Trailer brake wiring

[brutus93]

I'm not sure if this has come up before, but I am installing a controller for electric trailer brakes on my 2008 Ranger 4-cyl 5-spd. I have a haynes manual that says the Brake switch is 2-wires, a note with my brake controller that states a 3rd wire was added in 1998 (which can cook your brake controller), and my truck has 5 wires to the brake switch and none of them are the right colors. I reverse-engineered it and figured out that the wire I need to use is the Violet/white wire for the trigger. I will elaborate with a full description of this wiring tomorrow, but the reason I post this is that the haynes manual, Reese towing products, and the Internet were not helpful - at all. I am certain I am not the first person to go through this, but as frustrating as it was I want to provide a searchable answer for people who are trying to do what I needed to do. More info to follow... stay tuned.

 

[Will]

The Haynes manual is more useless than toilet papaer because A) it hurts and B) it's too full of shit already, C) there's no room left to write anything usefull in it.

There's a Ford manual, maybe it's called the EVTM, for your year/model, that has drawings of the whole electrical system that even an idiot can understand. Getting the whole set of Ford books for your truck is useful. They can almost always be found on Ebay, or get new ones at helminc.com. I have factory books for everything, even the engine on my pushmower.

I've installed 20+ brake controllers of all types. You always have to figure out what the controller wants and test stuff to find it.

 

[Captain Ledd]

The Haynes/Chiltons manuals are junk when it comes to wiring schematics. You really are better off without them. The only thing they are good for is the basic maintence stuff.

Find a Ford factory service manual for that specific year. Those are really helpful.

 

[Earl43P]

2007, but it agrees.


http://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp~TID~85495