brakes? Or will connecting the 4pin to the adapter and the trailer brake wire be sufficient without the black 12v line? Of course I would ground the white wire ring to the frame and cap off the purple(reverse lights) and black wire (power). Or is there a power wire I am not seeing?

Thanks!

 

[Black]

For trailer brakes all you need to do is splice in the trailer brake wire and attach the ground.
Cap the other 2 and you'll be fine.

12v power is only needed if your trailer has any powered accessories. Interior lights, battery for dump trailer etc.

 

[chuck s]

There is no blue wire in the 4-pole connector (Typo in your message?). It's the major wire lacking to fit a 7-pole connector but it might be back there, pays to look or search notes here. Look back there for a blue wire blunt dipped and wrapped inside one of the rear panels by the tail lights.

I prefer a hardwired connector rather than one that plugs into the existing 4-pole connector. Connectors are the weak point in any electrical system.

The 3 "extra" wires in the 7 pole connector are the blue trailer brake wire, a black wire for trailer battery charge (plus 12vDC), and the yellow trailer back-up lights (center pole of the Bargman). Only the blue wire is needed to get the brakes hooked up. None, some, or all these may be back there hiding. I'm guessing 'cuz all my Ford SUVs have had HD Tow and full wired.

-- Chuck

 

[Black]

Yes, the blue wire is there right at the hitch.
I have not located the yellow or black anywhere. But I have yet to drop the spare tire and work back further yet.

I too would cut the 4pin connector and splice into a 7 pin connector.

 

[chuck s]

Good to Go, the Blue wire is all that's needed. Plenty of Bargman connectors at places that sell auto parts including RV and boat shops and even Walmart. Leaving the 4-pole boat trailer connection is nice.

-- Chuck

 

[Don Plata]

There is no blue wire in the 4-pole connector (Typo in your message?). It's the major wire lacking to fit a 7-pole connector but it might be back there, pays to look or search notes here. Look back there for a blue wire blunt dipped and wrapped inside one of the rear panels by the tail lights.

I prefer a hardwired connector rather than one that plugs into the existing 4-pole connector. Connectors are the weak point in any electrical system.

The 3 "extra" wires in the 7 pole connector are the blue trailer brake wire, a black wire for trailer battery charge (plus 12vDC), and the yellow trailer back-up lights (center pole of the Bargman). Only the blue wire is needed to get the brakes hooked up. None, some, or all these may be back there hiding. I'm guessing 'cuz all my Ford SUVs have had HD Tow and full wired.

-- Chuck

Thanks everybody! This is exactly what I needed to know. Chuck, you are right the blue is not part of the 4 pole, what I meant to say is the 4 pole connector is next to the receiver with a capped blue wire for the electric brake.

So I go ahead as planned with the Bargman (7-pole and 4 pole) adapter. I connect the 4 pole, blue wire to electric brake, ground the white wire to the frame, and cap the other two wires. The 7-pole I got has both 4 and 7 connectors.

However a better connection would be to clip the 4 pole off, then get a 7 and 4 pole in one that I can hardwire to to avoid a connector, is that right?

Thanks again!

 

[chuck s]

Or just splice the Bargman connections into the 4-pole wiring and retain both outlets. Trailers without electric brakes (to include UHaul) use the 4 pole connection.

There may be a relay and fuse that need to be installed. I recall these were in the glove box and needed to be installed under the hood on top of the radiator shroud on my '07. All was in place in my '17. Diagram is in the owner's manual.

Fill the connectors with dielectric grease to protect the contacts.

-- Chuck

 

[Don Plata]

Got the dielectric grease and checked the owner's manual for the fuses and relays. All are installed in fuse box on top of the radiator shroud. I will install the 7 pole tonight, the brake control module comes Monday. I am excited to install that, since it looks so easy. Then we will see how much the dealer will charge me for the update. I don't have an OBD to do it myself.

 

[chuck s]

The Ford system noted I had a bad brake light on one side of the trailer when I hooked up my trailer the first time to the '17. Sure enough, there was a bad bulb. Hopefully just adding the box and setting the ECU to recognize it will provide the same information for you.

-- Chuck

 

[Black]

Got the dielectric grease and checked the owner's manual for the fuses and relays. All are installed in fuse box on top of the radiator shroud. I will install the 7 pole tonight, the brake control module comes Monday. I am excited to install that, since it looks so easy. Then we will see how much the dealer will charge me for the update. I don't have an OBD to do it myself.

Your dealer very well may say they have no clue how to do it. And if they do I bet you are looking at no less than $125.

Spend the $20 on the ODBII module and do it yourself with ForScan

 

[Don Plata]

Your dealer very well may say they have no clue how to do it. And if they do I bet you are looking at no less than $125.

Spend the $20 on the ODBII module and do it yourself with ForScan

Just got back from the dealership. They wanted $118 flat fee. They had my Expedition on two separate occasions for 3 hours. They said they contacted the Ford engineer and the engineer said it can't be done on a 2017. The Ford Tech said they followed the steps to do it and it wouldn't work. They then said that it had to be installed by the factory to work. To which I said, why do they sell the part then? He said t is only for replacement not new. I asked, why are all the fuses, wiring and harness there then? They said it is cheaper to do it that way in the factory. At least they didn't charge me anything for no work done. I have a call into a second dealer to find out if this is true. Waiting to see what they say.

If this is true then I wouldn't be able to do it either, even if I had a ODBII and used Forscan, correct?

So has anyone on this forum had this done on a 2017 Expedition? Apparently the 2017 it can't be done.

Where do I get the ODBII and use ForScan? I followed the previous links in this thread and the ODII link didn't work.

Thanks everyone for your help.