GlennSullivan
Full Access Members
**Update**
For those of you that may run into the trailer disconnected / no trailer brakes problem described below, try this solution first.
I took my Expy to a Friends house and connected it to his trailer which is know to work correctly. My truck still exhibited the same “trailer disconnected“ issue when applying the trailer brakes.
I then had him bring his 2019 Chevy pickup with GM integrated trailer brake controller to my house and connect to my trailer and brakes and controller worked fine.
Armed with the info that the problem was somewhere in my truck, I put it up on the lift, dropped the spare tire and inspected every inch of the trailer wiring harness from the 7 pin connector to the engine bay.
The 7 and 4 pin connectors and wiring to same looked fine, as did the long harness, which runs almost the length of the truck, much of which is exposed and could be damaged by weather and / or road debris.
The white ground wire from the 7 pin connector runs around the spare tire / tire well and is terminated to the inside of the frame on the drivers side of the vehicle alongside the spare tire.
I found the connector to be tight but slightly corroded. I removed the connector and found the point it attached to the frame to be painted and slightly corroded.
I wire brushed the frame to remove paint and corrosion as well as the bolt and ground connector and reassembled with some dielectric grease.
Reinstalled the spare and connected the trailer and it now works fine.
So before those of you that encounter this issue go crazy cleaning and tightening 20 ground connections on your trailer, or going to the dealer for firmware updates, do the above first.
2017 Expedition Limited HD Tow, 40,000 miles. 2022 Featherlite open car trailer 14 months old.
Truck and trailer have made 3 long (over 1000mi) and a number of short (150mi) trips together with nov issues at all.
Preparing for a 1200 mile trip today, hooked up the trailer, got the trailer connected notice, walked around and checked all the lights, squeezed the manual brake slider on the brake controller and got a trailer disconnected notice. All lights continue to work properly.
checked and cleaned the trailer to vehicle connector, all seems well. Continue to get this trailer connected, trailer disconnected message. I have only moved the vehicle back and forth in the driveway, have not taken it out on the road
Any Thoughts
For those of you that may run into the trailer disconnected / no trailer brakes problem described below, try this solution first.
I took my Expy to a Friends house and connected it to his trailer which is know to work correctly. My truck still exhibited the same “trailer disconnected“ issue when applying the trailer brakes.
I then had him bring his 2019 Chevy pickup with GM integrated trailer brake controller to my house and connect to my trailer and brakes and controller worked fine.
Armed with the info that the problem was somewhere in my truck, I put it up on the lift, dropped the spare tire and inspected every inch of the trailer wiring harness from the 7 pin connector to the engine bay.
The 7 and 4 pin connectors and wiring to same looked fine, as did the long harness, which runs almost the length of the truck, much of which is exposed and could be damaged by weather and / or road debris.
The white ground wire from the 7 pin connector runs around the spare tire / tire well and is terminated to the inside of the frame on the drivers side of the vehicle alongside the spare tire.
I found the connector to be tight but slightly corroded. I removed the connector and found the point it attached to the frame to be painted and slightly corroded.
I wire brushed the frame to remove paint and corrosion as well as the bolt and ground connector and reassembled with some dielectric grease.
Reinstalled the spare and connected the trailer and it now works fine.
So before those of you that encounter this issue go crazy cleaning and tightening 20 ground connections on your trailer, or going to the dealer for firmware updates, do the above first.
2017 Expedition Limited HD Tow, 40,000 miles. 2022 Featherlite open car trailer 14 months old.
Truck and trailer have made 3 long (over 1000mi) and a number of short (150mi) trips together with nov issues at all.
Preparing for a 1200 mile trip today, hooked up the trailer, got the trailer connected notice, walked around and checked all the lights, squeezed the manual brake slider on the brake controller and got a trailer disconnected notice. All lights continue to work properly.
checked and cleaned the trailer to vehicle connector, all seems well. Continue to get this trailer connected, trailer disconnected message. I have only moved the vehicle back and forth in the driveway, have not taken it out on the road
Any Thoughts
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