Trailer Brake Replacement?

[thegreatswalmi]

Hi all. I'm rolling with a 2016 Exp Max Platinum with the HD tow package, but my trailer brake controller is faulty. I'm looking to replace it with a tekonsha prodigy but am having a hard time figuring out how this is best accomplished. there are a few good videos on youtube i found about 2018+, but i haven't seen anything helpful for the 2016. Do i have to take the whole panel off to get to the controller harness? Can i reroute the harness below the steering wheel so i can mount the aftermarket controller? Also, what will i need to do with forscan? AH! I'm a newb...any help is greatly appreciated! Pulling a trailer even once without the brakes when the controller failed was NO picnic and i'm not doing that again.

 

[bodabdan]

Not sure on yours but on my 2012 its easy to get to, just a few inches from the OBDII DLC plug.

 

[thegreatswalmi]

Not sure on yours but on my 2012 its easy to get to, just a few inches from the OBDII DLC plug.

Mine has an integrated controller so it's up in the dash i think. nothing near the obd that i can see...

 

[GlennSullivan]

How did you determine the integrated controller is bad? I had alot of issues and found the fix to be the white ground wire / connection above the spare tire.

 

[thegreatswalmi]

How did you determine the integrated controller is bad? I had alot of issues and found the fix to be the white ground wire / connection above the spare tire.

good question! i guess it was an assumption. We got stuck at a campsite where whenever i plugged in the trailer the trailer brakes would automatically seize. I added some dielectric grease to the connectors and that helped for a bit, but then the same problem came back and i was forced to drive home without trailer brakes. that was a slow drive! I also have a persistent "trailer brake module" error flashing on the dash.

 

[GlennSullivan]

good question! i guess it was an assumption. We got stuck at a campsite where whenever i plugged in the trailer the trailer brakes would automatically seize. I added some dielectric grease to the connectors and that helped for a bit, but then the same problem came back and i was forced to drive home without trailer brakes. that was a slow drive! I also have a persistent "trailer brake module" error flashing on the dash.

That is kind of the opposite of the problem I had, which was I constantly got “Trailer Disconnected” message, all the trailer lights, including brake lights, continued to work, but I had no trailer brakes and as you know, that is no fun at all.

 

[chuck s]

The "integrated" brake controller plugs into the same connector under the dashboard that a Tekonsha will plug in. But I'd try replacing it with another OEM controller as there's lots of logic built into the truck which may or may not work with an aftermarket controller.

One of these work?

-- Chuck

 

[BlackBetty]

The "integrated" brake controller plugs into the same connector under the dashboard that a Tekonsha will plug in. But I'd try replacing it with another OEM controller as there's lots of logic built into the truck which may or may not work with an aftermarket controller.

One of these work?

-- Chuck

I agree…

 

[thegreatswalmi]

Thanks all! I found a cheap used prodigy2 so i'm going to try and go that route (no disrespect to y'all)...any recommendations on forscan? do i need to disable the trailer brake control module in order to use an aftermarket? I'm still getting a fault error that i can't clear but i imagine it's because i unplugged the controller. Any thoughts?

BTW, i did a good clean of the ground wire, just in case! Thanks for the tip.

 

[11MileRainbow]

Thanks all! I found a cheap used prodigy2 so i'm going to try and go that route (no disrespect to y'all)...any recommendations on forscan? do i need to disable the trailer brake control module in order to use an aftermarket? I'm still getting a fault error that i can't clear but i imagine it's because i unplugged the controller. Any thoughts?

BTW, i did a good clean of the ground wire, just in case! Thanks for the tip.

I'm curious how the Prodigy worked out for you. I have a 2017 and the local dealer diagnosed my TBC as "faulty" after I had to bump up the gain from 2 to 7 for both of my trailers, and the OEM part is on a nationwide backorder with no ETA. I have a couple camping trips planned and considering an after market device until the OEM part is available. I've had several Tekonsha models on other trucks and they worked great, but my main concern is about other stuff not working right or constant warnings because the OEM is unplugged. Please share your experience if you can!

 

[11MileRainbow]

I called around to several shops in Colorado Springs and was unable to find anyone with direct experience with the 2017 Expy and after-market controller. One guy had done a 2018 and said that all the warning lights came on and he had to reset them with an ODBII scanner, which didn't give me a lot of confidence. So I called the dealer service dept, the same one that diagnosed the OEM controller as "faulty", and he said there shouldn't be a problem.

So I ordered the Prodigy 2 from e-trailer, with the specific adapter, and got it working in about an hour. Every time the truck starts it displays a warning about the brake module, but just press OK and it goes away. All I had to do was pull the OEM unit out of the dash and unplug it from the connector. Then plug the Prodigy into that connector. Since I wanted to have some good visibility of the device, I mounted it on the lower left dash just above the parking brake lever. I did that with the driver door open and centered it on that panel, but found that the door hit it when closing. So I had to drill new holes and move it to the right. The vehicle-specific wiring adapter is plenty long to reach that block behind the OEM device.

I've tested it with one trailer and it worked like a champ. I'm calling it a success!

 

[Mike Higbee]

Having a similar problem on our 2015 Platinum, while driving to Yellowstone I made a stop and when I started up to proceed the trailer brakes were locked. Today I replaced the white box module that is mounted beneath the steering wheel but problem still there. I have attempted to order the control module that is mounted on the dash but they are on nation-wide backorder with no estimated ship date.
I've cleaned the ground on the frame near the spare tire as well as cleaned the 10pin plug without success. I purchased a plug tester that installs into the connector at the rear of the car and it shows strong voltage present on the blue brake wire even when the ignition is off?? Thankfully RV season is over for the year so I have some time to get it working, and will post the remedy if I ever find the problem