F350 built in brake controller, seems weak

[dagmandt]

Thanks guys. I'll do some testing this week or weekend when I find a few moments.

[egwilly]

I too had this issue with an alum skin toyhauler, weighing about 6000 loaded. Did the Ebrake test, failed. All electric tests passed.
Found the inside grease seals had failed with the external type grease fitting. Blew them out, or old age maybe.
Replaced all 4 drum assemblies, brakes work like new again.
Good luck!

[Neverhome]

Originally Posted by powerboatr

nope nope nope
he is wrong.
They put out tons of amps.

there is a plug in device they can attach to your 7 pin outlet to check the whole shooting match.
if you squeeze the manual full brake and only get a a soft pull back...you have issues agreed
triple the thought to pull the emergency pull and see if the trailer moves.

i bet the wires to your brakes are using the Scotch locks or similar device to mechanically connect the trailer brake wiring to the axle brakes wiring.
if so , open them up and check the connections, bet its marginal at best and needs to be connected better.
check your trailer plug and see if the wires are corroded

you have great advice, and 90% bet is the trailer side.

Along a similar line, when I picked up my fiver from the dealer, the brakes seemed too spongy. I had never used my plugs on my F350 as this was my first fiver. Mechanic found that the wire from my electrical system on the truck to the plug on my truck was loose. Tightened up and no problems at all. Trailer is around 12,500 fully loaded and stops very easily and smoothly on my F350 factory installed braking system.

Neverhome

[dagmandt]

Ok, I hooked up and pulled the trailer emergency brake then tried to pull away. That sucker wasn't going anywhere. So, the wires and brakes on the trailer appear to be good. So now what? My truck has a really nice built in controller that appears to not work all that great. Do I take it to a trailer shop? Are there further troubleshooting tips I can do? I can test voltage if I know which contacts do what. Is there a way to increase the output via the computer? I have the sucker dialed up to 10 and it doesn't offer much assistance. As I mentioned earlier, I can be driving 30 mph and manually peg the trailer brake and it just offers a bit of a tug, doesn't really slow me down much at all.

[lynnmor]

Check your trailer plug and ground connections. Check the truck socket and wiring behind it.

[shiggs68]

The trailer brakes themselves may need adjustment. Pulling the breakaway supplies a full 12vdc from your RV battery. Using the truck's brake controller, you will only have 6 to 10vdc. Possibly not enough to Lockup the brakes.

There are numerous online sites showing the pin locations and purpose in your connector.


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[Scottybdivin]

I have to say, when I went from an after market controller in my 07 Chevy, to my 2013 F350 DRW, I had to set the gain at 9 or 10, pulling the same trailer. Whereas, i always had it set to 6 - 6.5 with the after market controller. It never changed over 17K mi, but I never liked the idea that I had to set the gain that high to get the same results. I was pulling a 43' toy hauler weighing in at 20K+. JMO.

[mriderLeon]

Originally Posted by dagmandt

Ok, I hooked up and pulled the trailer emergency brake then tried to pull away. That sucker wasn't going anywhere. So, the wires and brakes on the trailer appear to be good. So now what? My truck has a really nice built in controller that appears to not work all that great. Do I take it to a trailer shop? Are there further troubleshooting tips I can do? I can test voltage if I know which contacts do what. Is there a way to increase the output via the computer? I have the sucker dialed up to 10 and it doesn't offer much assistance. As I mentioned earlier, I can be driving 30 mph and manually peg the trailer brake and it just offers a bit of a tug, doesn't really slow me down much at all.

The next thing I would do is check the wiring on the trailer. The brake signal goes in on the blue wire and the ground goes to the white wire. On the 7 wire connector, these are in standard locations. I would put the emergency brake back into place and apply 12v to the blue wire at the trailer plug and connect the other wire to ground on the same power source and try to pull the trailer again. eTrailer.com has pictures to identify the correct wires, it's the two at the bottom of the plug.

If you can move the trailer, the problem is in the trailer wiring. If the trailer doesn't move, then the truck is the problem. Before you try to move it, you can listen for the brakes when they apply. They should make the same noise when you apply power at the connector as they do when you apply the emergency brake switch.

[jtbuilds]

Originally Posted by dagmandt

Ok, I hooked up and pulled the trailer emergency brake then tried to pull away. That sucker wasn't going anywhere. So, the wires and brakes on the trailer appear to be good. So now what? My truck has a really nice built in controller that appears to not work all that great. Do I take it to a trailer shop? Are there further troubleshooting tips I can do? I can test voltage if I know which contacts do what. Is there a way to increase the output via the computer? I have the sucker dialed up to 10 and it doesn't offer much assistance. As I mentioned earlier, I can be driving 30 mph and manually peg the trailer brake and it just offers a bit of a tug, doesn't really slow me down much at all.

I've had more issues with dirty plugs and connector on trailers than I can remember.

At the tow vehicle
You can test the output from the truck with 1 or 2 12v headlight(s) (best if light(s) draws 12-15 amps, 100w bulb=8amps). With this setup you can used the brakes and test the voltage that the controller sends to the trailer.

At the trailer
2-3 weeks ago I dropped the basement in my ORV. It is worth a look in there to make (see my Anything Wrong post) sure things are tight, wire crimps are done right, wires are not worn on the shocks, springs, frame cross members. With the basement open you can check the voltage (blue wire to chassis) that the trailer is getting from the controller. **the voltage may not be the same voltage as you had with the light bulb test.**

Take Care
John

[TXTiger]

I have a 2012 F-350 also and tow a 18K toy hauler. My built in controller is set to 7 and I have no problems. Been towing for 4 yrs. I would have a Ford shop (independent or dealer) check your controller for proper functioning. Have the plug also checked. Do you use the plug in the bed or the one over the bumper? Try each plug and see if there is a difference to eliminate a problem plug.

[dustyone]

I hope this will help.

[dustyone]

I hope this helps. One of these days I'll get this

[dustyone]

. I'll try it again

[dagmandt]

Originally Posted by TXTiger

I have a 2012 F-350 also and tow a 18K toy hauler. My built in controller is set to 7 and I have no problems. Been towing for 4 yrs. I would have a Ford shop (independent or dealer) check your controller for proper functioning. Have the plug also checked. Do you use the plug in the bed or the one over the bumper? Try each plug and see if there is a difference to eliminate a problem plug.

I only have one plug and it is factory bumper mounted.